A simple blood test may detect Crohn’s disease years before symptoms appear, according to a new study reported by SWNS.

Canadian researchers say the discovery could enable earlier diagnosis and potential prevention of the chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The test measures the immune system’s response to flagellin, a protein found in gut bacteria. Researchers found that this response is elevated in some people years before Crohn’s develops.

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The findings, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, highlight the “interplay” between gut bacteria and immune system responses as a key step in the disease’s development, per the SWNS report.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that causes persistent digestive symptoms, pain and fatigue, significantly affecting quality of life. Its incidence among children has doubled since 1995, according to official figures.

The presence of flagellin antibodies long before symptoms appear suggests that the immune reaction may help trigger the disease, according to research leader Dr. Ken Croitoru, clinician-scientist and professor of medicine and immunology at the University of Toronto. 

A better understanding of this early process could lead to improved prediction, prevention and treatment, the expert said.

“We haven’t cured anybody yet, and we need to do better.”

“With all the advanced biologic therapy we have today, patients’ responses are partial at best,” Croitoru told SWNS. “We haven’t cured anybody yet, and we need to do better.”

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“We wanted to know: Do people who are at risk, who are healthy now, have these antibodies against flagellin?” he said. “We looked, we measured, and yes indeed, at least some of them did.”

This new research is part of the Genetic, Environmental and Microbial (GEM) Project, which has followed more than 5,000 healthy first-degree relatives of people with Crohn’s disease worldwide since 2008. The project collects genetic, biological and environmental data to better understand how the disease develops.

The study followed 381 first-degree relatives of Crohn’s patients, 77 of whom later developed the disease. Of those, more than 30% had elevated antibody responses.

The responses were strongest in siblings, underscoring the role of shared environmental exposure, researchers said.

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So far, 130 of the study participants have developed Crohn’s, giving researchers a rare opportunity to study its earliest stages. The average time from blood sample collection to diagnosis was nearly 2-½ years.

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Previous GEM research showed that an inflammatory immune response targeting gut bacteria can appear long before the disease develops. 

In healthy people, gut bacteria coexist peacefully and play an essential role in digestive health — but in Crohn’s patients, the immune system appears to mount an abnormal response against the microbes, experts say.

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The Canadian team also confirmed that this pre-disease immune response was associated with intestinal inflammation and gut barrier dysfunction, both hallmarks of Crohn’s disease. 

Research team member Dr. Sun-Ho Lee, a gastroenterologist, commented that this new study supports the idea of designing a flagellin-directed vaccine for certain high-risk individuals to prevent the disease, according to SWNS.

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The study did have some limitations, including that it did not include experiments to show exactly how the immune response might lead to Crohn’s disease. 

As a result, the researchers could not determine the biological steps linking the immune reaction to the onset of the illness. “Further validation and mechanistic studies are underway,” they noted.

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A new study suggests that exercise can treat depression just as effectively as therapy and antidepressants.

A Cochrane review looked at 73 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 5,000 adults with a depression diagnosis. The studies compared exercise with either other active treatments — such as therapy or medication — or with “inactive interventions,” like being placed on a wait list or in a control group.

The London-based team discovered that exercise may be “moderately effective” compared to no therapy in reducing depression symptoms, according to a press release.

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“There is probably little to no difference in depressive symptoms between people undertaking exercise and those receiving psychological therapy,” the authors noted in a study discussion on Cochrane’s website, and “there may be little to no difference in depressive symptoms between people doing exercise and those taking antidepressants.”

The review found that light- to moderate-intensity exercise was more beneficial for easing depression symptoms than vigorous exercise.

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No single type of physical activity stood out as the best, but mixed programs that included resistance training appeared to be “more effective” than just aerobic exercise. 

Some forms of exercise, like yoga and stretching, were not included in the analysis, but are areas to be further researched, the review noted.

Professor Andrew Clegg, lead author of the review, wrote in a statement that exercise “appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression.”

“This suggests that exercise works well for some people, but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important,” he said.

Study limitations and risks

The researchers noted that there was a high risk of bias in some of the studies included in the review, and noted that the long-term effects of exercise on depression symptoms remain uncertain.

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Clegg noted that “larger, high-quality studies” are needed to determine which types of exercise work best and whether the benefits last over time.

The comparison between exercise and other treatments and how they benefit people’s quality of life were also “inconsistent and uncertain.”

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“Adverse events from exercise were not common,” the researchers mentioned. “The small number of participants who experienced them usually reported muscle and joint problems or worsening of depression.”

“Future research should focus on improving the quality of the studies, working out which characteristics of exercise are effective for different people, and ensuring different types of people are included in the studies so that health equity issues can be considered,” they went on.

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About 21 million U.S. adults had at least one major depressive episode in a recent year — equivalent to roughly 8.3% of all U.S. adults, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Depression symptoms include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, guilt or irritability, as well as loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities. Fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, appetite changes and social withdrawal are also red flags, in addition to thoughts about dying or suicidal ideations. 

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The condition is most often treated by antidepressant medications and psychological therapies, such as talk therapy. Anyone who needs help should consult their doctor.

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