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A team of researchers is uncovering how the juice from red cabbage, long used in traditional medicine, can alleviate inflammation-associated digestive health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice, offering hope to Americans who suffer from IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Santayana Rachagani's team found red cabbage juice boasts a diverse array of bioactive compounds that improved gut health and alleviated the symptoms of IBD in mice. "Red cabbage juice alters the composition of gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of good bacteria, resulting in increased production of short chain fatty acids and other bacteria derived...

An increased serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) is independently associated with a lower risk for bowel resection with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study. Lintao Dan and colleagues examined the association between serum vitamin D levels and the risk for bowel resection in individuals with IBD. The analysis included 5,474 individuals with IBD followed for a mean 13.1 years. The researchers found that compared with participants with vitamin D deficiency, nondeficient participants showed a significantly reduced bowel resection risk in IBD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.72), Crohn disease (CD; HR, 0.74), and ulcerative colitis (UC; HR, 0.73). For...

A new U-M study finds a complex interplay between diet, genes, and the gut microbiota that could explain why IBD develops. The newest study builds on previous work that found that a low fiber diet led to a proliferation of mucin degrading bacteria—bacteria that thrive by eating the mucus lining of the intestine. In some people, genetic loss of a cytokine—a protein that affects the immune system—known as interleukin-10 (IL-10) or its receptor, leads to the early onset of IBD. While some of these mice spontaneously developed inflammation in their intestinal tracts as well, the level of severity varied and...

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is strongly linked to a lower risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), finds new research. Previously research has linked lifestyle factors with a heightened risk of IBS, and the researchers wanted to find out if a combination of these factors might ward off the condition. They looked at the big five healthy behaviors—never smoking; at least seven hours of sleep every night; a high level of vigorous physical activity every week; a high-quality balanced diet every day; and moderate alcohol intake—among middle-aged participants (average age 55) of the U.K. Biobank. The final analysis included 64,286 people,...

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure is associated with later occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a research letter. Manasi Agrawal, M.D. and colleagues examined the association of PFAS mixture concentrations in prediagnostic serum in patients with adult-onset IBD participating in a pilot study within the preclinical Proteomic Evaluation and Discovery in an IBD Cohort of Tri-service Subjects study. The analysis included military personnel with Crohn disease (CD), those with ulcerative colitis (UC), and age-, sex-, and race-matched healthy controls (25 in each group). The researchers found that estimated mean concentrations in the study population were 5.19 µg/L...

Researchers have shown that changes can be detected in blood tests up to eight years before a diagnosis of Crohn's disease and up to three years before a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. This means the beginnings of inflammatory bowel diseases start a long time before symptoms occur, and in the future may provide an opportunity for doctors to take preventative action before symptoms begin, or prescribe medication when it will be most effective. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). They are incurable conditions which involve excessive inflammation in the gut, leading to symptoms...

Chronic bowel inflammation is based on an excessive or misdirected inflammatory reaction. Experts assume that the immune system also reacts incorrectly to microorganisms in the intestine that do not cause an inflammatory immune reaction in a healthy state. Now, researchers have discovered that yeast fungi could play an important role in this. Trillions of microorganisms colonize the human body, especially the intestine. This microbiome consists mainly of viruses and bacteria, but to a lesser extent also of fungi. However, according to current research, this interaction is disturbed in Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease where the immune cells react...

New research has found a link between the important micronutrient zinc and a sensor protein in the gut in the prevention and management of a range of bowel conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Professor Christer Hogstrand investigated the role of zinc and a sensor named the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) that helps the body react to nutrients, drugs and toxic substances in the bowel. Mice fed a diet containing zinc and a chemical from cruciferous vegetables—such as broccoli—that stimulates the AHR were almost completely alleviated of IBD. In contrast, mice fed a zinc-deficient diet received no benefit from...

Could a unique loaf of bread be the solution to irritable bowel syndrome? Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website has lauded a Mayo baker’s €25 ‘miracle loaf’ known as ‘magic poo bread’. The €25 Happy Tummy Loaf, created by the Irish Happy Tummy Company in Westport, Co. Mayo, was praised by Gwyneth Paltrow‘s site on a date not specified. The loaf, also known as ‘2 Day Soaked Wholegrain Chia Teff Loaf’, is made from 15 ingredients including unconventional flours like buckwheat and teff, a grass seed, along with chia seeds, crushed linseed, nuts, eggs, lemon juice, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar, writes...

Higher consumption of dietary fiber was associated with a lower risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study. Minzi Deng, Ph.D. and colleagues examined associations between dietary fiber intake and subsequent incidence of IBD, Crohn disease, and ulcerative colitis. The analysis included 470,669 participants from the U.K. Biobank. The researchers found that during an average follow-up of 12.1 years, there was an inverse association between dietary fiber intake and risk for IBD (lowest versus highest quintile: hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.58 to 0.93; P = 0.011) and Crohn's disease (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.32...

Credit: Fernandolive on Wikimedia Commons Could a dose of hookworms provide a medication-free alternative to people with inflammatory bowel disease? The Malaghan Institute's Hookworm Therapy team, who recently published the results from their year-long clinical study, think it's possible. Published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, the feasibility study found that hookworms were a safe and long-lasting treatment for participants with ulcerative colitis—paving the way for wider clinical studies. The Malaghan Institute has been exploring the potential therapeutic benefits of human hookworms for patients suffering allergic and inflammatory disease for a number of years. This current study was the first of its...

Excess sugar hampers cells that renew the colon's lining in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study. The researchers started by feeding mice either a standard or high-sugar diet. Then they mimicked symptoms of IBD by treating the animals with a chemical called DSS that causes damage to the colon. All the mice on the high-sugar diet died within nine days. In contrast, all animals on the standard diet survived until the end of the 14-day experiment. The team looked at the animals' colons. Also known as the large intestine, the colon is lined with...

A team of neurobiologists has found that mice with lower levels of Fos (short and medium-chain sugar molecules that are indigestible in the body) in their brains tend to be more susceptible to depression related to stress than mice with higher levels of the chemical. In their study, the group stress-tested mice and then tested levels of Fos in their brains. Prior research has shown that people respond to stressful situations in different ways—some shrug them off while others tend to suffer longer-term repercussions. Such scenarios suggest that some forms of depression may have a genetic link. Prior research has...

Psyllium fiber protects against ulcerative colitis and suppresses inflammation by activating the bile acid nuclear receptor, a mechanism that was previously unrecognized, according to a study. The findings reveal that psyllium inhibits inflammation that can lead to colitis in mice by increasing serum bile acids, resulting in the activation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid nuclear receptor. Fiber-rich foods promote intestinal and metabolic health, but the extent of protection varies for each fiber type. It has been unclear whether dietary fiber can benefit severe forms of intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which are...

Salk Institute researchers have developed a new compound that acts like a master reset switch in the intestines. In a new study, the compound, called FexD, is found to prevent and reverse intestinal inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. New therapeutic has the potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease by targeting a molecule that keeps order in the intestines. Salk Institute scientists have developed a new drug that acts like a master reset switch in the gut. Called FexD, the compound has previously been found to burn fat, lower cholesterol, and ward off colorectal cancer in mice. Now,...

The prevalence of zinc deficiency is about 50 percent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is higher in patients with Crohn disease (CD) than those with ulcerative colitis (UC), according to a study. Roberta Zupo and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of zinc deficiency in IBD. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria, which included 17 prevalence entries for CD and UC (nine and eight, respectively). The researchers found that across selected studies, the prevalence of zinc deficiency showed higher values in CD than in UC. In pooled analyses, the overall mean zinc deficiency prevalence...

Intestine Crohn’s Disease A mystery surrounding Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, may have been solved by a new study. This image depicts an intestine affected by Crohn’s disease. ========================================================= New research may have solved a mystery surrounding Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease where immune defenses meant to attack invading microbes mistakenly target the body’s own digestive tract instead. Norovirus is a common infection that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It is also one of several viruses and bacteria thought to trigger disease onset in people with Crohn’s disease, but the field does not know why....

Gay men are more than twice as likely to develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than heterosexual men when both populations engage in high-risk sexual activity. "To our knowledge, this is the first large population-based study that demonstrates a higher prevalence of IBD in men who engage in high-risk same-sex sexual activity," said Emad Mansoor. "Our study is expected to open a new field of research into gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions." "Studying the cause of IBD in this underrepresented patient population in comparison to other patient groups," said Fabio Cominelli, "will allow us to further investigate the cause of disease development in...

The dietary supplement chlorophyllin alleviates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, according to researchers. In addition, chlorophyllin significantly reduces mortality related to IBD, weight loss, diarrhea and hidden blood in the stool, intestinal epithelial damage and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as IBD affect tens of millions of people living in the U.S. IBD has created a global health burden because of the rising cost of treating the condition. While the exact cause of IBD isn't fully understood, some contributing factors include stress and environmental, lifestyle, and dietary choices, such as high consumption...

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) more often have spondyloarthritis (SpA) before and after diagnosis of IBD, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis. Sarita Shrestha, from Örebro University in Sweden, and colleagues compared the occurrence of SpA in a nationwide cohort study involving 39,203 patients diagnosed with IBD during 2006 to 2016 and 390,490 matched reference individuals from the general population. The researchers found that compared with reference individuals, IBD patients were more likely to have prevalent SpA at IBD diagnosis (2.5 versus 0.7 percent; odds ratio, 3.48). IBD patients also more often...