In the News
We are pleased and proud to share the news that UCLA Gastroenterology and GI Surgery placed #3 in the nation for the 2022-23 annual U.S. News & World Report rankings.
We are equally proud that U.S. News & World Report recognized our hospitals in the top five in the nation.
TODAY Show, NBC.com and AirTalk highlight UCLA research on how the brain influences weight gain differently in men and women
Advanced brain scans are revealing the differences in how men and women gain weight, which has significant implications for treatment. Emotion regulation techniques, mood and vulnerability are far more relevant in treating obesity in women than in men. Watch TODAY Show segment | Read NBC article Brain scans show how different factors can influence obesity in men and women | Listen to AirTalk with Larry Mantle (1:10:10) an interview with Arpana Gupta, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center
Lin Chang, MD, IBS World Day 2023 podcasts
April 21 was IBS World Day. Dr. Chang, professor of medicine, interviewed IBS experts for the Medscape inDiscussion: Irritable Bowel Syndrome podcast series. There will be a total of six interviews and the first two were (1) How to Provide Biopsychosocial IBS Care in Your Clinic with Dr. Doug Drossman and (2) It's Complicated: Food & IBS with Dr. William B. Chey. Listen to podcasts here
Americans are waiting too late to screen for colorectal cancer
In an interview with The Healthy, Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, said Americans are waiting too late to screen for colorectal cancer – here’s when you should start. “The tragic news is that only about one in three cases are caught in the early stage, and it doesn’t have to be that way,” says Dr. May, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon Gastroenterology Quality Improvement Program. "The screenings are highly accurate—but they can’t work if you don’t get them.”
7 Foods that cause belly bloating
Bloating, a sensation of fullness in your abdomen, is a tricky topic, says Lin Chang, MD, vice-chief of the Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Bloating is such a common symptom that can be associated with multiple different diseases or disorders,” she explains, that it is often not used in diagnostic criteria, as it doesn’t help distinguish one condition from another. Read the AARP article 7 foods that cause belly bloating
Shelby Yaceczko, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC, CSSD, develops Nutrition for Safer Surgeries initiative
The days leading up to a surgery can be unnerving, and many patients don’t know how to properly prepare, either mentally or physically. A new initiative at UCLA Health called Nutrition for Safer Surgeries aims to change that. “The goal is to allow patients to be optimized prior to their surgeries and enable them to have a safer surgery,” said Yaceczko, an advanced-practice dietitian at the UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. Learn more on the UCLA Health blog
Dorian Mendoza, MD, interviewed by Univision
Hispanic people in the U.S. have low colorectal cancer screening rates. UCLA Health partnered with Univision for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to address these disparities. Dr. Mendoza and UCLA Health patient Lazaro Barajas discuss screening and survivorship. Watch interview
Eating right can dramatically reduce the risk of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is among the most common forms of cancer, accounting for nearly two million new cases each year in the United States. That number could be significantly reduced, however, if people adopted better lifestyle habits, said Yaceczko, an advanced-practice dietitian at the UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. Learn more on the UCLA Health blog
Colorectal cancer screening guidelines have changed to address rise in cases among younger adults
As rates of colorectal cancer rise among younger adults, updated guidelines calling for screenings to start at age 45 instead of 50 are expected to lead to earlier detection and improved outcomes. Chanthel Kokoy-Mondragon, MD, UCLA Health gastroenterologist, said low-risk people can choose among a range of options, from an at-home stool test to a colonoscopy. Learn more on the UCLA Health blog
More young people are being diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. Why?
Colorectal cancer rates in younger people have surged in recent years. More troubling, most cases diagnosed are at an advanced stage and researchers aren’t sure what’s causing the cancers. According to new statistics from the American Cancer Society, the proportion of colorectal cancer that occurred in people under age 55 doubled between 1995 and 2019, from 11% to 20%. That means that, of the roughly 1.3 million people in the U.S. living with colorectal cancer in the United States in 2019, about 273,800 were younger than age 55. “This cancer type is particularly asymptomatic and can remain that way for a long time," said Dr. Folasade P. May, an associate professor of medicine in the University of California, Los Angeles Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. "So the tumor can grow and grow and even spread before there are symptoms that prompt someone to seek medical attention.” Read NBC News article
UCLA Health promotes colorectal cancer screening at inflatable colon event - March 2023
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and UCLA Health is pulling out all the stops to convince people to get screened. KCBS/KCAL interviews Dr. Folasade P. May, at the UCLA Health inflatable colon event to promote screening for colorectal cancer.
At-home stool tests for colorectal cancer screening are rising in popularity, but are they right for you?
At-home stool tests can be an easier way to screen for colorectal cancer than a dreaded colonoscopy. As the rates of the cancer continue to rise in younger people, home tests might help improve detection and get people treated sooner.
March marks the beginning of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed and third most common cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Diagnosis of the disease is on the rise among younger people under age 55, according to a new study from the ACS, and it’s being diagnosed at more advanced stages. Dr. Folasade P. May, a gastroenterologist, health equity expert, and health services researcher at the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity and the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, was interviewed by ABC News on how to know if this is a good option for you.
Establishing and implementing comprehensive at-home stool-based colorectal cancer screenings in medically underserved communities around the country, including Los Angeles
Dr. Folasade P. May is an associate professor of medicine and a researcher in the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. May is also a co-leader of Stand Up To Cancer’s Colorectal Cancer Health Equity Dream Team, which is establishing and implementing comprehensive at-home stool-based colorectal cancer screenings in medically underserved communities around the country, including Los Angeles. Listen to KOST 103.5FM podcast and read interview
UCLA Health walks community through risks, symptoms of colorectal cancer
UCLA Health assembled a giant inflatable colon March 3 to engage and inform patients, Bruins and the local Westwood community on colon cancer in recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Read more in the Daily Bruin
Health issues that are sometimes mistaken for gluten sensitivity
People frequently blame gluten for symptoms they’re experiencing when their condition may not by related to gluten at all. Guy Weiss, MD, director of the Celiac Disease Program, provides expert commentary on non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) in this U.S. News & World Report article.
Early detection is essential to surviving the "silent killer"
Actress Kirstie Alley died this month at age 71, reportedly after a short battle with colon cancer. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, was interviewed by Jim Moret on Inside Edition and discussed the warning signs of colorectal cancer, rising rates in young adults and the importance of screening. Watch interview
Five reasons you're pooping more than usual
Was it that big holiday meal, or something else? Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, provides expert commentary in The Healthy on why you're experiencing frequent bowel movements and when to seek medical help.