Fructose Malabsorption

Yes had it for 40 years until I discovered I had fructose malabsorption! Once I cut out fruit and by the way most carbs my A1C is now normal!! I can eat mixed greens and a few vegetables.

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Potatoes kill me!

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Hi Mayo Clinic Connect community,

About 2 years ago, I started having excessive gas and to a lesser extent increased belching. I have no other gastrointestinal issues - no bloating, diaheraa, or constipation - but the gas is really bad to the point that I’ve spent the last year restricting my diet and avoiding dating out of embarrassment.

Right now, I’ve found that the gas is reduced if I restrict my diet to plain Greek yogurt, avocados, lean meats, white rice, soy sauce, plain bagel, and cream cheese. That’s not a long list and not a sustainable diet, I know. I’ve noticed increased gas when I eat eggs, oatmeal, sugary muffins and cookies with high fructose corn syrup.

I was diagnosed with some type of sucrose intolerance when I was 10 years old. My symptoms then were vomiting and stomach pain. It was so long ago there may have been symptoms I don’t remember. Either way restricting/eliminating sucrose from my diet eased my symptoms. My doctor thought I would grow out of it and 2 years later I was able to eat sucrose without those nasty symptoms. But with this new digestive issue, I wonder if sugar malabsorption is an issue.

I’m seeing a GI doctor about this next week Has anyone else had excessive gas as your only symptom? Did you get a diagnosis?

Thanks!

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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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I have recently been diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic deficiency (EPI), Sucrase-Isomaltase Difficiency (CSID), and Collagenous Colitis (CC) and have been told the cause is autoimmune problems. I'm over 60 and I may have to accept the auto immune cause, but am looking for other causes. Any ideas?

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