Fructose Malabsorption

Posted by CL @lelia, Dec 5, 2018

I'd like to start a discussion on fructose malabsorption, how to control it, what to eat and not eat, etc. . Is anybody interested?

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@kay57

Hello, I am sitting here thinking that sounds like me. Doctors diagnose acid reflux disease I was given Omeprizole. Having a lot of burning in upper abdomen after a meal but even upon awakening feeling the slight burn. I'd like to learn more about this because I am afraid to eat anything. Stopped eating meat 10 months now, hard to digest. I really need help.

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From my experience the burn was associated with too many carbs, or carbs that are harder to digest. Try limiting amount of those. Meat and protein don’t usually give me trouble. I will make ground sirloin patties. I consume potatoes and rice in small quantities now. Gluten may also be an issue as well as lactosr intolerance. Try going off these foods, keep a good diary and slowly reintroduce them to your diet.

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@guthealth

From my experience the burn was associated with too many carbs, or carbs that are harder to digest. Try limiting amount of those. Meat and protein don’t usually give me trouble. I will make ground sirloin patties. I consume potatoes and rice in small quantities now. Gluten may also be an issue as well as lactosr intolerance. Try going off these foods, keep a good diary and slowly reintroduce them to your diet.

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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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@kay57

Hello, I am sitting here thinking that sounds like me. Doctors diagnose acid reflux disease I was given Omeprizole. Having a lot of burning in upper abdomen after a meal but even upon awakening feeling the slight burn. I'd like to learn more about this because I am afraid to eat anything. Stopped eating meat 10 months now, hard to digest. I really need help.

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See long reply 2 postings down. Hang is there!

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@lelia

See long reply 2 postings down. Hang is there!

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Thank you for sharing all this information.

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I forgot to mention I also eat quick oats, as oatmeal and as a substitute for wheat in meatloaf.

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@sandyabbey, @guthealth, @baponline, @kay57. I hope you get this message; I'm new to this site. Anyway, I just discovered an awesome web site:
Lifewithfructosemalabsorption.blogspot.com. One thing she doesn't include is the Boston University sugars table at bu.edu. It was designed for those with hereditary fructose intolerance, which is a totally different disease than fm, but it is useful for giving all the different words for sugars. Ignore whether it says you can tolerate the sugar or not. Note also that glycerin = glycerol.

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@lelia

@sandyabbey, @guthealth, @baponline, @kay57. I hope you get this message; I'm new to this site. Anyway, I just discovered an awesome web site:
Lifewithfructosemalabsorption.blogspot.com. One thing she doesn't include is the Boston University sugars table at bu.edu. It was designed for those with hereditary fructose intolerance, which is a totally different disease than fm, but it is useful for giving all the different words for sugars. Ignore whether it says you can tolerate the sugar or not. Note also that glycerin = glycerol.

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The Boston Univ complete URL is bu.edu/adolase/HFI/treatment/sugar_table.htm

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@lelia

The Boston Univ complete URL is bu.edu/adolase/HFI/treatment/sugar_table.htm

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@lelia. I had to look in my spam folder but I got this. I am interested in all info about lactose intolerance or FM. I need to be able to get some yogurt & things like that. I have Cdiff at the moment, but hopefully I’m getting better. I need the active bacteria in the yogurts. I’m appreciate any info I can get.

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@baponline

Have you heard of and/or tried low FODMAP? I was diagnosed with GERD 20+ years ago but recently they found I am fructose intolerant. They put me on the FODMAP elimination diet/eating plan. Haven't felt better in years. Still in the food reintroduction phase. Lots of good information out there. Starting to think I never really had GERD.

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I have been diagnosed with IBS and am in the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet. I never know when I am going to have abdominal cramps and/or diarrhea or what is causing them. There are other FODMAPS besides fructose that contribute to IBS. I also have GERD, which has been a problem for me for years. The medications may have contributed to developing IBS as a couple of people have mentioned, but at this point my reflux problem has become worse. I am taking a larger dosage of Nexium, plus sucralfate and am still having problems at night. This is truly miserable!

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