NEWS & EVENTS

If you are 50 or over or have a family history of colon cancer, you should be screened. African-Americans should be screened beginning at age 45. Colon cancer is one of the most preventable — and curable — types of cancer when detected early. Since the risk of colon cancer increases with age, getting screened is essential. Learn more (r.smartbrief.com) about colon cancer, who is at risk and when you should get tested. If you have a colonoscopy scheduled or would like to learn more about what to expect during the procedure, see the video, What to Expect During a Colonoscopy (r.smartbrief.com).

Gallstones are one of the most common gastrointestinal problems, especially for women. Women between the ages of 20 and 60 years are three times more likely to develop gallstones than men. Learn more about the symptoms and risk factors (r.smartbrief.com) for developing gallstone disease.

“In the diarrhea-prominent type of IBS, the primary form of treatment is diet. Constipation can be more challenging to treat with diet alone. Other forms of noninvasive therapy that are routinely used are physical therapy and stress management, because studies show the mind-gut connection is very real.” — WebMD (r.smatbrief.com)

An Australian study says people newly diagnosed with celiac disease who went on a gluten-free diet saw improved cognition and mucosal improvement during follow-up. Researchers said the study supports patient reports about so-called brain fog linked to celiac disease, and suggested it may be a systemic manifestation of the disease. Healio (free registration) (http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fRxiCqtCxLCGnrAyCidKlOBVPFEM?format=standard) (6/17)

“According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the disease affects one of 133 people, yet some statistics show as many as 97% of people are undiagnosed and it takes an about nine years for the average patient to receive a diagnosis of celiac disease. … ‘It occurs in 1% of the population in this country, and less than 5% of this 1% are diagnosed,’ says Peter Green, M.D., director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.” — WebMD (http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fQrWCqtCxLCGcmugCidKlOBVetNK)

The human gut microbiome and its impact on health and disease is the World Gastroenterology Organisation’s (WGO) focus topic for 2014. In support of WGO’s World Digestive Health Day on May 29, the American College of Gastroenterology released a new podcast, Probiotics: What You Need to Know, featuring Eamonn M. M. Quigley, M.D., FACG, a leading expert in the field and past president of the ACG. The podcast highlights the benefits of probiotics and offers tips for choosing and taking these beneficial bacteria. Listen to ACG’s Probiotics Patient Podcast (http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fPlnCqtCxLCDwyxECidKlOBVtbCP). The College also unveiled a Glossary of the Gut Microbiome, a quick guide on commonly used terms of the intestinal microbiota. View the Gut Microbiome Glossary (http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fPlnCqtCxLCDwyxFCidKlOBVwAJC).

Eating small but more frequent meals was linked to increases in liver fat, independent of weight gain, when compared with having larger but fewer meals, according to researchers at the Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “These findings suggest that by cutting down on snacking and encouraging three balanced meals each day over the long term may reduce the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,” the study team wrote. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News

The rate of acute pancreatitis among 1- to 20-year-olds rose from 23 cases for every 10,000 hospitalizations in 2000 to 35 in 2009, study data showed. Despite the increase, the mortality rate decreased for young patients with the condition during the study period, suggesting improvements in pediatric care, researchers said.

Some people with symptoms of celiac disease who test negative for the autoimmune condition have been told they have nonceliac gluten sensitivity, a less severe form of the disease. Now gastroenterology researchers are looking at whether these patients actually have illnesses triggered by other proteins or carbohydrates in wheat and other grains. “I’m starting to feel more uncomfortable calling it nonceliac gluten sensitivity. I think it might be better to call it nonceliac wheat sensitivity,” said gastroenterologist Joseph Murray of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Click here to view the article