DigestionDiet

Kidney disease

Kidney disease, as a complication of diabetes, accounts for more than half the cases of kidney failure in the U.S. learn how you can protect your kidneys from damage. read more »

What’s the verdict on virtual colonoscopy?

Experts advise people at average risk for colon cancer to begin regular screening at age 50. However, only a third of Americans actually do so. Is virtual colonoscopy the answer? read more »

Conquering constipation

With more treatment options available, there’s no need to suffer in silence. read more »

Overweight is here - but it needn't be here to stay

By now almost everyone acknowledges two facts: The first is that Americans have a weight problem. By standard definitions (see lower box, page 19), one third of adults are overweight and another third are obese. The second fact is that overweight is an enormous burden on our health. It increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular dis-ease, and certain cancers.

Receiving a new small intestine

When the intestine has been injured beyond repair or no longer functions well enough, transplantation is an option. The prob-lem is that this organ contains a lot of tissue from the lymphatic system—a system that carries immune cells. When a donor’s small intestine is transplanted, those immune cells, which normally fight foreign substances and infec-tion, may attack the recipient’s tissue, causing a condition called graft-versus-host disease. In addition, the new organ may be rejected.

Basics of transplantation read more »

Getting rid of H-pylori bacteria... Does it make sense for dyspepsia?

More than a decade ago, scientists established that the bac-terium H. pylori—not stress—is responsible for most cases of ulcers in the stomach and the adjoining segment of the small intestine (duodenum). But you can have H. pylori living inside your gut and not have an ulcer. In fact, about a third of Americans are infected with this bacterium.