https://medicalxpress.com/gastroenterology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Gastroenterology A new UCLA study has found a connection between how quickly the brain ages and the bacteria and chemical byproducts found in the gut, offering a clue to what drives brain aging long before symptoms appear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-brain-aging-decades-symptoms-links.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news708343682 UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, is conducting a first-in-human, Phase I clinical trial using laser light to target localized but inoperable pancreatic tumors to help patients become cancer-free. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-human-inoperable-pancreatic-tumors-laser.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:40:04 EDT news708341281 Researchers have taken an important step toward solving one of the biggest challenges in gene therapy for children with metabolic liver disorders: growth itself. As a child's liver grows, some gene therapies that once worked can gradually lose their effect because the treated cells are eventually outnumbered by new, untreated ones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gene-advance-treatment-rare-liver.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:20:09 EDT news708340202 That morning brew may be doing you more harm than good. A study of almost 1 million tea and coffee drinkers has linked very hot drinks to a threefold greater risk of developing one type of esophageal cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-hot-tea-coffee-linked-greater.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:30:01 EDT news708336436 University of Warwick researchers have analyzed data from more than 1.9 million people across 23 studies and found that ADHD is linked to an almost 50% increase in overall gastrointestinal symptoms compared with people without ADHD. The association was even stronger for specific problems: nearly double the odds of constipation, a 58% increase in irritable bowel syndrome, and more than four times the odds of encopresis (loss of bowel control). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-people-adhd-gut-problems-major.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:10:01 EDT news708257581 The pathogen Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)—a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections—must contend with a variety of threats inside the harsh environment of the gut to survive and grow. Researchers at Vanderbilt Health have discovered a unique system C. diff uses to simultaneously sense and respond to two different threats: host-mediated nutrient deprivation and a microbiota-produced antibiotic compound. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-diff-threat-response-survive-gut.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news708258061 Most patients with localized appendix cancer may be able to safely avoid chemotherapy after surgery, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-patients-appendix-cancer-chemotherapy-surgery.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:00:07 EDT news708193261 Roughly half the world's population is infected with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for about 90% of gastric cancers. However, until now, it has been unclear why some H. pylori infections lead to a rare form of lymphoma in the stomach while others don't. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-immune-protein-loss-rare-stomach.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:00:14 EDT news708158882 Colonoscopies are one of the most effective ways to prevent colorectal cancer, which is surging among young adults in the U.S. Yet, the quality of each procedure can vary substantially from one physician to another. As a result, medical societies recommend routinely reviewing every colonoscopist—something that's challenging and time-consuming for practices to implement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-colonoscopies-ai-scale.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:20:13 EDT news708162181 Exposure to the stomach microbe Helicobacter pylori may be associated with more than 1 in 5 cases of colorectal cancer worldwide, suggests an exploratory risk-attribution study published in the journal eGastroenterology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-stomach-microbe-exposure-linked-bowel.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:30:03 EDT news707993237 QIMR Berghofer researchers have identified a strong genetic link between gut-related health conditions and depression in a study offering new insights into why physical illnesses often accompany the mental health condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-depression-factors-overlap-physical-illnesses.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:20:12 EDT news708076801 The gut microbiome has been a popular topic for a while now, but the focus is usually on good bacteria. A new study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that we may want to pay attention to the fungi in our guts as well. The study examined the effects of radiation on mice, comparing mice inoculated with a filamentous fungus called Mucor racemosus with a control group, and found that M. racemosus facilitated processes that protected the mice from radiation damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-understudied-gut-fungus-dna-limit.html Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:00:04 EDT news707998032 Researchers at the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, together with international collaborators, have discovered that a small molecule made exclusively by gut bacteria can actively drive disease in the bile ducts and worsen primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a serious liver and bile duct disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gut-derived-bacterial-molecule-severe.html Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:40:03 EDT news707743862 Since its discovery, the highly contagious bacterium Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) has been reported not to cause symptoms in infants, leading to the assumption that colonization was not a serious health issue. In a new study, researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are challenging that long-held assumption, with findings suggesting that the bacterium can reshape the developing infant gut and may have long-term consequences. The findings are published in the journal Science. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-difficile-colonization-infants-reshapes-gut.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:00:27 EDT news707494981 A liver disease affecting nearly 30% of adults worldwide is not a single illness but five biologically distinct subtypes, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Each carries different risks for heart disease, liver failure, cancer and the need for liver transplantation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-subtypes-common-liver-disease-rapidly.html Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:20:13 EDT news707645679 Liver cancer is difficult to treat because tumors vary greatly from patient to patient. Researchers at the University of Basel have captured this diversity by creating a collection of mini-tumors, which they use to systematically search for new treatment options. They tested more than 1,600 compounds using these organoids and used the results to develop promising drug combinations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-mini-tumors-reveal-drug-combinations.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:00:01 EDT news707582281 High-fructose corn syrup is just one of many food additives linked to obesity. It is typically found in sweetened beverages and processed foods and is added to enhance flavor and sweetness. However, exactly how it contributes to weight gain and obesity is not completely understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-scientists-fructose-obesity.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:50:02 EDT news707572905 A new study published in Nature Aging on Aug. 25 reports that a single gut bacterium—Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum (BP)—together with a small molecule it produces, 5-aminovaleric acid betaine (5-AVAB), can alleviate multiple hallmarks of aging and extend healthy lifespan in mice, opening a promising avenue toward healthier aging in humans. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gut-bacterium-metabolite-delay-aging.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:40:10 EDT news707492581 Researchers have created a detailed map of childhood Crohn's disease before and after treatment to help understand disease progression. The study, published in eLife, is described by the editors as an important study that substantially advances understanding of pediatric Crohn's disease, mapping its cellular makeup and how patients respond to treatment. The editors add that the evidence is compelling, based on thorough analyses and underpinned by rigorous methodology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-cell-childhood-crohn-severity-treatment.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:00:06 EDT news707485981 A commonly used systemic antifungal medication may help reduce symptoms in a subset of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by restoring a healthier gut microbiome, according to a preliminary study by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The study, published in Nature Medicine, provides what is thought to be the first evidence that targeting intestinal fungal dysbiosis can reshape bacterial and fungal microbiome dynamics in patients with IBD and establishes a framework for mycobiome-guided precision therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-antifungal-therapy-potential-ibd-patients.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:40:09 EDT news707482861 The neuroactive potential of bacteria living in the human gut is associated with levels of key chemicals in the brain, according to a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry. The research team from the University of Surrey and the University of Roehampton found that microbial pathways involved in producing and breaking down neuroactive compounds were associated with levels of GABA and glutamate in specific regions of the human brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gut-bacteria-linked-key-brain.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:20:01 EDT news707482741 Obesity-related metabolic liver disease affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, but only some of those livers develop scarring, become inflamed and eventually fail. University of Utah researchers have identified a protein, EFHD1, that appears to drive that transition by triggering an out-of-place antiviral immune response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-efhd1-fatty-liver-disease-injury.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:12 EDT news707413741 One of Australia's largest real-world studies of younger adults with advanced bowel cancer has identified important differences between cancers diagnosed before and after age 50, which could help doctors tailor treatments for younger adults more effectively. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-major-reveals-key-differences-bowel.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:40:01 EDT news707469122 When added to standard chemotherapy, a clinical version of the dietary supplement L-glutamine improved survival in an early-phase trial of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The study, led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators, was published in Nature Cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-supplement-chemotherapy-boosts-pancreatic-cancer.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news707471461 Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that chemical signals produced by gut bacteria work together to control intestinal movement. One bacterial signal helps set the intestines in motion, while another primes gut cells to respond more strongly, amplifying the effect. The research expands scientists' understanding of how the gut microbiome communicates with the body, moving beyond the traditional focus on individual bacteria or bacterial molecules. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-scientists-uncover-microbiome-paths-ibs.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:40:07 EDT news707395262 Researchers have uncovered early molecular warning signs of inflammatory bowel disease, revealing the condition can begin before symptoms appear and continue silently even when patients appear well. The WEHI-led study found a hidden flaw that can damage intestinal cells and is present even in patients whose disease is well controlled. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-symptom-free-ibd-patients-gut.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:00:03 EDT news707141282 Results from an early-stage clinical trial, published in Nature Communications, showed encouraging outcomes among patients with newly diagnosed cancer whose tumors had spread to distant organs. Most strikingly, one patient experienced a pathologic complete response—meaning no viable cancer cells could be found—and remains cancer-free for more than two years without further treatment. These findings offer an important signal that a new approach may be able to overcome one of the disease's greatest challenges: its resistance to immunotherapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-combination-therapy-metastatic-pancreatic-cancer.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:20:03 EDT news707140621