The impact of physical exercise on the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

Strenuous exercise and dehydrated states would be the causes of gastrointestinal symptoms referred by 70% of the athletes. Gut ischemia would be the main cause of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and (bloody) diarrhea. The frequency is almost twice as high during running than during other endurance sports as cycling or swimming and 1.5-3.0 times higher in the elite athletes than the recreational exercisers.

Exercise and the microbiota

“…34 Intestinal ischemia may result, particularly in the setting of dehydration, manifesting as abdominal cramps, diarrhea or occasionally bloody diarrhea. 35 This is particularly true in endurance sports. 36 As a result, increased intestinal permeability ensues, thought to be driven by the phosphorylation of several tight junction proteins.…”

Evaluation and Treatment of Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction – A Review

“…As the insoluble fibre can help bulk and soften the stool, a sensible approach is to adjust its intake according to the stool consistency. Similar to diet, there is no unanimous opinion about the effects of increased physical activity in managing constipation, as there are a few studies in favour of it [28][29][30] and a few against it. 26,[31][32][33] To our knowledge, there has been no study looking at its efficacy in individuals with NBD.…”

Ischemic colitis due to vigorous physical exercise

“…Symptoms are mostly variable and transitory: sickness, vomiting, pyrosis, diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding (5). Gastrointestinal suffering is higher when physical exercise is practiced in hot days, without previous training and with a poor hydration (2). The pathophysiology of these lesions remains unclear, although most authors have related it with: ischemic tissue because of the redistribution of blood flow from the splanchnic territory to other organs during exercise (muscle, heart, lungs and brain) (6); vascular anatomic abnormalities in colon, since 30% of general population has hypoplasia of some arterial arcades or they even do not exist, which makes some regions of the colon especially vulnerable to ischemia (7); mechanical factors due to abdominal wall vibration (7,8); neuroendocrine factors related with secretion of peptids that have influence on gastrointestinal homeostasis (8,9).…”

“…It also provides a potential protection against the risk of colon cancer, chronic constipation, diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and cholelithiasis (2,3).…”