The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has risen significantly in recent decades, and some racial and ethnic minority groups have borne the brunt of that increase. Between 1970 and 2010, the incidence of IBD rose by 39% among white Americans. However, during that same period, the incidence of IBD among non-white Americans jumped by 134%. That’s according to a 2019 population-based cohort study in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology.

There are multiple causes of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, the two primary medical conditions that comprise IBD. Genetic vulnerabilities, antibiotic overuse, lifestyle factors (such as stress), and environmental exposures (everything from food additives to air pollution) have all been linked to increa…