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Fructose Malabsorption

Digestive Health | Last Active: Jul 2 9:43am | Replies (288)

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@lelia

The symptoms you can get from fructose malabsorption can be really horrible. I developed it after a case of viral food poisoning as severe as that caused by e coli, and it was almost fatal. You can't digest the fructose because the lining of the intestine is damaged. I had incredible gas and belching, bloating, and asthma from the gas, and didn't care whether I lived or died. What's to live for if you can't eat, breathe or sleep? I also got esophageal dysmotility and food caught in the esophagus (even scrambled eggs) and had GERD from it, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth from it. One time had to blend all my food for weeks. Also have visceral hypersensitivity. Anyway, it took about 10 years to get it diagnosed; be sure to go to a reputable gastroenterologist, at a university medical center if possible. Mayo diagnosed mine. I have a friend who has it and she can eat a lot more sugar than I can. She figures if I can eat it so can she. I've found I can hardly eat any, including artificial sugars. I want to share what I've learned. By the way, I've been to 4 dietitians and none of their recommendations worked for me because my system is so intolerant of sugar. This is a minimalist diet but it's a good start if you're still struggling to discovered what you can eat. Here's what I eat: Protein: eggs, meat, fish (all unprocessed- no ham, sausages, etc). Carbs: potatoes without the skin, white Basmati rice, Kettle Brand Kettle Chips (for energy). Vegetables: cooked spinach, cooked broccoli (in moderation), broccolini (in moderation), one baby carrot every other day (has sugar in it). Since I also have lactose intolerance and broccoli and broccolini (?) have a bit of lactose in them, I take 2 lactase pills with those. Occasionally have mushrooms, a bit of celery, green Swiss chard. Whatever you do, don't ever eat garlic, and if you try onion, only eat a little of the clear juice, not the solids. Fruit: none. Drinks: distilled water. Spices and herbs: cinnamon, thyme, sage, salt, black pepper. Nuts: occasional small amounts of Planters Deluxe mixed nuts (remove the pistachios). Oils: canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, extra light olive oil. Be careful with olive oil - olives are a fruit, and other olive oils have olive fruit juice in them. Regarding no potato skins or brown rice, I believe they contain fructans, chains of fructose, also indigestible if you have fructose malabsorption. Anyway, if anyone knows of any spices/herbs that are ok, I'd appreciate knowing. I've tried oregano and rosemary and they didn't agree. Another thing I use is L-Alanine powder, an amino acid, which was found by a researcher at the U. of Iowa or Iowa State to help the intestine absorb fructose. I take probably 6 tsp. of this a day with the potato chips, etc. All for now. There is a web site that gives all the names for sugars, to help you identify them, and another that gives the sugar content of fruits, vegetables, etc. Next time. I'm not going to talk about FODMAPS etc. but just give practical advice that has worked for me.

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Replies to "The symptoms you can get from fructose malabsorption can be really horrible. I developed it after..."

Thanks

Does L-Alanine powder help you? where can you get it from ? I am suffering from Fructose inolerance and would like to try anything which helps.

Thank you for sharing!

You said your fructose malabsorption was diagnosed at Mayo> Do you know the Dr. you saw? I just went there and it was not mentioned to me. I have a lot of trouble eating and am 15 lbs underweight.

I have been struggling with sugar for 2 years. You are the first person I've learned about with a diet similar to mine. If I ear more than 2 grams of simple sugar at a time, I get a head rush, feel dizzy, and oftentimes have uncontrollable emotions (excess crying, anger, etc). If I eat over 25 g of complex carbs, I fall asleep 1 hour 45 minutes after eating them. I sleep for 2 hours and wake up like nothing happened. I have been tested for every possible endocrine issue and everything is fine there. I also do get very gassy when I eat anything with even a little sugar.

I have not yet seen a GI. Do you have any more insights since you posted this?

Any suggestions for a nutritionist? I have dysmotility of the small intestine. Happened suddenly 5 years ago. Never been told why it happened. Was originally hospitalized for 10 days and was tested from head to toe. Never found anything other than a section of my small intestine loop stopped working. Am still having occasional food blockages which cause extreme pain and vomiting and end up in ER due to dehydration. Not sure what to eat to avoid further episodes.