Infuse 3 March 2018 | Page 30

Can you share any of your findings?
I've also led research on whether
we can predict response to dietary
intervention in IBS by measuring
different elements of people's faecal
samples. Hopefully soon we will be able
to say something like, "Based on your
stool analysis, you've got 60% chance of
responding to a low FODMAP diet, so
let's try it." It’s personalised nutrition.
We’re looking at more of the
mechanistic aspect of diet, and how
we can look at new therapies that are
food-based.
As we know, the low FODMAP diet is
not good for our gut microbiota in the
long term. One of my colleagues, Dr
Heidi Staudecher, looked at adding
probiotics into a low FODMAP diet,
for her PhD. People on a low FODMAP
diet took a probiotic every day, and
she found that it prevented some of
that negative decline in their
gut bacteria.
Where do you see gut health going in
the next decade or so?
Again, personalised nutrition! Also, we
need to be smarter about the use of
probiotics. Each strain of probiotic has
a very different function. So, we need to
be more specific with our prescription.
But at the minute we don't have all
that research, and the strains are quite
limited from manufacturers. Watch this
space – that's where it will head.
Another project we're working on is
looking at different types of dietary
fibres in people with IBS. Certain
fibres can trigger gut symptoms,
leading to a lot of people excluding
fruit and vegetables, which can be a
vicious cycle. We’re looking at whether
we can combine different fibres to
increase tolerability and have the
long-term effect of supporting the gut
microbiota. We’ve teamed up with
experts to give people acute doses of
different types of fibre, then scan their
gut to see how much gas and small
bowel water is produced after having
that dietary fibre, as well as the
core symptoms. There's a lot of
potential there.
© Dietitian Connection
How important do you think having a
PhD has been to your success?
It’s set me apart from other people
looking at gut health and given me
credibility that other people might
not have gotten. But it certainly is not
essential. If you don't have the passion
for research, certainly don't spend three
years doing it.
interview continues overleaf...
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Infuse | March 2018