Bowel disease treatment discovery

Scientists have developed a treatment which could help treat the common bowel disease ulcerative colitis.

University of Dundee researchers developed a type of probiotic - a substance that promotes the growth of micro-organisms.

The probiotic was used as a substitute for the anti-inflammatory effects of the natural "friendly bacteria".

That, combined with carbohydrates to form a synbiotic, was given to patients in a trial, with dramatic results.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that causes ulcers in the lining of the large bowel leading to abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Professor George Macfarlane, who led the study at the university, said: "This is an important development in the search for an effective treatment for ulcerative colitis.

"The trial results show that participants receiving the synbiotic stopped experiencing pain, diarrhoea and other symptoms commonly associated with the disease."