Your gut bacteria may stay different 12 years after polyp removal

Claim

AFTER A POLYP REMOVAL

Catch

KEEP SCREENING

Verdict

AFTER THE SCOPE, MIND YOUR GUT

Researchers profiled stool from 354 women about 12 years after a colorectal adenoma (polyp) was removed, each compared with a matched control. Their gut microbes and stool metabolites still differed, and the pattern resembled what is seen in colorectal cancer, with 31 microbes shifted in both. These microbes tracked with lifestyle factors. This does not make polyp removal pointless: removing polyps during colonoscopy is one of the best-proven ways to prevent colon cancer, and the study did not show that the bacteria cause cancer.

SOURCES

1. Nogal, Song et al. (2026), "Long-lasting gut microbiome and fecal metabolome alterations after colorectal adenoma removal and their relationship to colorectal cancer," Cell Host & Microbe 34(6): 1135-1150. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2026.05.001

For information only, not medical advice. Follow your doctor's screening schedule.