Colitis

If you suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a pill full of tiny algae robots may be just what you need. The bio-hybrid microrobots have already been shown to reduce symptoms and promote healing in IBD-afflicted lab mice.

Probiotic bacteria can’t help improve gut health if they don’t survive to the intestines. Scientists have now kitted out good bugs with protective armor and backpacks loaded with molecules that can help them treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Our immune system can unfortunately go rogue and attack healthy tissues. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have now engineered a protein that may help prevent these autoimmune diseases by boosting the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs).

A new study investigating how a low-calorie diet alters gut microbial populations is reporting unexpected results, finding a strange relationship between extreme caloric restriction and increased levels of a bacteria linked to inflammatory bowel disease.

The unexplained beneficial effects of cannabis for Crohn's disease sufferers just got stranger with researchers from Israel finding cannabis oil significantly improves patient symptoms yet, unexpectedly, has little effect on reducing gut inflammation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) isn't good for anyone to have, but it's particularly hard on children – it can cause reduced absorption of nutrients, which can in turn stunt a child's growth. That's why scientists are looking at a better way of treating it … using tapeworms.

​An innovative ingestible capsule, designed to measure gases inside the gut, has just passed phase one human trials. The swallowable sensor could reframe how gastrointestinal disorders are diagnosed as well as offering a new insight into the activity of crucial bacteria in our gut microbiome.

​Typically, colon-related illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are diagnosed via invasive tests. Thanks to a new "electronic nose," however, it may soon be possible to detect such disorders by analyzing a whiff of the patient's feces.

A plate of broccoli has nothing on a bowl of pasta. But before you brush them aside, science has found yet another reason why consuming vegetables is good for us. The information is compelling enough that some people might want to add more green to their plates to help protect their guts.