Gastrointestinal Health

Asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux

Asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease often occur together, but does one condition trigger the other?

Follow These Smart Ideas and You Won’t Turn into a Pudding this Festive Season

When should I get a colonoscopy?

What factors determine whether someone should have a colonoscopy? Professor Michael Boyer advises.

Peptic ulcers

A peptic ulcer is a lesion or sore on the lining of the stomach or upper part of the intestine (duodenum). They don't always cause symptoms.

What are the ways to screen for bowel cancer?

Screening for bowel cancer in Australia involves faecal occult blood testing and sometimes colonoscopies. Oncologist Professor Michael Boyer explains.

How to manage blood glucose using the Glycemic Index of foods

Choosing low GI carbohydrates is one of the keys to maintaining good blood glucose control.

Researchers find link between the gut and inflammatory bowel disease

Changes in the gut microbiome and the metabolic products they produce are an important part of treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The man with a brewery in his gut

Sometimes there are cases that completely flummox the medical establishment. So it was in the case of a healthy, 46-year-old man who sought treatment for sudden memory loss, mental changes and episodes of depression.

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver, transmitted through contaminated food or water or via an infected person.

How is gut health linked to immunity?

Gut health is linked to immunity in a variety of ways - one way is that the microbiome (the trillions of microorganisms that live in our gut) trains our immune system.

Can you reverse fatty liver disease?

The commonest cause of fatty liver is obesity, and many people have fatty liver and don't realise it, even with small amounts of overweight.

Haemochromatosis

It's World Haemochromatosis Week. Haemochromatosis is an inherited condition in which the body absorbs too much iron from food, leading to a build-up of iron. Early detection and treatment can prevent complications.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in patients with COVID-19

Digestive symptoms were common in patients admitted to 3 hospitals with COVID-19, study finds.

Can a change in diet ease stomach problems in runners?

Researchers looks at whether a low-FODMAP diet can help runners with stomach problems.

Gut microbiome research advances rapidly

Researchers can now more accurately predict a spike in blood glucose after a meal thanks to an algorithm and that's good news diabetes research.

Hiatus hernia

Most hiatus hernias don't cause any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, the most common are heartburn and regurgitation of stomach acid into the mouth.

9 Signs your liver may be damaged

Liver disease doesn't usually cause any symptoms until the damage to the liver is fairly advanced. Here are 9 signs your liver may be struggling.

Fatty liver

Fatty liver is a condition most commonly found in heavy drinkers or people who are obese or have diabetes. There are usually no symptoms.

Alcohol intoxication is no friend of the bowel

Researchers have investigated whether people with high levels of alcohol intoxication are more at risk of inflammatory bowel disease or IBD than non-alcoholic intoxication.

Cryptosporidium infection

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can infect the intestines and cause gastroenteritis symptoms such as watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Can probiotics ease an irritable bowel?

Probiotics are a common supplement taken by people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) however new research suggests probiotics may not be provide the relief sufferers of IBS are seeking.

Salmonella poisoning

Salmonella poisoning is food poisoning caused by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. It usually causes sudden fever, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Bowel cancer: self-care

For most people, the cancer experience doesn’t end on the last day of treatment. Life after cancer treatment can present its own challenges

Diet changes to help an irritable bowel

Swedish researchers looked at people who met the criteria for irritable bowel syndrome, to test a low FODMAP diet against traditional management advice for IBS. This is what they found.