PloS one
Cure8 research brief
Why This Matters
Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak) is an important health measure and may be relevant for people with IBD. Having accurate, simpler ways to estimate VO2peak makes it easier to assess fitness in clinic or studies without full maximal CPET equipment.
Who Should Pay Attention
Clinicians and researchers who assess fitness in IBD patients; adult patients with IBD interested in exercise testing and rehabilitation programs.
Study Snapshot
Story typeResearch paper
Evidence typeResearch paper
Source depthJournal abstract
What To Know
This study developed predictive equations to estimate peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) measures (VO2 at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold and oxygen uptake efficiency slope) and the steep ramp test (work rate at peak).
Models that included age, body fat percentage, and clinical disease activity explained a high proportion of variance in VO2peak in this sample. The authors propose these submaximal tests as practical alternatives to full maximal CPET for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in people with IBD who are in remission or have mild-to-moderate disease activity.
This could make fitness assessment more feasible in clinical and research settings where maximal testing is not available. The paper reports optimism-adjusted R2 values (model performance) and describes combining predictors to improve accuracy.
The study sample included patients with remission or mild-to-moderate activity who completed both tests within 14 days. The abstract is the source for this summary; Cure8 did not review the full article beyond the provided abstract and metadata.
Keep In Mind
Structured content depth: abstract — this brief is grounded in the article abstract provided on PubMed and does not represent review of the full paper. The study included patients in remission or with mild-to-moderate disease activity; findings may not apply to people with severe active IBD.
Model performance metrics came from the authors' reported optimism-adjusted R2 values; details of sample size, external validation, and clinical implementation require reading the full article.
Source Details
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Research paper
Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationPloS one
AuthorsKarlijn Demers, Sander M J van Kuijk, Marieke J Pierik +3 more
Institution.Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Study typeJournal article
Indexed viaPubMed
Source typeResearch paper
PublishedOct 8, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableJournal abstract
Conflict statement: Karlijn Demers reports honoraria from Dr. Falk Pharma, outside the submitted work. Marieke J. Pierik has received research grants from Takeda, AbbVie, Alfasigma, and TKI-Health Holland; speaker or advisory board fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, AbbVie, Pfizer, Takeda, Galapagos, and Janssen-Cilag, all paid to the institution; and nonfinancial support from Immunodiagnostics, Janssen-Cilag, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Galapagos, all outside the submitted work. Daisy M.A.E. Jonkers reports grant from the public-private partnership grants Top Knowledge Institute (TKI) Agri&Food and Health Holland, by the Carbokinetics program as part of the NWO-CCC Partnership Program, by Organic A2BV/Mothersfinest BV, Danone Nutricia Nederland B.V. and H2020 DISCOvERIE/848228, all outside the submitted work. Laurents P.S. Stassen serves on the advisory board of Diagnostic Green Gmbh and has served as a speaker and received research support from Takeda, outside the submitted work. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. For the remaining authors none were declared.
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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