Irritable bowel syndrome, sleep quality, and mediterranean diet: A cross-sectional study

Background and aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) represents a significant public health problem, particularly among university students. This study investigated the relationship between IBS symptoms, sleep quality, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 students aged 17–25 years using self-administered questionnaires. Data included socio-demographic characteristics, the Birmingham IBS Symptom Questionnaire, a sleep quality questionnaire, and the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Body composition was assessed using a Tanita analyzer. Results: Among the 270 participants (57.8% female), the prevalence of IBS symptoms was 51.5%, with most cases classified as mild. IBS symptoms were more common in females (69.1% of those with IBS symptoms) and in students enrolled in health-related majors (54.7%). Approximately 80% of participants reported good sleep quality, and 41.1% had moderate adherence to the MD. In multivariable logistic regression, the presence of IBS symptoms was significantly associated with lower sleep scores (B = −0.10, OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84–0.98, p = 0.01) and being female (B = −0.85, OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.24–0.76, p = 0.004), whereas adherence to the MD was not significantly associated with IBS symptoms. Conclusions: IBS symptoms were common in this sample of UAE university students and were strongly associated with female sex and poorer sleep quality, but not with MD adherence. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to promote healthy sleep and lifestyle behaviors to reduce IBS symptoms and improve well-being among university students.