Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Who and who does not follow a low fructose diet?

It happened shortly after I came across this site. Here I discovered the importance of eating more soluble than insoluble fiber with every meal. Later, while reading the IBS research literature I stumbled across the possibility that excess fructose, that is foods containing more fructose than glucose, could be a trigger (see message). The excess fructose goes undigested to the colon where it is rapidly fermented producing other byproducts and gases. If the concentration is high enough it acts like an osmotic laxative. Non-IBS individuals can have problems with fructose. IBSers with sensitive bowels may find excess fructose foods trigger a flare-up. The difficulty one faces is determining the threshold amount at which the excess fructose is a problem. It varies from person to person.

There are two accepted methods for determining if an individual is a fructose malabsorber: breath test and exclusion from the diet. My GP told me that we didn't have a test facility in the area so my only choice was to use an exclusion process.

Within a couple of weeks I noticed a significant decrease in general IBS symptoms. The change was about as great as the change I noticed when I reduced my consumption of insoluble fiber foods.

A baking accident showed me how sensitive I was to foods with excess fructose. My diet was pretty well under control. One of the treats I enjoyed was homemade cinnamon buns. I had been eating them for weeks with no problems. One day I made a slight change to the recipe. I added a drizzle of maple syrup to the brown sugar before spreading it on the dough for baking. During the evening I would have a warmed up cinnamon bun and a cup of fennel tea. Within 10 days I was having a serious IBS flare-up. A couple of times I awoke with early morning D which indicated a flare-up was coming. I removed the buns from my diet and within a couple of days the night time D cleared up. It took a couple weeks before I was back to being reasonably stable.

Later I discovered that different grades of maple syrup contain different ratios of fructose to glucose. The grade I was using had more fructose than glucose.

Not a lot more so I found out I was quite sensitive.

Dietary exclusion is so easy to do. Within a month or so you know if excess fructose is a problem. If it is then modify Heather's diet accordingly. If it isn't then enjoy sweet tasting fruits!

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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS

The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS

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