Follow Your Gut: Resistance Training, But Not Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity, Is Favorable For Gastrointestinal Health

Research consistently shows that participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and resistance training (RT) is beneficial to cardiometabolic health and its risk factors. However, less is known about the role of MVPA and RT on gastrointestinal health. PURPOSE: To determine differences in gastrointestinal symptoms and digestion-related quality of life due to participation in MVPA, RT, and sedentary behaviors. METHODS: Adults without gastrointestinal diseases (n = 379; 35.5 ± 13.0 years; 56.7% female) completed an online survey to assess gastrointestinal symptoms, digestion-related quality of life, MVPA and RT participation, time spent sitting, and demographic data. RT was categorized as meeting or not meeting guidelines (i.e., ≥2 days/week), while time spent in sitting, walking, and MVPA were categorized into quartiles. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and one-way independent ANOVAs with an alpha level set at 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 379 participants, 53.2% self-reported meeting MVPA guidelines (i.e., ≥150 minutes/week) and 51.9% reported meeting RT guidelines. There were no differences across quartiles of activity for gastrointestinal symptoms (MVPA: p = .25; walking: p = .96) or digestion-related quality of life (MVPA: p = .55; walking: p = .92). Further, there were no differences in gastrointestinal symptoms due to time spent sitting (p = .21). However, there was a difference in digestion-related quality of life across quartiles of sitting (p = .004). Sitting for 5-8 hours/day (1.31 ± 1.37; p = .006) and 8+ hours/day (1.40 ± 1.31; p = .02) resulted in significantly lower digestion-related quality of life compared to sitting <3 hours/day (2.02 ± 1.76). Finally, individuals meeting RT guidelines reported lower gastrointestinal symptoms (1.84 ± 0.75; p = .006) and better quality of life (1.71 ± 1.61; p = .03) compared to those who do not meet guidelines (symptoms: 2.05 ± 0.91; quality of life: 1.42 ± 1.34). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that RT, but not MVPA, may have positive benefits for gastrointestinal health. However, sitting for long periods may incur deleterious effects in individuals without gastrointestinal disease. Future research is needed to determine whether a RT intervention leads to positive changes in gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life.