Fructose Intolerance

[Shirley__0]

  First of all, I would like to thank you for the informative and useful site.
  I am a 27 year old with a long history of digestive problems that my parents and  I always thought were related to a  "nervous stomach" until I became accutely ill and started losing weight (20 pounds) for no reason over the last year or so.  After a battery of tests, I was recently diagnosed as fructose intolerant and am a bit confused about this diagnosis and how it was made.  
  I was given a hydrogen breath test after ingesting 50 grams of a fructose containing solution after fasting for 12 hours.  I became very sick in the doctor's office (vomitting, sweating, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea) and the breath test after one hour showed an H2 reading of 140/ppml(?).  My baseline before the test was 4. My doctor told me after the test that I was deficient in the enzymes needed to metabolize fructose.  Now a friend of mine who is a medical professional tells me that the only thing the test could show is fructose malabsorption, which is very common in children and adults.  
  The diet proscribed for me eliminates all forms of fructose, including sucrose.  My friend says that people who are fructose malabsorbers can eat sucrose because the glucose facilitates fructose absorption.
  I have responded well to the fructose free diet, and am wondering if it needs to be so strict.  Can I eat sucrose containing foods?  Do I harm my body in any way by eating fructose?  Is my problem related to absorbing or digesting fructose?  What causes this problem, and how common is it?
  Thanks for your help!
___________
Dear Shirley,
Your friend is correct that fructose malabsorption can occur in adults and is related to deficiency of the intestinal mucosal enzymes necessary to breakdown the sugar.  The symptoms are related to fructose metabolism by intestinal bacteria.  The bacteria cause the production of intestinal gas ( which can cause bloating and cramps) and diarrhea.  
Although the symptoms of carbohydrate malabsoprtion can be quite discomforting, they are not dangerous to you.  It is possible that you could tolerate a small amount of fructose, but exactly how much can only be determined by trial and error.  You could gradually increase the amount of fructoser in your diet until you observe the return of symptoms.  Then you will know how much your body can tolerate.
This information is presented for educational purposes only.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: fructose malabsoprtion
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