Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an ongoing or chronic health problem that causes inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract. The irritation causes bleeding sores called ulcers to form along the digestive tract. This in turn can cause crampy, abdominal pain and severe bloody diarrhea.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition that affects the large intestines, particularly the colon. It is classified as one of the two inflammatory bowel diseases along with Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative Colitis Causes

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Pregnancy

Dysbiosis and the Microbiome

Mesentery: a new organ?

FODMAP Research

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer

Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)

Latest Inflammatory Bowel Disease News and Research

Unexpected protein production in immune cells may fuel gut inflammation

Scientists have discovered that certain immune cells — called neutrophils — can start making a protein called DUOX2 that they usually do not produce.

11 Jun 2025

Genetic mutation tied to Crohn's disease can worsen iron deficiency and anemia

A study led by biomedical scientists at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine shows how a genetic mutation associated with Crohn's disease can worsen iron deficiency and anemia - one of the most common complications experienced by patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD.

6 Jun 2025

Early gut bacteria may help protect babies from respiratory infections

A baby's makeup of gut bacteria - their microbiome - which starts to form as soon as they are born, could help protect against viral infections later in childhood, a new study suggests.

5 Jun 2025

ADHD linked to higher risk of irritable bowel syndrome, global study reveals

A global meta-analysis found that people with ADHD are significantly more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while the overall risk for other intestinal disorders is not increased. The findings highlight the importance of gut-brain interactions in ADHD and call for further research on microbiome-based therapies.

3 Jun 2025

Global study maps the spread of IBD in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, has long been considered a modern condition of the industrialized West, with cases steadily increasing in North America and Europe throughout the 20th century.

28 May 2025

New biomarkers could help improve detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases

Scientists have discovered a range of 'biomarkers' that could help to improve detection and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs) such as gastric cancer (GC), colorectal cancer (CRC), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

28 May 2025

Researchers find way to protect mitochondria from stress-induced damage

Mitochondria are the cell's power plants: They turn the food we eat into the energy our cells can use. But when stress hijacks the process they use to maintain their quality, they get snipped into useless fragments and go into a tailspin that spreads from cell to cell and triggers a wide range of human diseases.

26 May 2025

Oxygen deficiency in the colon cancer microenvironment can promote tumor growth

To effectively battle cancer, scientists must study the battlefield. Now, in a recent study published in Nature Communications, a multi-institutional research team including The University of Osaka has discovered some crucial intel: localized oxygen deficiency in the colon cancer microenvironment can promote tumor growth.

21 May 2025

Mediterranean plant may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis, rat study shows

New research in rats indicates that a Mediterranean plant may be an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease.

21 May 2025

This news might ruin your appetite — and summer

It's a marvel of food technology: ice cream that resists melting.

20 May 2025

TMEM219 inhibition shows promise in restoring intestinal health in IBD

An international study led by Paolo Fiorina from Boston Children's Hospital and in collaboration with researchers from University of Milan highlights the beneficial effect of inhibiting the death receptor TMEM219 to restore mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel diseases.

15 May 2025

New drug technique targets gut inflammation with precision

A new approach to drug design can deliver medicine directly to the gut in mice at significantly lower doses than current inflammatory bowel disease treatments.

2 May 2025

AGA announces $2.4 million in research funding for 74 recipients

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce the selection of 74 recipients to receive $2.4 million in research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program.

22 Apr 2025

Gut bacteria turn bile acids into allies against cancer

Bacteria naturally present in the human intestine, known as the gut microbiota, can transform cholesterol-derived bile acids into powerful metabolites that strengthen anti-cancer immunity by blocking androgen signaling, according to a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

16 Apr 2025

High cholesterol may not signal heart disease risk in metabolically healthy people

The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutions, has published a new study that challenges the long-held belief that high cholesterol correlates and even directly causes coronary artery disease, or plaque buildup in the arteries in metabolically healthy individuals.

7 Apr 2025

Genetic research offers hope for children with rare intestinal disorders

Further genetic testing would show that Sophie has one of a group of rare conditions called CODE (congenital diarrhea and enteropathies) that disrupts the function of cells in the intestine, causing diarrhea and preventing infants from absorbing the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

3 Apr 2025