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What's New
PubMed · December 1, 2026
Researchers found that newer biologic treatments — medications made from living cells that target specific parts of the immune system — tend to give people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) more healthy, comfortable years of life compared to older, conventional treatments, even though they cost more upfront. Across 18 studies, the added health benefits of these biologics were generally considered worth the higher price tag, meaning people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis may get meaningful improvements in quality of life from them. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 3, 2026
Researchers found that when they reviewed available studies on THC-containing cannabis as a treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like pain, diarrhea, and cramping — the overall quality of the evidence was weak, with most studies showing significant flaws in how they were conducted. Because of these limitations, it's hard to draw firm conclusions about whether cannabis products actually help people with IBD or how safe they are. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the research shows that THC-containing cannabis products actually help with inflammatory bowel disease symptoms, or if doctors still aren't sure whether they work.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that a natural substance called itaconate — made by the body's own immune cells during inflammation — may help calm the overactive immune response seen in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition where the gut becomes chronically inflamed. It appears to work by dialing down several inflammation pathways in the body, protecting the gut lining, and even helping balance the mix of bacteria living in the intestines. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea — who followed a Mediterranean diet alongside their regular medical treatment went into clinical remission (meaning their symptoms significantly calmed down) about 62% of the time. The Mediterranean diet involves eating mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, and olive oil, while limiting red meat and processed foods. However, researchers also found that this diet did not perform noticeably better than other comparison diets, and the studies included were small and varied, so these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Guidelines
PubMed (Guideline Reviews) · June 1, 2026
According to international gastroenterology guidelines reviewed across 23 countries, doctors treating people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — are broadly recommended to check how a patient's body processes thiopurine medications like azathioprine or mercaptopurine before and during treatment. These checks involve genetic testing and blood level monitoring to help doctors understand whether a patient is getting the right amount of medication and to catch signs of potential harm early, since people's bodies handle these drugs very differently. This matters because without this kind of personalized monitoring, some patients may not get enough benefit from the medication while others may be at higher risk of serious side effects.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with Crohn's disease — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed — responded very differently to a medication called subcutaneous infliximab (an injection given under the skin), with some experiencing rapid, lasting improvement while others saw only partial relief. The study also found that having a lower body weight and higher levels of the medication in the blood early in treatment were linked to the best outcomes. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that when doctors prescribe biologic medications — powerful drugs that calm the immune system — for Crohn's disease (a condition causing chronic inflammation in the digestive tract), there is currently no reliable way to predict which medication will work best for a given person before starting treatment. After reviewing 39 studies published over the past decade, they identified some factors — like age, weight, and certain proteins found in blood tests — that might one day help match patients to the right medication, but none were strong enough yet to use in everyday care. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that a stem cell treatment called darvadstrocel did not work significantly better than a placebo (an inactive treatment) for people with Crohn's disease who have complex perianal fistulas — painful tunnels that form near the anal area. About 49% of people who received the treatment saw their fistulas close, compared to 46% who received the placebo, which is too small a difference to be meaningful. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · June 1, 2026
According to guidelines from the Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists (IAPM), the Indian Society of Gastroenterology (ISG), and the Colitis and Crohn's Foundation, India (CCFI), doctors should follow standardized steps when collecting and analyzing tissue samples (biopsies) from patients who may have Crohn's disease or gastrointestinal tuberculosis — two conditions that can look very similar under a microscope. This matters because confusing the two can lead to the wrong treatment, and these guidelines give pathologists (doctors who examine tissue samples) a clearer, more consistent way to tell them apart. The recommendations are especially relevant in Southeast Asia, where both conditions are common.
What's New
PubMed · June 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — conditions like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis that cause ongoing gut inflammation — who received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via video appointments showed meaningful reductions in IBD-related disability compared to those who received usual care alone. CBT is a type of talk therapy that helps people recognize unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, and delivering it through telehealth made it more accessible without requiring in-person visits. This matters because IBD can affect far more than just the gut — it can limit daily life, work, and emotional wellbeing — and this study suggests that online mental health support may help address those broader impacts. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · May 15, 2026
According to American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) guidelines, people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract is chronically inflamed, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — are at higher risk of getting a gut infection called Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and are more likely to have it come back or become serious. The guidelines highlight that this combination can lead to more hospital stays and even surgery, so careful attention to diagnosis and treatment choices is especially important for this group. They also point to newer treatments that work by restoring healthy gut bacteria — including an FDA-approved donor-derived therapy — as a promising option for people who keep getting C. diff infections.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient should know about fecal microbiota transplantation or other microbiota-based therapies if the patient develops a Clostridioides difficile infection that keeps coming back.
What's New
PubMed · May 12, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease — conditions like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, where the immune system attacks the digestive tract — may sometimes experience problems in unexpected places, including their ears, nose, and throat. The most common issue found was a type of hearing loss called sensorineural hearing loss, where the inner ear is damaged, likely due to the same immune system activity that drives the bowel disease itself. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that breathing pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber — a treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy — may help some people with ulcerative colitis (a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed) who haven't responded to multiple other treatments. In a small study of 16 patients, those who received more sessions of the therapy were more likely to show improvements in their symptoms and in the appearance of their intestines on camera, and scans suggested that blood flow to the bowel improved in people who responded well. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that a group of oral medications called JAK inhibitors — which includes drugs like tofacitinib (Xeljanz) and upadacitinib (Rinvoq) — were significantly more effective than a placebo (an inactive treatment) at helping adults with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes ongoing gut inflammation and flare-ups. People taking these medications were about two and a half times more likely to reach remission (meaning their symptoms calmed down significantly) and to show a meaningful overall response to treatment. This summary focuses on effectiveness and safety across multiple studies, making it a useful overview of these medications as a treatment option rather than a single new finding.
What's New
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, including conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) are at higher risk of developing anemia, meaning their blood doesn't carry enough oxygen to keep the body feeling well. Looking at data from over 111,000 patients, the study identified six key warning signs that made anemia more likely: older age, a history of smoking, having the disease in an active flare, high levels of a blood marker called C-reactive protein (a sign of inflammation), low albumin levels (a protein that shows how well the body is being nourished), and a more severe, tunneling form of Crohn's disease. Spotting these risk factors early could help doctors watch more closely for anemia in people with IBD before it gets bad enough to affect their quality of life. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, as seen in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — may have a higher risk of memory and thinking problems over time. The review looked at dozens of studies and found that ongoing inflammation in the gut may affect the brain through what's sometimes called the gut-brain connection, a communication pathway between the digestive system and the brain. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 8, 2026
Researchers found that a protein in the body called TL1A appears to play a key role in driving the inflammation, scarring, and gut lining damage that makes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) so hard to treat — and that new medications designed to block this protein showed promising early results. In early-stage studies, these new drugs helped between about 1 in 4 and 2 in 3 patients with moderate-to-severe IBD reach remission (meaning their symptoms significantly calmed down) within about 3 months, with few serious side effects reported. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · May 5, 2026
A study found that for people with Crohn's disease who have had surgery to remove a problem area of their gut, certain medications can significantly reduce the chances of the disease coming back — because without treatment, recurrence is nearly unavoidable. Researchers found that several medications, including adalimumab and infliximab (both biologic drugs that calm the immune system) as well as some older medications, were effective at preventing both symptoms from returning and visible signs of damage seen on a camera scan inside the gut. People with Crohn's disease who have had surgery may want to ask their doctor which medication makes the most sense for them to start after their operation, and how soon they should begin it.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient should start a specific maintenance medicine after surgery for Crohn's disease to help prevent the disease from coming back, and if so, which one has the strongest evidence of working best.
Medications
PubMed · May 1, 2026
Researchers found that a medication called mirikizumab (brand name Omvoh) helped reduce symptoms in people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the large intestine becomes inflamed and causes pain, bleeding, and urgent bathroom trips. The study found it worked not only for people who hadn't tried other treatments before, but also for those whose previous medications had stopped working, though it tended to work better when fewer prior treatments had failed. This appears to be a newer treatment option being evaluated for people who have run out of other choices.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether mirikizumab might be worth trying for the patient if other advanced treatments for ulcerative colitis have already failed.
What's New
PubMed · April 30, 2026
Researchers found that people with Crohn's disease — a long-term condition where the digestive tract becomes inflamed — were about twice as likely to develop periodontitis (a serious gum infection that can damage the bone supporting teeth) compared to people without the condition. The study, which combined data from 34 smaller studies involving over 15,000 people, also found that common signs of gum disease, like bleeding gums and gum tissue pulling away from teeth, were measurably worse in people with Crohn's disease, suggesting that the same ongoing inflammation driving the gut condition may also be affecting the mouth. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 23, 2026
A study found that people with mild ulcerative colitis — a condition where the large intestine becomes inflamed and causes symptoms like stomach pain and diarrhea — who took a probiotic called LGG combined with vitamin D3 alongside their regular medication showed some signs of improvement, including shifts in gut bacteria and immune cells, compared to those who took a placebo. However, both groups got better overall, and the difference between them wasn't large enough to be considered statistically meaningful — meaning it could have happened by chance. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 21, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease that cause ongoing gut inflammation — tend to have less variety in their gut bacteria compared to people without IBD, and that a type of beneficial bacteria that helps reduce inflammation is often missing. The study also found that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) — a treatment where healthy donor stool is used to restore helpful bacteria in someone's gut — showed promise for people with ulcerative colitis, especially when given repeatedly, though evidence for Crohn's disease is still limited. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 14, 2026
Researchers found that fecal microbiota transplantation — a treatment where healthy donor stool is used to restore balance to the gut — showed promise in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), though children with IBD were more likely to experience side effects compared to children treated for other conditions. The analysis, which looked at 47 studies, also found that having IBD made it harder for children to respond well to the treatment when it was used for a separate gut infection. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 8, 2026
Researchers found that a simple ultrasound scan of the bowel — done just weeks after starting treatment — can help predict whether that treatment is actually working in people with inflammatory bowel disease (a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms). By measuring changes in the thickness of the bowel wall, doctors could tell fairly early on who was likely to respond well and who might need a different approach. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 3, 2026
Researchers found that people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — conditions like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, which cause long-term inflammation in the digestive tract — may have a higher chance of developing rare tumors called neuroendocrine neoplasms, which are slow- or fast-growing growths that can form in the gut. The study found that these tumors tended to show up about 13 years after an IBD diagnosis, and that people with ulcerative colitis were more likely to be diagnosed at an older age and to have tumors that had already spread compared to those with Crohn's disease. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that when patients with inflammatory bowel disease (a condition where the immune system attacks the digestive tract, causing conditions like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) developed antibodies against their infliximab medication — meaning their immune system started fighting the drug — it didn't meaningfully affect how well the treatment worked or how safe it was, even though drug levels in the blood were lower in those patients. This is a reassuring finding because doctors have long worried that the body 'rejecting' the drug this way would make it less effective. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that in studies testing different diets for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition where the digestive tract becomes chronically inflamed, causing symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea — roughly 84 out of every 100 participants finished the studies, but dropout rates have been getting worse in more recent research. The findings suggest that how a dietary study is designed can make it harder or easier for people to stick with it all the way through, which matters because if people drop out, it's harder to know whether a diet actually helps manage IBD. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · April 1, 2026
Researchers found that a treatment called fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) — where healthy gut bacteria from a donor are transferred into a patient's digestive system — may help people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reach remission, meaning their symptoms calm down significantly. Looking at several studies together, people who received FMT were more than three times as likely to achieve remission compared to those who didn't get the treatment. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · March 24, 2026
Researchers found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease — who take NSAIDs (common pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen) for a short time are unlikely to face a major increase in the risk of their symptoms flaring up, as long as their IBD is currently well-controlled and calm. However, the researchers noted that this finding isn't certain, because the studies they reviewed had limitations and there wasn't a lot of data to work with. This is a topic worth bringing up with their doctor, especially if someone with IBD needs pain relief and wants to understand their personal risk.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient can safely use NSAIDs like ibuprofen for pain when the patient's IBD is under control and in remission, or whether there are safer pain relief options the patient should use instead.
What's New
PubMed · March 23, 2026
Researchers found that a medication called guselkumab, which works by blocking a specific inflammation-driving signal in the body (called IL-23), led to measurable changes in gut tissue and blood proteins in people with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the large intestine becomes inflamed and ulcerated. The treatment appeared to reduce signs of inflammation in the blood within just four weeks and improved the health of the intestinal lining in people who responded well to it. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
For informational purposes only. Not medical advice. Always consult a physician before making any health decisions.