Fructose intolerance is very similar to a lactose intolerance which also leads to bloating and abdominal pain.
A fructose intolerance can lead to very uncomfortable digestive problems.
However, the distress caused by fructose malabsorption can sometimes be controlled by certain tricks such as switching to fruits that contain a lower amount of fructose.
And being aware of the amount of fructose in the foods that you consume (especially on a regular basis) may help you to avoid fructose malabsorption.
Just like in the case of lactose intolerance, sugars will not be properly digested in the small intestine.
Fructose intolerance is a lot more common than you would expect!
Fructose is absorbed with the help of a specific transporting enzyme.
When this enzyme is either not present or has become inactive, fructose will not be absorbed!
Fructose will then travel down to your large intestine and quickly ferment which produces gases that cause flatulence, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Which leads to the question - Could eating enzyme rich foods help with a fructose intolerance?
For example, unheated raw honey comes with powerful enzymes and will aid in the digestion of other foods.
Raw honey actually helps the body to produce more insulin which does defy all logic when it comes to its high fructose content.
You can experiment with raw fruits that contain enzymes which may be more tolerable such as Pineapple, Avocado, Fresh Figs, and Papaya.
It has also been stated that if glucose (another simple sugar) is present in equal amounts (or more) with fructose, your body will have an easier time absorbing fructose.
These 3 are excessively higher in fructose than glucose
You may still want to find out if you have a serious problem with this sugar and are suffering from fructose intolerance.
To find out if you are intolerant to fructose, you can be diagnosed by a Breath Hydrogen Test.
This test can be used to detect other sugar intolerances as well.
This test will show you if your body produces hydrogen within 1 hr after the ingestion of the sugar in question.
If hydrogen is detected, you are regarded as intolerant.
The threshold for symptoms varies among people and you will have to figure out just how much of this sugar it will take to trigger fructose malabsorption in your system.
Basically, you will have to watch your intake of fructose and get rid of the offending foods.
And for
really sensitive people, a fructose free diet may be in order for a
while.
Also, for the health of your digestive tract, staying away from foods made with high fructose corn syrup (which offers nothing to you) will be a must regardless if you are fructose intolerant or not!