Bringing together nutrition science and digital technology, Monash University researchers are making life easier for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Date:   10/23/2012 8:03:55 PM ( 12 y ago)

Please note that this is text taken from the October 2012 "Monash" University Magazine.

Bringing together nutrition science and digital technology, Monash University researchers are making life easier for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

IBS affects one in seven Australian adults and is common in the US, Europe and many Asian countries. It is a condition characterised by symptoms such as gastrointestinal wind, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. Nutritionists now know that the best way to avoid these symptoms is to avoid foods that contain a family of carbohydrates known as FODMAPs (fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols), which are poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. Foods containing FODMAPs include rye and wheat-based products such as bread and pasta, as well as many common vegetables and fruits such as onions, garlic, apples, pears, watermelon, stone fruits, mushrooms and cauliflower.

Monash University's Professor Peter Gibson and Dr Jane Muir led the first group in the world to measure the majority of these FODMAPs in food, creating a comprehensive database as they went.

With funding from the Monash Research Impact Fund, and with the technical assistance of Monash student and application developer James Eunson, the researchers have put this database to practical use. They have designed a smartphone application about FODMAP content, which will help guide IBS sufferers towards easily tolerated foods while avoiding trigger foods.

October 2012

 

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