https://medicalxpress.com/gastroenterology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Gastroenterology Infections with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) are the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. In healthy people, they usually resolve without the person even noticing. For people with preexisting liver damage, however, they can have serious consequences. A study at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) has shown that, in half of all cases of liver cirrhosis, HEV infections lead to acute liver failure. However, HEV infections are underdiagnosed. To detect the infections in a timely manner and bring them under control with antiviral therapies, the researchers are calling for greater awareness of HEV infections among medical staff, as well as more routine testing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hepatitis-underestimated-liver-cirrhosis.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:40:06 EDT news704458000 Plant-based diets are good for you. They promote gut, immune, metabolic and cardiovascular health, in part by cultivating a diverse community of intestinal bacteria. These benefits have long been known to stem partly from the fiber in plant-based foods, which is processed by our commensal gut bacteria, and the often brightly colored "phytochemicals" plants produce to protect themselves from environmental threats. But much remains to be learned about how exactly the bugs in our bellies process the constituents of vegetables to such salubrious effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-overlooked-proteins-boost-gut-health.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:20:01 EDT news704463121 A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by La Trobe University researchers could help predict which stage 2 bowel cancer patients are at risk of relapse, an advance that could ultimately lead to thousands getting life-saving treatment earlier. Bowel cancer is Australia's fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death. Worldwide, it is the third most common cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-tool-bowel-cancer-relapse.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:20:05 EDT news704458981 As you may have seen in news headlines or social media memes, there's explosive diarrhea going around. Understanding how the immune system responds to the parasite that causes the unfortunate disease called cyclosporiasis can help explain why the infection is mild in some people but can cause severe or long-lasting illness in others. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cyclosporiasis-sickens-people-worse-diarrhea.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:20:02 EDT news704454481 Crohn disease (CD) is associated with an increased risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after total joint arthroplasty, according to a study published in the August issue of Arthroplasty Today. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-crohn-disease-linked-periprosthetic-joint.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:00:09 EDT news704378468 Artificial intelligence developed by researchers at UCL has revealed a promising combination of cancer treatments that could help patients with locally advanced rectal cancer live longer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-analysis-tailor-treatment-locally.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:30:01 EDT news704364121 Doctors recommend dietary fiber for healthy digestion, but to benefit from it, people not only need specific species of gut bacteria but also the right strains of those bacteria to process the starches, according to a new study that advances the promise of precision nutrition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-dietary-fiber-digestion-gut-bacteria.html Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:20:03 EDT news704375461 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 fatigue, sleep disturbances, low energy levels and digestive issues. Researchers from Wroclaw Medical University point out that these symptoms may be caused by more than classic jet lag. A growing body of evidence suggests that time zone changes also affect the trillions of bacteria living in our intestines. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gut-jet-lag-days-vacation.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:00:04 EDT news704118902 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 born. This early exposure is not only normal but likely to be beneficial. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-birth-exposes-babies-maternal-gut.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:40:09 EDT news704102102 Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare autoimmune disease that affects the liver and can progress to cirrhosis. It occurs when the immune system attacks the small bile ducts within the liver. As a result, bile builds up, leading to inflammation and progressive liver damage. Although a first-line treatment exists, 40% of patients do not respond adequately to it or cannot tolerate it, so new treatment options need to be developed. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ppar-therapies-fibrosis-primary-biliary.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:40:07 EDT news704030671 You may have heard that colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting young adults. However, it is not the only gastrointestinal (GI) cancer that doctors are diagnosing in patients below the age of 50, explains Christina Wu, M.D., an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-colorectal-cancer-isnt-gastrointestinal-young.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:00:07 EDT news704033341 Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have found that certain gut bacteria are linked to how quickly the body ages, providing new insight into the connection between the gut, health and longevity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gut-microbiome-reveals-molecular-clues.html Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:20:04 EDT news704026201 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. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-shift-cirrhosis.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:00:01 EDT news703924966 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified immune system changes that can be detected up to 10 years before inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) develops, offering new insight into how the disease begins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-immune-emerge-years-inflammatory-bowel.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:40:07 EDT news703946221 Urbanization is one of the most consequential demographic shifts of the 21st century. As communities move from traditional or rural to urbanized ways of life, changes in diet, lifestyle and environmental exposures can influence many aspects of human biology and health. Research has shown that urbanization can alter the gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms inhabiting the digestive tract, but whether this transition follows a common pattern across different global populations has remained unclear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-gut-microbiomes-distinct-trajectories-urbanization.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:20:04 EDT news703946881 A single preoperative blood sample may help improve the prediction of recurrence or metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer. A joint research team from KAIST, Gangnam Severance Hospital and Asan Medical Center has shown that, as colorectal cancer advances, the network of relationships among circulating amino acids (a kind of metabolic map) undergoes systematic remodeling. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-blood-sample-colorectal-cancer-recurrence.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news703941541 A new randomized clinical trial suggests that singing therapy may provide a more effective and engaging treatment option than standard breathing exercises for people with supragastric belching, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can significantly affect quality of life. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-therapy-symptom-relief-greater-quality.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:00:05 EDT news703851176 In a randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, ingesting capsules containing fecal microbes from healthy donors helped treat symptoms of insomnia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-fecal-microbe-transplantation-people-chronic.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:09 EDT news703832621 A multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis has prompted a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sold by Taylor Farms de Mexico of Guanajuato, Mexico. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-fda-iceberg-lettuce-recall-false.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:20:05 EDT news703781025 Your intestine completely rebuilds its inner lining every few days—one of the fastest renewal processes in the human body. Scientists have now discovered that this extraordinary feat is accompanied by a hidden network of specialized mesenchymal support cells working behind the scenes, revealing an unexpected level of organization inside the gut and offering new clues that may eventually inform approaches to intestinal injury and inflammatory bowel disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hidden-cell-network-clues-intestinal.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:07 EDT news703782362 Nearly half of patients who completed an at-home test for colorectal cancer fail to repeat the screening consistently, according to Rutgers Health researchers, who also found primary care provider behaviors can increase patient consistency—and catch more cancers early. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-colon-cancer-screenings-higher-retest.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:13 EDT news703774862 People with Lynch syndrome, the most common hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer, face a markedly increased cancer risk and therefore undergo regular colonoscopies. Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, the University of Leipzig, and Amsterdam UMC investigated whether artificial intelligence improves the detection of precancerous lesions. Their findings show that, in specialized centers, AI provided no significant additional benefit. The study was published in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-ai-automatically-colorectal-cancer-screening.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news703497222 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. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-qa-cyclospora-outbreak.html Sat, 18 Jul 2026 14:00:04 EDT news703498439 Public investment in liver transplants not only saves lives and substantially improves patients' survival and quality of life but also generates a positive long-term social and economic return. That is the finding of a pioneering study led by researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), the National Transplant Organization (ONT) and Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. More than four decades after the first liver transplant in Spain in 1984, this is the first study to perform a global assessment of the impact of these interventions, not only from the perspective of patients' health but also from economic and social perspectives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-spain-liver-transplants-generate-economic.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:40:05 EDT news703505956 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 at the interface between the host and microbiota. In addition to genetic mutations, the trillions of microbes in the gut environment, termed microbiota or microbiome, play important roles in cancer development. The microbiome is now regarded as a promising therapeutic target, in addition to controlling host factors, for managing colon cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-microbiota-dysbiosis-triggers-intestinal-cancer.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:20:03 EDT news703500573 Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have reported results from a large international clinical trial showing that semaglutide, a medication in the GLP-1 class of drugs widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, may help reduce liver scarring in patients with advanced fatty liver disease, including those with early-stage cirrhosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-glp-patients-advanced-fatty-liver.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:00:07 EDT news703497631 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, explains why this illness is not like others that spread from person to person. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-cyclosporiasis.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news703487702 Why do some people lose substantial weight with GLP-1-based medications while others see more modest results? A Mayo Clinic study offers a potential answer by identifying a distinct biological subtype of obesity that responds especially well to tirzepatide, a medication that mimics two naturally occurring hormones involved in appetite and blood sugar regulation, moving the field closer to precision medicine for obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-patients-obesity-benefit-glp-based.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:40:13 EDT news703423982 Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," during pregnancy and early life is associated with increased intestinal inflammation during childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-early-life-exposure-chemicals-linked.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:20:03 EDT news703418941 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 with sugars to produce modified forms of natural dietary compounds. Their influence on gut bacteria has been little understood. An interdisciplinary team led by PD Dr. Jürgen Lassak (LMU Munich) and Professor Michael Hellwig (TU Dresden) has now investigated how such dietary compounds are formed, obtaining new insights into the interplay of diet and gut microbiome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-roasted-browned-gut-bacteria-foods.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:00:08 EDT news703420011