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Two studies may provide hope for patients with irritable bowel syndrome struggling to implement the traditional low-FODMAP diet. In the low-FODMAP diet, patients with IBS restrict their intake of certain carbohydrates (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), before gradually reintroducing each to determine sensitivity. In the first study, participants started on the traditional low-FODMAP restriction diet, but then had different FODMAP foods reintroduced blindly. The researchers found that patients reacted to an average of two FODMAPs. The data also suggested that individual FODMAPs alone could cause symptoms—as opposed to all the FODMAPs at once. The most significant, finding however, was...

New research looking at the benefits of a Mediterranean diet for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has yielded surprising results. Not only did the diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and legumes, improve the mental health of the study participants, but their gastrointestinal symptoms improved, as well. Dr. Heidi Staudacher said it was common for people with IBS to avoid some of the foods important in a Mediterranean diet as they are known to trigger a worsening of symptoms. "Previously we had an understanding that foods such as legumes, certain whole grains and onion, can worsen gut symptoms in some...

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,...

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...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that affects the large intestine. It is characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. According to a team of Korean researchers, individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have a decreased diversity of bacteria in their intestines compared to healthy individuals. This is the first study to establish a clear connection between IBS and a reduction in gut microbiota diversity. The findings were published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal Microbiology Spectrum. Normally, “More than 10,000 species of microorganism live in the human intestine,” said corresponding author...

…One of the most important advances is a deepened understanding of the mechanism of IBS, which is now characterized as a disorder of the gut-brain interaction, says Hunt. Signals from the gut that might go unnoticed in individuals without IBS instead get transmitted to and interpreted by the brain as pain or the urgent need for a bowel movement. This can lead to anxiety, and the intestine, which is lined with stress hormone receptors, responds by cramping and spasming. Symptomatically, IBS manifests as abdominal pain and either constipation, diarrhea, or alternating bouts of both, and by some estimates as many...

For patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), those who are male and/or have low Alistipes levels are more likely to be nonresponders to fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), according to a study published in Neurogastroenterology & Motility. Magdy El-Salhy, M.D., Ph.D., from Stord Hospital in Norway, and colleagues included 109 patients who received allogeneic FMT to examine factors potentially affecting FMT response. At baseline and at two weeks, one month, and three months after FMT, patients completed questionnaires that assessed their symptoms and quality of life. Fecal samples were also provided at baseline and one month after FMT. The researchers found...

An international study of more than 50,000 people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has revealed that IBS symptoms may be caused by the same biological processes as conditions such as anxiety. The research highlights the close relationship between brain and gut health and paves the way for development of new treatments. IBS is a common condition world-wide, affecting around 1 in 10 people and causing a wide range of symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating, and bowel dysfunction that can significantly affect people’s lives. Diagnosis is usually made after considering other possible conditions (such as Crohn’s disease or bowel cancer), with...

A network of glial cells, the logic gates of the gut’s nervous system, are seen in this micrograph. The cells — the dark orbs enveloped in gray — have been colorized according to how they respond to a chemical signal. Credit: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci./Gulbransen Lab ======================================================================================== Revealing the Logic of the Body’s “Second Brain” Scientists discover new science in the gut and, potentially, new leads on how to treat irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders. Researchers at Michigan State University have made a surprising discovery about the human gut’s enteric nervous system that itself is filled with surprising facts....

Investigators at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research have discovered a surprising new role for tumor necrosis factor (TNF): namely, that it is a major regulator of small blood vessel function, the key determinant of blood pressure. The study is published online today in Nature Communications. TNF has long been tied to inflammation, giving rise to the use of anti-TNF medications for chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and IBS. Now, after years of studying TNF's cell signaling functions in the vascular system, researchers found that TNF directly impacts how the smallest arteries constrict - and thus...

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.

Patient-Focused Drug Development for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders; Public Meeting; Request for Comments This conference is being held in the N.E so those of us in the South or West are excluded unless you take the time to EMAIL this person. email Sayyedeh.Mariani@fda.hhs.gov

For years, I’ve warned about the GOP’s Grover Norquist problem. Just last week, he was front and center at the Gang of 8′s amnesty press conference — despite longtime concerns expressed on this blog and by national security advocates and activists about his dangerous Islamist alliances and progressive proclivities. Now we learn that Norquist’s convicted terrorist pal and former funder, Abdurahman Alamoudi, was the first president of the radical mosque attended by the Boston bomber brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Alamoudi, as I’ve documented repeatedly here, provided seed money to Norquist’s Muslim outreach effort during the Bush years.

Leadership: The lack of respect our commander in chief has for our fallen heroes was shown by the sending of a form letter signed by auto-pen to the families of 17 Navy SEALs killed in a crash in Afghanistan. 'I don't take these folks too seriously," President Obama recently told the Virginian-Pilot, referring to a group of former SEALs who formed the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc., to run ads attacking the leaking of details of the Osama bin Laden raid and other national secrets to further his reelection chances. Apparently the president doesn't take the sacrifice of Navy...

Scientists have been unclear for some time about how most probiotics work. A new study has found a scientific 'design' for a probiotic that could be used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's disease. The research by academics at the University of Bristol's School of Veterinary Sciences and the School of Clinical Medicine is published online in the journal PLoS ONE. Most probiotics on the market, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, are lactic acid bacteria. Although probiotics have been shown to successfully maintain remission in IBD, evidence of their effectiveness in active disease is rare. The researchers...

Defense Spending: The TARP bailout may hit $24 trillion, but the Senate says the F-22 is too expensive to build and maintain. So why are the Japanese so desperate to buy this "unnecessary" Cold War weapon?By a vote of 58-40, the Senate on Tuesday voted to remove $1.75 billion set aside in a defense bill to build seven more F-22 Raptors, adding to the 187 stealth technology fighters already in the pipeline. After some hope the production lines would be kept open, the Senate succumbed to arguments by the administration and others that the fighter was too expensive, too hard...

'Perfectionism' bowel pain link Women are more prone to IBS Perfectionists are more prone to developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) after an infection, a study has suggested. University of Southampton researchers asked 620 people with gastroenteritis about stress and their illness. Those who pushed themselves or were particularly anxious about symptoms were more likely to develop IBS. Experts said the study, published in Gut, may explain why only some people develop IBS after a gut infection. About 5% of the UK population have IBS. Up to one in 10 people develop it after a having a bacterial gut infection, having...

Beyond stealth RELIGION: Zondervan's next-gen Bible hopes to move off the shelves at Raptor warp-speed. Despite a fast-approaching launch date and fast-track advertising, the publisher isn't sharing the full translation with independent scholars or its critics by Gene Edward Veith Today's New International Version (TNIV) of the entire Bible is scheduled for publication Feb. 4. Zondervan put out the TNIV New Testament in 2002. Now, with the addition of the Old Testament, the translation is complete. And the controversy, which began eight years ago and was apparently resolved, is about to erupt again. The major difference between Today's New International...

A SPOONFUL of worms may not go down as delightfully as sugar, but it is highly effective against inflammatory bowel disease, research has found. Following the success of trials, a drinkable potion containing thousands of pig whipworm eggs could be launched in Europe as early as next month. The tests, carried out in the United States, involved 100 people with ulcerative colitis and 100 with Crohn’s disease. Both are incurable and potentially serious disorders collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In many of the volunteers, symptoms such as abdominal pain, bleeding and diarrhoea disappeared after the worm treatment. Half...

'We could not be intimidated' TNIV marketer threatens Charisma magazine over anti-TNIV ad; publisher refuses to back down—losing Zondervan advertising revenue but maintaining credibilityBy David BaylyThe printed schedule of last week's 53rd annual convention of the Christian Booksellers Association displayed the usual meet-the-author-or-rock-star luncheons. A crucial meeting, though, took place in private on July 15, as one Christian publishing executive confronted another in a dispute sparked by Today's New International Version (TNIV) Bible. The two men—Stephen Strang, president of Strang Communications, and Bruce Ryskamp, president of Zondervan Publishing House—discussed a situation that has divided the evangelical subculture. On the surface,...