Fructose malabsorption

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fructose malabsorption or Dietary Fructose Intolerance is a dietary disability of the small intestine in which the fructose carrier in enterocytes is deficient. Medical tests are similar as in lactose intolerance, requiring a hydrogen breath test for a clinical diagnosis.

Fructose Malabsorption is not to be confused with fructose intolerance or Hereditary Fructose Intolerance (HFI), a hereditary condition in which the liver enzymes that break fructose up are deficient. In patients with fructose malabsorption, the small intestine fails to absorb fructose properly. In the large intestine the unabsorbed fructose osmotically reduces the absorption of water and is metabolized by normal colonic bacteria to short chain fatty acids and the gases hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. The abnormal increase in hydrogen is detected with the hydrogen breath test.

There is no known cure, but an appropriate diet will help. However, it is very difficult for undiagnosed sufferers to see any relationship between the foods they eat and the symptoms they suffer, even if they keep a daily diet diary. This is because most foods contain a mixture of fructose and glucose. Foods with more fructose than glucose are a problem, as are foods with a lot of fructose (regardless of the amount of glucose). However, depending upon the sufferer's sensitivity to fructose, small amounts of problem foods could be eaten (especially when they are not the main ingredient of a meal).

Foods with a high glucose content actually help sufferers absorb fructose.

Contents

[edit] Symptoms

This condition is common in patients with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. A small proportion of patients with both fructose malabsorption and lactose intolerance also suffer from coeliac disease.

Typical symptoms of fructose malabsorption include:


Other possible symptoms of fructose malabsorption include:

[edit] Foods with high fructose content

Foods with a high fructose content include:

[edit] Foods with high fructan content

Chains of fructose molecules, known as fructans occur naturally in many foods. The following foods have a high fructan content:

However, unlike free fructose (i.e. fructose that is not bound to glucose in the form of sucrose) there is no evidence in the research literature that supports the notion that fructans can be problematic for individuals with fructose malabsorption

[edit] Other problem foods

In addition, the following foods can cause symptoms of fructose malabsorption:

  • sodas and other beverages containing high fructose corn syrup
  • dried fruit (including "health" bars containing dried fruit)
  • tinned fruit in "natural" juice (which is often pear juice)
  • sorbitol (present in some diet drinks and foods, and occurring naturally in some stone fruits)
  • sweet wines
  • Too much fruit of any kind in a short timeframe



[edit] Food labelling laws

Sufferers of coeliac disease are often protected by food labelling laws, hence processed foods are required to be marked "gluten-free"

However, producers of processed food are not currently required by law to mark foods as "fructose-free". This can cause some surprises and pitfalls for fructose malabsorpers.

Note that foods (such as bread) marked "gluten-free" are usually suitable for fructose malabsorbers, though sufferers need to be careful of gluten-free foods that contain dried fruit or high fructose corn syrup or fructose itself in sugar form. However, fructose malabsorbers do not need to avoid gluten as do those with coeliac disease.

Fructose malabsorbers can eat breads and made from rye, spelt and corn flour. However, these may contain wheat unless marked "wheat-free" (or "gluten-free").

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Health science - Medicine - Gastroenterology (primarily K)
esophagus - stomach: Halitosis | Nausea | Vomiting | Heartburn | GERD | Achalasia | Esophageal cancer | Esophageal varices | Peptic ulcer | Abdominal pain | Stomach cancer | Non-ulcer dyspepsia | Gastroparesis
liver - pancreas - gallbladder - biliary tree: Hepatitis | Cirrhosis | NASH | PBC | PSC | Budd-Chiari | Hepatocellular carcinoma | Acute pancreatitis | Chronic pancreatitis | Hereditary pancreatitis
small intestine: Peptic ulcer | Intussusception | Malabsorption (e.g. coeliac, lactose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, Whipple's) 
colon: Diarrhea | Appendicitis | Diverticulitis | Diverticulosis | IBD (Crohn's, Ulcerative colitis) 
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../f/r/u/Fructose_malabsorption.html"
In other languages