Science AMA Series: Hi Reddit! I’m Dr. Mark Pimentel, Gastroenterologist
and scientist studying GI-Motility at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I’ll
be talking about the role of small bowel bacteria and IBS, and
microbiome linked diseases. AMA!
Abstract
Thanks so much for all the great questions! It is clear that IBS is so
important. We will keep working on this disease. Sorry I could not get
to all of you. Hopefully we can do this again soon. I have to go for
now…patients to see and research to do….Thanks again! - Dr
P Hello Redditors! I’m Dr. Mark Pimentel and I’m here to talk about the
bugs in your body! More specifically, I’ll focus on my research on the
association between food poisoning (gastroenteritis) and disruption of
gut flora, impairment of GI tract motility, and small intestinal
bacterial overgrowth in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome
– something I’ve been fascinated by and dedicated to studying over the
last 20 years. Did you know that around 40 million people suffer from
IBS? Despite low federal funding for motility research, there have still
been many scientific advancements in this field. My research team has
established the concept of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth as a
potential cause of irritable bowel syndrome and discovered that
methane-producing bacteria in the gut can cause constipation. More about
me: I am the Director of the GI Motility Program and Laboratory at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Professor of Medicine (In-residence series)
at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Associate Professor of
Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I am also the author of a
(needing-to-be-revised when there is more time) book called A New IBS
Solution: Bacteria-The Missing Link in Treating Irritable Bowel
Syndrome. For more background on myself or my research lab, see here. I
have been trying out new ways to disseminate information to patients and
the public so I’m very excited to be on Reddit doing this AMA today! You
can also find me on twitter, facebook, or for more in-depth information
at our Global Outreach Symposium on IBS and SIBO in November. While I
would love to answer all your questions, I will not be answering any
specific patient medical questions due to HIPAA violations. I’ll be back
at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, let’s get to
it – AMA!