Junk food ingredient may be cause of bowel disease, research finds

A dairy ingredient in junk food may be responsible for rising rates of inflammatory bowel disease and other immune disorders.

Milk fat upsets the gut’s ecosystem, causing an influx of potentially harmful bacteria, scientists believe.
In some people, this can cause an extreme immune reaction, leading to irritable bowel syndrome and conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
The discovery may explain why once rare immune disorders have become so common in the West over the past 50 years, study leader Professor Eugene Chang said.
He said this was the first mechanism that showed how western-style diets contributed to the rapid increase in IBD.
Tests carried out by the scientists have shown that milk fat – which is abundant in processed foods and confectionery – alters the composition of bacteria in the gut.
In certain people, this can disrupt the delicate balance between the immune system and the trillions of bugs – many beneficial – that live in the intestines.
After genetically susceptible mice were fed a diet high in milk fat, the rate at which they developed colitis trebled.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/901989-junk-food-ingredient-may-be-cause-of-bowel-disease-research-finds#ixzz225nLAHqh

Bowel disorder deaths halved in three years by NHS care

Mortality among patients with inflammatory bowel conditions has halved in three years due to improvements in NHS care, according to a UK audit.

The third UK Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Audit carried out in 2010 uncovered substantial improvements in care for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease since 2006. But it said testing and treatment could still improve.
The report found that deaths among patients with ulcerative colitis fell from 1.7% to 0.8% between 2006 and 2010.
NHS care has also lowered readmission rates for both diseases. The percentage of those seen by a specialist IBD nurse during hospital admission has doubled since the first round of the audit in 2006.
The report said testing for infections such as C. difficile could improve, and all patients should be given heparin where appropriate to prevent blood clots.
It advised that patients should always have a consultation with a specialist nurse if anti-inflammatory treatment is prescribed. All Crohn’s disease patients ought to see a dietician to prevent malnutrition and, if necessary, receive support to stop smoking.

Read More - http://www.gponline.com/News/article/1118395/bowel-disorder-deaths-halved-three-years-nhs-care/

Call for national bowel cancer screening

Nationwide screening for bowel cancer would save more than 2,700 lives a year, scientists claimed yesterday.
A successful two-year pilot scheme found early signs of bowel cancer in hundreds of patients. Researchers say a national screening programme such as the ones for breast cancer and cervical cancer would reduce deaths by 17 per cent.
The results of the University of Edinburgh study will boost Government plans to roll out such a programme across the country.
Bowel, or colorectal, cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Britain, after lung cancer. Around 34,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year and it causes more than 16,000 deaths.
Footballer Bobby Moore, captain of England's World Cup winning team of 1966, died of the disease in 1993 aged 51.
The Edinburgh study tested for blood in faecal samples - an early sign of the disease - among people from Tayside, Grampian, Fife and the West Midlands. Around 300 people who were found to have positive results were offered further tests and treatment.
An evaluation of the screening trial, funded by the Department of
Health, was led by Professors Freda Alexander and David Weller from the university's Department of Community Health Sciences.
Prof Weller said: 'We found that faecal occult blood testing (FOBt) screening is feasible in the UK population.
'We are recommending to the Department of Health that FOBt screening, if introduced, should be part of a package of new national strategies targeting colorectal cancer.'
Diets high in red meat and low in vegetables and fibre can increase the risk of suffering from bowel cancer, as does family history of the disease.
A history of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are also important factors. Ninety per cent of patients are over 50, and the cancer affects a slightly greater number men than women.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-187699/Call-national-bowel-cancer-screening.html#ixzz1cS717I00