Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have 22% higher risk of Parkinson’s compared with non-IBD individuals, study shows

BMJ: Doctors may be able to modify or slow down the progress of the neurological condition Parkinson’s disease in the future by spotting signs of it in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), suggest a study published in the journal Gut. Danish researchers found patients with IBD appeared to have a 22% greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in a study that monitored participants for almost 40 years.

Largest genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease provides clues on new drug targets

Sanger Institute: In two studies published today (30 January) in Nature Genetics, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have identified a genetic variant that doubles an individual’s risk of developing ulcerative colitis, one of the subtypes of a chronic disorder known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). They also uncover a further 25 novel genetic associations to IBD risk, including several that implicate genes related to a class of therapeutics that has shown promise in the treatment of this disease. More than 300,000 people suffer from IBD in the UK. The disorder primarily consists of two subtypes: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, neither of which currently have a cure. IBD is a debilitating disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks parts of the digestive tract. The exact causes of this disease are unclear.

Inflammatory bowel disease: a gut bacterium with beneficial properties

INSERM: Several years ago, INRA researchers in Jouy-en-Josas showed that levels of the gut bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii tended to decline in the human gut at the onset of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Is this disappearance of F. prausnitzii one of the causes of inflammation, or is its disappearance a consequence of the disease? Today, the same INRA team, in collaboration with an American team (Berkeley), AgroParisTech, lnserm, AP-HP and UPMC, are answering these questions. Not only do their results show that F. prausnitzii plays an active role in protecting against intestinal inflammation, they also propose explanations regarding mechanisms of action. This research is published in the journal mBio on 21 April 2015.

High-tech gas sensing capsules for better gut health

Scimex: Researchers have developed high-tech gas sensing capsules that can send data from inside the gut direct to a mobile phone, opening new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment and health analysis.
Intestinal gases have been linked to colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, and could potentially be used as key biomarkers for assessing overall health.

Widely Used Food Additive Promotes Colitis, Obesity And Metabolic Syndrome, Research Shows

Georgia University. US: Emulsifiers, which are added to most processed foods to aid texture and extend shelf life, can alter the gut microbiota composition and localization to induce intestinal inflammation that promotes the development of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome, new research shows.

Food preservatives linked to obesity and gut disease

Nature: Mouse study suggests that emulsifiers alter gut bacteria, leading to the inflammatory bowel condition colitis. Artificial preservatives used in many processed foods could increase the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic disorders, according to research published on 25 February in Nature(1). In a study done in mice, chemicals known as emulsifiers were found to alter the make-up of bacteria in the colon  the first time that these additives have been shown to affect health directly.

Chronic Narcotic Use Is High Among Kids with IBD

AGA. US: Chronic narcotic use is more than twice as prevalent in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compared with children without this disease, according to a new study¹ published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Immune System Promotes Digestive Health by Fostering Community of “Good” Gut Bacteria

Utah University. US: As many as 1.4 million Americans suffer from uncomfortable abdominal cramping and diarrhea that come with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These conditions, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are associated with an imbalance among the thousands of species of “good” bacteria that inhabit the gut.

Viruses may play unexpected role in inflammatory bowel diseases

Washington University. US: Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with a decrease in the diversity of bacteria in the gut, but a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has linked the same illnesses to an increase in the diversity of viruses.