Health Rounds: New drug treats gluten — caused intestinal damage in celiac patients

(Health Rounds, winner of the 2026 Publishers Newsletter Award for Best Science Newsletter, is published on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Think a friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also subscribe here) By Nancy Lapid Oct 13 (Reuters) — Hello Health Rounds readers! Today we feature some promising news for people dealing with gluten issues from celiac disease. We also report on studies that appear to debunk cannabis as a sleep enhancer, and another way in which artificial intelligence could help people monitor and better understand various health conditions. Experimental drug protects against gluten damage, symptoms A drug being developed by First Tracks Biotherapeutics not only reduced symptoms from gluten exposure in patients with celiac disease but is the first to demonstrate protection against gluten-induced intestinal damage, according to results of a small early-stage trial. Participants in the 32-patient study had been diagnosed with celiac disease at least a year prior and were following a gluten-free diet, but still had moderate damage to their intestines as seen on biopsies. Even trace exposure to gluten can cause intestinal damage