Diverticulosis, a condition that develops when pouches form in the wall of the colon, is increasing in frequency. It affects the majority of those reaching the age of 80 - a growing portion of the population - and imposes a substantial burden on health-care resources, but curiously there is a lack of data and unanswered questions around this condition.

The December issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, fills a critical research gap in diverticulosis research. The following four studies offer new insight into this condition.