In general, most cases of acute diarrhea are infectious and more likely viral than bacterial. As diarrhea persists, noninfectious causes become more common. Inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and malabsorption syndromes can all cause diarrhea. Food can also be…
Specific diet plans are often prescribed for gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating or gastrointestinal diseases like short bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and motility disorders. These diets often involve manipulating the amount of fiber, FODMAPs and fat you eat. …
Short bowel syndrome (short gut syndrome) results when patients have large portions of their small intestines removed. Short bowel syndrome is the most common cause of intestinal failure, a condition in which patients don’t have enough functional gut mass needed…
What is intestinal failure? Intestinal failure is a condition in which patients don’t have enough functional gut mass needed for adequate absorption to meet fluid and nutrient requirements. This can happen due to anatomical or functional loss of the gut…
When I was a medical student doing my clinical rotations around 10 years ago, I regularly ate frozen, re-fried chicken sandwiches from the hospital cafeteria, often while watching anatomy videos depicting body parts that resembled my food. And the closer…
Is non-celiac wheat sensitivity real? Patients often present with a variety of symptoms to wheat and self-diagnose themselves with “wheat sensitivity,” but when labs and endoscopic tests come back negative for celiac disease, they are left wondering what it is…
In Britain, McDonald’s fries have four ingredients: potatoes, vegetable oil, dextrose, and salt. In the U.S., McDonald’s fries have a whopping 19 ingredients—including sodium acid pyrophosphate, which keeps the fries’ color from getting dull. This is strange since you’d think…
For the trillions of bacteria that live inside your gut, what you eat is important, because it is what they eat. We are only beginning to understand that the make-up of gut bacteria can play an important role in preventing…
If you could make only one change to your diet, what would it be? The options are endless. You can cut out specific foods like meat, grains or gluten. You can play with ratios of fat, carbohydrates and protein. You can eat only…
A patient of mine, let’s call him David, was a disciplined man. He never drank excessively or smoked, his meals were balanced and he jogged around his neighborhood every day to stay active. He took good care of his body…