Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Fructose breath test/treatment with rifaximin

Ah - yes. There has been speculation about a link between SIBO and fructose malabsorption. This is discussed in the research paper referenced below. Generally speaking when they do a test for SIBO they use the lactulose breath test and when they do a fructose test they use fructose instead of lactulose. Both test measure the amount of hydrogen produced. From what I have read when SIBO is treated with antibiotics it is not unusual for it to return time and again requiring continued treatment with antibiotics. There has also been some success in treating SIBO with probiotics.

There are links to three research papers on fructose malabsorption in that I posted this message. These are very technical articles. The first one talks a bit about the link between fructose and SIBO although they call it SBBO (small bowel bacterial overgrowth). Generally speaking SIBO is treated through diet by reducing the consumption of foods that contain more fructose than glucose like apples, pears, melons, honey, etc.

I have fructose malabsorption and I control it strickly by diet with no difficulties. From the reports I have read and from the difficulties that antibiotics can cause particularly repeated and long term treatment I am not sure I would try antibiotics - at least repeatedly.

Good luck

Reference
Lin, H. C., 2004: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: A Framework for Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome . Jama-Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 852-858.

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