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Food & FGIDs Working Team

About

A number of factors have been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of IBS including disturbed motility, the brain-gut axis, genetic factors, impaired gut barrier function, immunologic dysregulation, the gut microbiome, and psychosocial factors. More recently, there has been increasing attention on the role of food in IBS. Patients have long associated their IBS symptoms with the ingestion of certain foods, combinations of foods, or a meal itself. Unfortunately, the relative lack of empiric data proving a causal link or consistently documenting symptom improvement has caused health care providers to view dietary interventions with skepticism. Further, gastroenterologists and primary care providers receive virtually no structured training in dietary interventions for IBS. This lack of enthusiasm for dietary counseling has increasingly caused providers to be misaligned with their patients who commonly ask for more holistic solutions for their IBS symptoms. Out of desperation, many providers recommend or passively stand by as their patients empirically attempt various dietary manipulations, such as the elimination of fatty foods, fruits, gluten, milk/dairy products, or modifying dietary fiber content. This haphazard approach leads to inconsistent results which can be frustrating for both patients and providers. The goals of the Working Team were to review and summarize the areas of food effects on physiology of the GI tract, the role of food in the development of GI symptoms, potential dietary interventions for DGBIs, and future directions for translational and clinical research addressing the role of food in DGBIs.

Publications

The Role of Food in the Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Introduction to a Manuscript Series

Chey, W. D.
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 694-697
Abstract

Short-Chain Carbohydrates and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Shepherd, S. J., Lomer, M. C. E., & Gibson, P. R..
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 707-717
Abstract

Design of Clinical Trials Evaluating Dietary Interventions in Patients With Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Yao, C. K., Gibson, P. R., & Shepherd, S. J.
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 748-758
Abstract

Dietary Lipids and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Feinle-Bisset, C., & Azpiroz, F
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 737-747
Abstract

Fiber and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Eswaran, S., Muir, J., & Chey, W. D.
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 718-727
Abstract

Food and Symptom Generation in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Physiological Aspects

Farré, R., & Tack, J.
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 698-706
Abstract

Dietary Proteins and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders

Boettcher, E., & Crowe, S. E.
(2013). American Journal of Gastroenterology, 108(5), 728-736
Abstract

Members of the Working Team

Chair

William D. Chey, MD
Division of Gastroenterology
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Co-Chair

Jan Tack, MD, PhD
Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders
(TARGID)
University of Leuven
Leuven, Belgium

Fernando Azpiroz, MD

Digestive System Research Unit, Digestive Department
University Hospital Vall d ’ Hebron
Barcelona, Spain

Richard Farre, PhD

Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID)
University of Leuven
Leuven, Belgium

Jane Muir, PhD

Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Erica Boettcher, MD

Division of Gastroenterology
Department of Medicine
University of California San Diego
San Diego, California, USA

Christine Feinle, PhD

Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health
University of Adelaide
Discipline of Medicine
Adelaide, South Australia

Chu K. Yao, BND

Alfred Hospital, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Sheila Crowe, MD

Division of Gastroenterology
Department of Medicine
University of California San Diego
San Diego, California, USA

Peter Gibson, MD, FRACP

Department of Gastroenterology
The Alfred Hospital and Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Shanti Eswaran, MD

Division of Gastroenterology
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, Michigan, US

Miranda Lomer, PhD

Nutritional Sciences Division
King’s College London
London, UK