Dr Jane Muir - Researcher Profile

Jane Muir

Address

Medicine
Monash Medical School Building, The Alfred Hospital

Contact Details

Tel: +61 3 990 30274

Email: Jane.Muir@monash.edu


Biography

Developing diet strategies to treat functional gut disorders

Dr Jane Muir is currently Head of Translational Nutrition Science in the Department of Gastroenterology, Central Clinical School, Monash University.  She is a trained dietitian with a PhD in biochemistry and has over 20 years experience in the area of nutrition research.  Her major research focus has been on the important role of fermentable carbohydrates in the health of the gastrointestinal tract. 

 

Jane has made a major contribution to understanding the role of resistant starch (RS) (starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine) in gastrointestinal health.  In 1990, she developed an assay for measuring levels of resistant starch in food.  This assay was then validated and used to construct diets which differ greatly in levels of starch escaping digestion (ie. low and high in resistant starch).  These diets were used in subsequent studies to investigate the physiological significance of including resistant starch in the diet. 

Since 2001, Jane has worked in collaboration with the Gastroenterologist- Prof Peter Gibson.  This position provided her with the opportunity to develop and extend her research in the area of carbohydrates in the gut further, while strengthening the role of Nutrition and Dietetic research in the clinical setting. 

Her primary focus has been assisting with the development of new diet therapies to treat and control diet-related gastrointestinal dysfunction.  A major focus of their research involved a new area of carbohydrate research involving poorly absorbed short chain carbohydrates (called FODMAPs).  FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo- Di- and Mono-saccharides And Polyols). FODMAPs are found in a wide variety of foods and include; excess fructose (in pears, apples), sugar polyols (sorbitol and mannitol in stone fruits and artificial sweeteners), lactose (in milk), fructans and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) (rye, artichoke, garlic, onions) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) (stachyose, raffinose, in legumes and nuts).  

Jane has helped to establish the laboratory techniques to quantify the FODMAP sugars in foods.  The group have now started assembling, for the first time, comprehensive FODMAP food composition tables, which has been essential for their research into studying the physiological effects of these sugars in the gastrointestinal tract.  These FODMAP food composition tables are also essential for designing new diet strategies for the treatment of gastrointestinal symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common disorder seen in gastroenterological practices and affects 1 in 7 Australians.   

Keywords

carbohydrates, gastrointestinal function, dietary fibre, FODMAPs, irritable bowel syndrome

Publications

Book Chapters

Muir, J.G., Shepherd, S., Barrett, J., Mitchell, S., Ong, D., Rose, R., Rosella, O., yao, c., halmos, e., Biesiekierski, J., Gibson, P., 2012, Manipulating dietary intake of poorly absorbed and fermentable short-chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs): Implications for laxation and gastrointestinal health, in Dietary Fiber and Health, eds Cho, Susan S and Almeida, Nelson, CRC Press, Boca Raton Florida USA, pp. 197-208.

Journal Articles

Barrett, J., Muir, J., 2011, Association of lactose sensitivity with inflammatory bowel disease, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics [P], vol 34, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., UK, pp. 1138-1144.

Iacovou, M., Ralston, R., Muir, J., Walker, K., Truby, H., 2011, Dietary management of infantile colic: A systematic review, Maternal and Child Health Journal [E], vol E, Springer New York LLC, United States, pp. 1-13.

Halmos, E., Muir, J., Shepherd, S., Gibson, P., 2011, Functional bowel disorders and FODMAPs, Medicine Today [P], vol 12, issue 3, Medicine Today Pty. Ltd., Australia, pp. 29-38.

Biesiekierski, J., Newnham, E., Irving, P., Barrett, J., Haines, M., Doecke, J.D., Shepherd, S., Muir, J., Gibson, P., 2011, Gluten causes gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects without celiac disease: a double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, American Journal Of Gastroenterology [P], vol E, Nature Publishing Group, United States, pp. 1-7.

R.Biesiekierski, J., Rosella, O., Rose, R., Liels, K., Barrett, J., Shepherd, S.J., Gibson, P.R., Muir, J.G., 2011, Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosacharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals, Journal Of Human Nutrition And Dietetics [P], vol 24, issue 2, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 154-176.

Halmos, E., Muir, J.G., Barrett, J.S., Deng, M., Shepherd, S.J., Gibson, P.R., 2010, Diarrhoea during enteral nutrition is predicted by the poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrate (FODMAP) content of the formula, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics [P], vol 32, issue 7, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 925-933.

Barrett, J.S., Gearry, R.B., Muir, J.G., Irving, P., Rose, R., Rosella, O., Haines, M., Shepherd, S.J., Gibson, P.R., 2010, Dietary poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates increase delivery of water and fermentable substrates to the proximal colon, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics [P], vol 31, issue 8, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom, pp. 874-882.

Ong, D., Mitchell, S.B., Barrett, J.S., Shepherd, S.J., Irving, P., Biesiekierski, J., Smith, S., Gibson, P.R., Muir, J.G., 2010, Manipulation of dietary short chain carbohydrates alters the pattern of gas production and genesis of symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome, Journal Of Gastroenterology And Hepatology [P], vol 25, issue 8, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, pp. 1366-1373.

Barrett, J., Muir, J., Gibson, P., 2010, Prebiotics and Probiotics, Medicine Today [P], vol 11, issue 12, Medicine Today Pty Ltd, Australia, pp. 75-76.

Barrett, J.S., Irving, P., Shepherd, S.J., Muir, J.G., Gibson, P.R., 2009, Comparison of the prevalence of fructose and lactose malabsorption across chronic intestinal disorders, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics [P], vol 30, issue 2, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd, UK, pp. 165-174.

Muir, J.G., Rose, R., Rosella, O., Liels, K., Barrett, J.S., Shepherd, S.J., Gibson, P.R., 2009, Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry [P], vol 57, issue 2, American Chemical Society, USA, pp. 554-565.

Shepherd, S.J., Parker, F.C., Muir, J.G., Gibson, P.R., 2008, Dietary Triggers of Abdominal Symptoms in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Randomized Placebo-Controlled Evidence, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, vol 6, issue 7, WB Saunders Co. (Elsevier BV), United States, pp. 765-771.

Muir, J.G., Shepherd, S.J., Rosella, O., Rose, R., Barrett, J.S., Gibson, P.R., 2007, Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol 55, issue 16, American Chemical Society, USA, pp. 6619-6627.

Croagh, C.M.N., Shepherd, S., Berryman, M., Muir, J.G., Gibson, P.R., 2007, Pilot study on the effect of reducing dietary FODMAP intake on bowel function in patients without a colon, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, vol 13, issue 12, John Wiley and Sons Inc, United States, pp. 1522-1528.

Gibson, P.R., Newnham, E., Barrett, J.S., Shepherd, S., Muir, J.G., 2007, Review article: Fructose malabsorption and the bigger picture, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol 25, Blackwell publishing, UK, pp. 349-363.

Sengupta, S., Muir, J.G., Gibson, P.R., 2006, Does butyrate protect from colorectal cancer?, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, vol 21, issue 1, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England, pp. 209-218.

Gibson, P.R., Muir, J.G., 2005, Reinforcing the mucus: A new therapeutic approach for ulcerative colitis?, Gut, vol 54, BMJ Publishing Group, UK, pp. 900-903.

Lu, Z.X., Walker, K.Z., Muir, J.G., O'Dea, K., 2004, Arabinoxylan fibre improves metabolic control in people with Type II diabetes, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol 58, issue 4, Nature Publishing Group, UK, pp. 621-628.

Muir, J.G., Yeow, E.G.W., Pizzey, C., Bird, A.R., Sharpe, K., O'Dea, K., Macrae, F.A., 2004, Combining wheat bran with resistant starch has more beneficial effects on fecal indexes than does wheat bran alone, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol 79, issue 6, American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc., USA, pp. 1020-1028.

James, S.L., Muir, J.G., Curtis, S.L., Gibson, P.R., 2003, Dietary fibre: a roughage guide, Internal Medicine Journal, vol 33, issue 7, Blackwell Publishing, Australia, pp. 291-296.

Hedger, M., Muir, J.G., 2000, Differential actions of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin on interstitial fluid volume and immunoglobulin G concentrations in adult rat testis, Journal of Andrology, vol 21 issue 5, American Soc of Andrology Inc, C/o Allen Press, Lawrence USA, pp. 747-752.

Muir, J.G., 1999, Location of colonic fermentation events: Importance of combining resistant starch with dietary fibre, Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol 8 (suppl.), Blackwell Science Asia, Carlton Vic Australia, pp. S14-S21.

Other

Muir, J.G., 2009, Low FODMAP diet: Reducing poorly absorbed sugars to control gastrointestinal symptoms, Booklet for sale to patients. Prepared from research conducted in the Department., Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Management of irritable bowel syndrome and enteral nutrition associated diarrhoea by reducing intake of poorly absorbed sugars..
Supervisors:
Gibson, P (Main), Muir, J (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Possible role of poorly absorbed short chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs) in the genesis of infant colic.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main), Barrett, J (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Predictive Factors of the Respondent vs Non-Respondent IBS Patient to low FODMAP Diet vs Probiotics.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main), Gibson, P (Associate), Barrett, J (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
The role of wheat gluten in the genesis of gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue in NCGI patients.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main), Gibson, P (Associate), Yelland, G (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Understanding food hypersensitivity: identifying clinical targets and biomarkers of non-coeliac gluten intolerance.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main), Gibson, P (Associate), Taylor, D (Associate).
Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
Use of oral -galactosidases in conjunction with the Low FODMAP diet to treat IBS.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main), Barrett, J (Associate).

Completed Supervision

Student:
Biesiekierski, J.
Program of Study:
Understanding gluten sensitivity: the role of gluten and dietary carbohydrates in the genesis of gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals who do not have coeliac disease. (PHD) 2012.
Supervisors:
Gibson, P (Main), Muir, J (Associate).
Student:
James, S.
Program of Study:
Dietary fibre and FODMAPs in inflammatory bowel disease. (PHD) 2010.
Supervisors:
Gibson, P (Main), Muir, J (Associate).
Student:
Lu, Z.
Program of Study:
PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ARABINOXYLAN FROM WHEAT FLOUR AS A SOURCE OF DIETARY FIBRE. (PHD) 2000.
Supervisors:
O''Dea, K (Main), Muir, J (Associate).
Student:
Mills, J.
Program of Study:
Fructose Malabsorption: To investigate fructose malabsorption between healthy and IBS fructose malabsorber adults. 2011.
Supervisors:
Muir, J (Main).