Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gut-brain disorder that can cause a variety of uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain and diarrhea, constipation, or a mix of the two. IBS can reduce quality of life, often results in missed school or work, and can have a substantial economic impact. Physicians diagnose IBS by identifying…
Researchers at Princeton University have developed a systematic approach for evaluating how the microbial community in our intestines can chemically transform, or metabolize, oral medications in ways that impact their safety and efficacy. The new methodology provides a more complete picture of how gut bacteria metabolize drugs, and could aid the development of medications that are more effective,…
One of the most common questions that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ask is: what should I eat? It is obvious that in addition to genetic factors, certain environmental factors, including diet, can trigger the excessive immune activity leading to intestinal inflammation in IBD, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). However,…