Severe Diverticulitis Is Rising Rapidly Among Younger Adults

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Diverticulitis, once considered a disease of aging, is now surging among adults under 50, with younger patients facing more severe and complicated cases than ever before
Researchers from UCLA and Vanderbilt University found that early-onset diverticulitis hospitalizations rose sharply from 2005 to 2020, while procedures like abscess drainage more than doubled
Younger adults have an 82% lower risk of death compared to older patients, but far higher odds of requiring invasive interventions — proof that the disease is becoming more disruptive, not less
Processed foods, seed oils, chronic stress, and disrupted gut bacteria are key drivers of early inflammation in your colon, damaging your intestinal barrier and setting the stage for diverticulitis
You can protect your gut by removing seed oils, eating easy-to-digest whole foods, rebuilding beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia, and supporting mitochondrial energy production to restore gut balance and long-term colon health

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you seeing more friends your age struggle with sudden abdominal pain,
0:03.6	bloating, or unpredictable bathroom trips, and wondering why a later life condition is showing up in your 30s or 40s?
0:11.9	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:14.5	Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:20.0	No reading required.
0:21.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:24.6	Hello and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Today we're examining why severe
0:30.0	diverticulitis is rising among younger adults, what the latest multi-year hospital data
0:35.2	reveal, and what specific steps you can take to protect
0:38.5	your gut before problems escalate.
0:40.8	I'm Ethan Foster.
0:42.5	We'll start with what's changing.
0:44.5	Diverticulitis used to be labeled a disease of aging.
0:48.0	Now it's appearing earlier, progressing faster, and more often arriving with complications
0:52.9	that disrupt work, family life, and time in the hospital.
0:57.0	I'm Alara Sky.
0:59.0	At its core, diverticulitis is inflammation and infection in small pouches that form along weaker spots in your colon wall.
1:07.0	Many people carry these pouches for years without trouble.
1:17.7	The modern shift is how quickly they inflame and how often they now require invasive procedures in younger patients.
1:25.4	A large analysis of more than 5 million U.S. hospital admissions from 2005 to 2020 found an unmistakable trend.
1:28.3	Adults under 50 now account for a growing share of diverticulitis hospitalizations and complicated
1:34.3	cases. Abscesses, perforations, severe infections are climbing within this group. That means more
	...

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