Bariatric surgery appears to reduce the risk for colon, breast, endometrial, pancreatic and other cancers, according to a review of medical data from 22,198 bariatric surgery patients. Overall, bariatric surgery was associated with a 40% risk reduction for 13 obesity-related cancers and a 23% reduction in risk for other cancers. See the article on Healio
An article appearing in Nature suggested that a common food additive known as trehalose might be responsible for the current Clostridium difficile epidemic. The Nature paper shows us that two of the most virulent strains of C. diff, including the “hypervirulent” ribotype 027, can metabolize even trace amounts of trehalose. They go on to show that when strains are mixed together, low
A low FODMAP diet was more effective at improving symptoms than general dietary advice (GDA) in a study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Gastrointestinal symptoms , stool frequency, and consistency improved after six weeks in the FODMAP group. However, both groups experienced reductions in symptom severity, abdominal pain, distension, consistency and frequency.
Neurologic involvement in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is uncommon but probably underreported, and gastroenterologists must be ready to recognize it. For example, peripheral neuropathy is reported to occur in up to 13% of IBD patients. Neurologic complications due to nutritional deficiencies are thought to be even more common. Complications may arise spontaneously from the systemic inflammation
Finnish researchers found that individuals with diabetes or a high waist circumference who consumed higher average amounts of alcohol were at an increased risk of developing liver disease. The findings in the journal Hepatology, based on an analysis of the Finnish Health 2000 study data involving 6,732 individuals without liver disease, revealed that the
Celiac disease is seen more frequently in youth with type 1 diabetes, but there are variations between countries in how often the two conditions occur together, according to an Australian study in the journal Diabetes Care. The study found 3.5% of young people with diabetes had celiac disease, with the prevalence ranging from 1.9% in
People who were overweight or obese as teens have a higher risk of developing colon cancer as an adult, according to a study in the journal Cancer. Obesity in adolescence was also linked to a higher risk of rectal cancer. “This is a huge cohort with a minimum follow-up of 10 years, and all individuals
An analysis of eight studies found continuous endurance exercise, such as running or cycling, for more than two hours may lead to exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome, which includes gut injury and impaired gut function, researchers wrote in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Prolonged vigorous exercise can cause a stress response that shuts down gut function,
Infestation with benign parasitic worms is one possible explanation for the low incidence of autoimmune diseases and allergies in less developed countries and, conversely, for the sustained increase in such inflammatory conditions in more sanitized and hence “dewormed” industrialized societies. Joel V. Weinstock, MD, of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, writing in Nature in an article
“Colon cancer patients who had a healthy body weight, engaged in regular physical activity … and drank small to moderate amounts of alcohol had longer disease-free and overall survival than patients who did not,” Erin L. Van Blarigan, ScD, of the University of California San Francisco said during a press briefing prior to the American
