Gastrointestinal Disease News and Research

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Breastmilk from cannabis users showed differences, but cannabis may not be the whole story

A narrative review found that maternal cannabis use may be associated with differences in breastmilk fat, protein, lactose, and the immune factor secretory immunoglobulin A, but evidence comes primarily from only two human studies and remains limited and inconsistent. The authors stress that maternal diet, food security, socioeconomic circumstances, and other forms of adversity could confound these associations and should be incorporated into future research.

31 Aug 2026

WashU study identifies shared target for a new diarrhea vaccine

The bacteria enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella together cause hundreds of millions of infections each year and are among the leading causes of diarrheal death, especially in children.

17 Jun 2026

Experts outline a multidisciplinary approach to managing clinical obesity

The rapid rise of GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide has transformed obesity treatment.

17 Jun 2026

Trial finds prunes do not outperform calcium and vitamin D for male bone density

A one-year randomized trial found that daily prune supplementation did not improve total or lumbar spine bone mineral density in older men susceptible to, or with, osteopenia. Although some bone turnover biomarkers differed between prune and control groups, these changes did not translate into measurable bone density benefits beyond calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation.

11 Jun 2026

GLP-1 therapies linked to fewer complications in adults with both obesity and autoimmune disease

Among adults with both obesity and an autoimmune disease, those taking a glucagon-like peptide-receptor 1 agonist (GLP-1RA) medication had lower rates of emergency department visits and were less likely to experience serious cardiac events, such as stroke, pulmonary embolism or death when compared to similar adults who were not taking these medications, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Jun 2026

Yoga and meditation show promise for gut health

This systematic review found that yoga and Buddhist meditation were associated with favorable gut microbiota and metabolite profiles in four human studies involving healthy adults. However, because participants largely followed vegetarian or vegan diets and no randomized controlled trials were included, the findings cannot prove that meditation alone reshapes the gut microbiome.

24 May 2026

New research maps the biological toll of drinking

A new review published in the journal Addiction confirms drinking causes substantial harm to health. Some of those harms may be reversible if the person reduces or stops drinking.

14 May 2026

Immune-regulating molecule may offer new treatment approach for IBD patients

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified an immune-regulating molecule that may help explain why some patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, do not respond to commonly used therapies.

13 May 2026

Parasites trigger a gut-to-brain signal that cuts food intake during infection

Researchers found that intestinal tuft cells signal to crypt enterochromaffin cells by releasing acetylcholine, triggering serotonin release and activating a gut-to-brain vagal pathway during type 2 inflammation. This sustained signalling, rather than the initial acute response, was linked to reduced food intake in mouse models of parasitic infection.

29 Mar 2026

Engineered Listeria boosts innate immunity against cancer

After nearly 40 years of research on how Listeria bacteria manipulate our cells and battle our immune system to cause listeriosis, Daniel Portnoy and his colleagues have discovered a way to turn the bacteria into a potent booster of the immune system - and a potential weapon against cancer.

13 Feb 2026

AGA issues updated guidance for pharmacologic treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released a comprehensively updated clinical guideline on the pharmacological management of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease.

20 Nov 2025

Oral microsphere pills can detect markers of gastrointestinal disease

Move over, colonoscopies - researchers report in ACS Sensors that they've developed a sensor made of tiny microspheres packed with blood-sensing bacteria that detect markers of gastrointestinal disease.

19 Nov 2025

AGA updates guidelines for Barrett's Esophagus to catch cancer early

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released a new clinical practice guideline on the surveillance of Barrett's esophagus, the only known precursor to esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma), a highly lethal cancer whose incidence has risen substantially over recent decades.

21 Oct 2025

AGA releases new clinical guideline for diagnosing and managing gastroparesis

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has released a new clinical guideline with 12 conditional recommendations for diagnosing and managing gastroparesis, a serious and often debilitating disease.

19 Sep 2025

Scientists build world's most accessible gut bacteria collection to unlock health and disease clues

Researchers have developed the Human Intestinal Bacteria Collection (HiBC), comprising 340 gut bacterial strains from 198 species, including 29 newly described taxa, made publicly available for functional microbiome research.

7 May 2025

AGA issues new recommendations on AI-assisted colonoscopy technology

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released a new clinical guideline making no recommendation - for or against - the use of computer-aided detection systems (CADe) in colonoscopy.

20 Mar 2025

School absenteeism could indicate functional GI disorders in kids

Children who frequently miss school because of abdominal complaints are far more likely to be suffering from disorders of the gut-brain axis such as irritable bowel syndrome than diseases that can be detected with medical tests, new UVA Health Children's research has found.

4 Mar 2025