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Gastroenterology news

Your gut can get jet lag too: How not to waste the first days of your vacation

A dream vacation, an exotic destination, a long-haul flight and finally some well-deserved rest. The problem is that many travelers arrive at their destination only to spend the first days of their vacation struggling with ...

Birth exposes babies to maternal gut bacteria that help build early microbiomes

The very first thing many babies encounter when they're born is their mother's poop. If they're born vaginally, head down, with the face against their mother's rectum, the pressure can expel fecal material just as they are ...

2008 to 2023 saw shift in causes of cirrhosis

There have been substantial epidemiological shifts in the burden of cirrhosis in the United States during the past decade, according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Q&A: Cyclospora outbreak

People across the United States are taking a closer look at their lettuce and leafy greens this summer because of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness whose most notable symptom is severe, watery diarrhea.

Microbiota dysbiosis triggers intestinal cancer stemness

Scientists at National Taiwan University College of Medicine have discovered that cancer formation is not simply caused by gene mutations. Colorectal cancers primarily originate from epithelial cells that form adenocarcinomas ...

Cyclosporiasis: What to know and how to prevent it

Cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing "explosive diarrhea," is making headlines across the country. Dr. Stacey Rose, associate professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, ...

Sweeteners slow growth of important gut bacteria in lab tests

Cambridge researchers have shown how commonly used sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria. One sweetener in particular—isosteviol—when combined with the antidepressant duloxetine, significantly impaired two important ...

Roasted and browned: How gut bacteria break down heated foods

Crusty bread, fried meat and roasted coffee owe their characteristic taste and browning to chemical reactions that occur when foods are heated. In the so-called Maillard reaction, amino acids—the building blocks of proteins—react ...

New global research highlights burden of unsafe food

If it isn't safe, it isn't food. That message sits at the heart of a major new global effort by the World Health Organization (WHO). University of Waterloo public health researcher Dr. Shannon Majowicz contributed research ...

Colon cancer cells may change identity to metastasize

Loss of GATA6—a transcription factor that controls which genes are turned on or off—can reprogram colorectal cancer cells into more primitive, adaptable states that can then spread to the liver and establish new tumors, according ...

Engineered probiotic heads to human trials

A probiotic bioengineered by UBC Okanagan researchers to thrive in the inflamed gut is set to enter human clinical trials in Australia this summer, capping a decade-long effort to turn a beneficial bacterium into a treatment ...

Microplastics may worsen fatty liver disease, new study suggests

Microplastics—minuscule pieces of plastic broken down from larger plastic waste—are a growing concern for human health, especially for the liver. A study from the University of Oklahoma, published in Science Advances, demonstrates ...

Beyond GLP-1s: The next chapter of obesity care

The rapid rise of GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide has transformed obesity treatment. Still, experts say medications alone are not enough to address one of the nation's most pressing chronic diseases.

Genetic marker may flag severe IBD earlier in some patients

In the largest genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) traits to date, researchers have identified a genetic marker associated with more severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease—the major forms of IBD.