School of Medicine Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2025
Abstract
Background
Studies have shown mixed results regarding the association between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and metabolic syndrome (MS); This study aimed to assess the susceptibility of IBS patients to MS and its individual components.
Methods
PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched on 1/1/2023. Eligible studies were screened, and data on study characteristics, IBS diagnostic criteria, and metabolic syndrome components were extracted. Data were analysed in RevMan 5.4, with results reported as relative risk (RR) or mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results
IBS was associated with an increased risk of MS (RR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.50–2.79, p < 0.00001), with a higher risk among IBS-D patients (RR = 3.09, 95% CI = 2.41–3.97, p < 0.00001). IBS patients showed increased HOMA-IR (MD = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15–0.26, p < 0.00001), higher obesity risk (RR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.10–1.93, p = 0.009), elevated BMI (MD = 1.51, 95% CI = 0.98–2.03, p-value < 0.00001), waist circumference (MD = 5.01, 95% CI = 1.29–8.72, p = 0.008), and an association with systolic hypertension (MD = −0.50, 95% CI = −0.60 to −0.40, p-value < 0.00001). IBS was also linked to higher LDL (MD = 5.98, 95% CI = 0.91–11.05, p = 0.02), total cholesterol (MD = 12.21, 95% CI = 6.23–18.18, p < 0.0001), and triglycerides (MD = 11.93, 95% CI = 11.55–12.31, p < 0.00001).
Conclusions
This analysis indicates a potential association between IBS and metabolic syndrome, including its components such as obesity, hypertension, and lipid profile abnormalities. However, significant heterogeneity among studies limits the generalisability of these findings. Clinicians should remain aware of the possible link and consider individualised preventive and management strategies.
Recommended Citation
Dean, Y. E., Loayza Pintado, J. J., Rouzan, S. S., Nale, L. L., Abbas, A., Aboushaira, A., Alkasajy, F., Ghanem, A. A., Patil, V. M., Gordeyeva, Y., Motawea, K. R., Le, M. L. P., Galal, A., Cicani, L., Attta, R., Soliman, A., Alzabidi, L., Subedi, A., Anjum, N., Nahedh, A., … Aiash, H. (2025). The Relationship Between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 49,662 Individuals. Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism, 8(2), e70041. https://doi.org/10.1002/edm2.70041
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism
DOI
10.1002/edm2.70041
Academic Level
resident
Mentor/PI Department
Internal Medicine
Comments
© 2025 The Author(s). Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolismpublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.