Turkey with all the trimmings, roast potatoes, Christmas pudding, brandy butter, a glass or two of Chardonnay…yum! This festive period is much awaited! However, do you know it can have a negative effect too? Eating and drinking everything in an uncontrollable amount can leave us reaching for the antacid faster than you can realise! Then,…
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is not a food intolerance or allergy, but a serious condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues if you eat gluten. The result is damage to the…
Half of all people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) suffer from insomnia. Many reports being woken from sleep by abdominal pain, often several times during the night, and unsurprisingly they say they wake in the morning feeling tired and not rested. Unfortunately, the problem can become a vicious cycle as poor sleep may lead to…
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. Around one in 20 of us will develop the disease during our lifetime and rates are rising. Yet, bowel cancer is a survivable disease providing it is caught early. Nine out of 10 people whose cancer is diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive for…
To mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month we’re looking at the simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing the disease. Let’s start with some basic facts about bowel cancer. It is the fourth most common cancer to affect both men and women in the UK. One in 14 men and one in…
A clinical trial has been launched to develop a breath test that could identify multiple types of cancer. The test, which analyses molecules found in the breath and is completely non-invasive, could help in the identification of cancer in its earliest stages when treatment is likely to be most effective. The trial Owlstone Medical, which developed…
Eating foods that trigger inflammation in your body could increase your risk of colon cancer, two new research studies have concluded. A study published in JAMA Oncology in January 2018 followed the diets of 121,000 people for 26 years. Participants recorded what they ate and their diets were scored based on the amount of foods…
Having colonoscopy screening for bowel cancer every 10 years reduces the risks of dying from the disease by 88%, recent research has found. For many years, gastrointestinal doctors have been urging people to undergo regular bowel cancer screening to protect themselves from the disease. Now researchers have confirmed that people who are given the…
Colonoscopy is the most effective way of screening for bowel cancer in the early stages when the disease is most treatable. The problem is that the procedure is invasive and uncomfortable and some people can be unwilling to have it. As gastrointestinal specialists, we recognise that, no matter how effective it is, a colonoscopy cannot help…
As part of your New Year promise to yourself to get fit and healthy, maybe you have made a pledge to avoid eating gluten in the belief that this will make you healthier. If so, it might be time to think again. Gluten Free Diet – Link to type 2 diabetes Gluten has had bad…