Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

I don't think anyone argues the possibility of fructose being a problem for some people with IBS. My issue is that not everyone is sensitive to it and there is a fructose mania now on the boards that never used to be here. A couple years ago many people here got stable by following Heather's diet but not staying away from fructose in general. Now, people who aren't FI can't understand why they aren't getting better by avoiding fructose.

My biggest problem has always been that I don't feel there is much science behind IBS. If you are FI and GI and then never, ever have a problem outside of that then you don't have IBS. My main agenda has been trying to get people to see that there are no miracle cures and even if you follow a good IBS diet you can still have symptoms from the other side of things: emotional factors. Or you maybe didn't drink enough or how you ate wasn't right, etc. I hope people see that symptoms aren't always caused by a specific thing you ate. If you follow that road, it will just be frustrating. If you realize IBS is irritable then setbacks are more understandable.
I don't want to deter people from trying a low fructose diet to test if they are a malabsorber, but it is very important to understand all the sides of IBS.

One last thing, I would be disappointed if IBS had a reputation of just 'being those people who can't eat dairy, fructose or gluten'. If people view IBS as a food allergy it would lead to it being taken less seriously. Someone who is very severe would then have a harder time getting disability if it just seems like they must be eating dairy or fructose or gluten even though they shouldn't. IBS isn't food allergies and it should be seen for what it is.

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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!

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