LAUSR

Regular physical activity (PA) has a potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that is mainly exerted on adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and the immune and cardiovascular systems. Thus, PA is known to be beneficial in different pro-inflammatory conditions. Nevertheless, data on the role of PA in IBD patients is scarce. The aim of our study is to analyse the association of PA with clinical outcomes in IBD patients. Cross-sectional prospective study including all consecutive IBD patients attended at a university hospital was performed. Data on physical activity was recorded through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) hours per week were calculated according to the combination of walking, moderate-intensity or vigorous intensity activity, and patients were categorized into low, moderate or high PA according to a previously validated method. Data on IBD phenotype, activity indexes, natural history, current and past treatments, together with liver evaluation, and history of cardiovascular risk factors were also collected. 831 patients were included in the study. Study flow chart is depicted in figure and clinical characteristics in table 1. IBD patients with a low or moderate PA showed a tendency to a higher proportion of IBD-related complications and higher scores in disease activity indexes than those with high PA. PA was strongly associated to the metabolic profile. Patients with a low/moderate PA were more frequently obese, hypertense, diabetic and had dyslipidaemia. Regarding liver disease, PA was significantly associated to the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but not with advanced liver fibrosis. Insufficient PA can negatively impact clinical outcomes in IBD patients, probably not because of a direct effect on IBD-pathogenesis, but due to its strong association with cardiovascular risk factors and NAFLD.