What is Fructose Malabsorption? What are they and how are they different? For those of you who have never heard of this condition, it isn’t as weird as it sounds. Formerly called Dietary Fructose Intolerance—DFI for short—Fructose Malabsorption is the small intestine’s inability to absorb fructose because of deficient
Not Sure What to Eat? Start Here Please Read: This list will be continually updated as time goes on, and is not an end-all-be-all by any means. Likewise, be sure to keep your own list and continually add to it, as many foods are tolerated on a per individual basis. In the same way, the foods that are usually dependent
How Xylose Isomerase will make your life so much better
And here is the best part: Xylose isomerase is an enzyme that converts excess fructose into glucose, as illustrated in the figure below. Glucose can then be absorbed along the entire small intestine with the aid of a specific protein called SGLT-1.
This means that dietary supplements of Xylose Isomerase improve the symptoms of Fructose Malabsorption significantly.
I take that medicine before eating high-fructose meals that would usually lead to nasty consequences, and I am absolutely thrilled by their effect. And with effect, I mean “no more symptoms”!
Please note, that diabetics and people suffering from hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) should not use it.
Study confirms the effectiveness of Xylose Isomerase
In a study with 65 patients in whom fructose malabsorption has been diagnosed by a hydrogen breath test the year before, patients randomly received a drinking solution with xylose isomerase or a placebo together with 25g fructose.
Those patients that received xylose isomerase showed a significantly decreased breath hydrogen excretion (a sign that fructose was absorbed much better), and significant improvements in nausea and abdominal pain. Bloating improved as well, but not in a statistically relevant amount. A larger study may have also proven its significance.
References
Komericki P., Akkilic-Materna M., Strimitzer T., Weyermair K., Hammer HF, Aberer W. Oral xylose isomerase decreases breath hydrogen excretion and improves gastrointestinal symptoms in fructose malabsorption – a double blind, placebo-controlled study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2012;36(10):980-7.
Read the full article: https://www.fructohelp.com/medication-xylose-isomerase/
You can not be certain that you suffer from Fructose Malabsorption until using a professional test. Testing Fructose Malabsorption is commonly done using a hydrogen breath test, which measures hydrogen (and methane) production within your body after consuming fructose. It is a safe and non-invasive technique with a sensitivity and specificity of about 98% and 86% respectively.
The test is based on the failure to absorb fructose in case of Fructose Malabsorption. Bacteria metabolize non-absorbed fructose to either hydrogen or methane. These gasses are partially absorbed into the blood and reach the lung. So, the more of these gasses are present, the less fructose has been absorbed.
The diagnostic process in case of Fructose Malabsorption
Testing Fructose Malabsorption is performed after a short fasting period of 8-12 hours. During the last 2 hours, you are not allowed to smoke and exercise. 3-4 measurements are taken directly after fasting and serve as basal level. You then consume a small amount of fructose, typically between 25 and 35 g (a glass of orange juice contains about 15 g fructose) and your breath is analyzed for hydrogen/methane every 15, 30 or 60 minutes for 2-4 hours.
If the hydrogen level rises above 20 ppm (parts per million) over the lowest value within the test period, you typically get diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption. If methane is produced instead, then the limit is about 12 ppm.
For those, who like watching videos, I have also attached a nice one explaining that process.
If you want to perform that hydrogen breath test by yourself, it is now possible for US citizens. Aerodiagnostics has made a test kit available for use at home.
Read the full article: https://www.fructohelp.com/testing-fructose-malabsorption/
My meeting with Deniz Ficicioglu, creator of the blog Fructopia (Tales from my Fructose Free Life), came at an apt time: I was on the other side of a three day sugar binge that came out of no where. I have had a sweet tooth my entire life, and I have the cavities to prove it, sadly. As an adult, I became more aware of how this habit was really an addiction and taking over my life. I am like a blood-hound for sugar: If it is in the area, I can sense it. Worst of all, I can't stop thinking about eating it if it is around me. Knowing my past, and present, struggles with sugar, I also knew I had a lot to learn from Deniz who has been living a low-fructose/fructose-free lifestyle since her diagnosis with fructose malabsorption (a digestive disorder that impedes the absorption of fructose) five years ago. At the time, Deniz recalls the lack of information around the condition and remembers how difficult it was to even get diagnosed. After seeing her doctor -- who kept telling her everything was normal -- several times over the course of two years, she was finally diagnosed, but only because her regular doctor went on holiday and she chanced upon a different doctor who agreed to test her for lactose, glucose and fructose malabsorption. Her test came back positive for fructose malabsorption and she immediately gave it up on a quest for better health. “I didn't know where to turn,” said Deniz. She adds that she couldn't find research, reports or really any blogs, especially in her native German, about the topic, maybe because it is such a private matter. The symptoms of fructose malabsorption are not the best party topics: constipation, bloating, depression, mood swings, stomach aches, etc. However, the positive results of living a fructose free lifestyle were immediate for Deniz, who beside the obvious culprits like cakes, cookies and chocolate, also gave up some fruits and has to be careful about wheat, onions and garlic, and hidden fructose in sauces and packaged goods. “The thing about fructose malabsorption is, it is trial and error,” she explained. Some people's bodies react poorly to some things, while others with the same condition can enjoy those things freely. After about a year of living without fructose, Deniz thought about starting a blog on the topic but hesitated, “because I wanted to figure it out first.” Two years after this, she moved to Istanbul and saw it as an opportunity to write about her experience moving to another city (and a sugar-filled one at that) and living with fructose malabsorption. She quit her job to move to Istanbul and started focusing on writing, cooking and taking photos for the blog, Fructopia, which focuses on fructose-free recipes, research on the condition and lifestyle, and introduces other bloggers with a similar food philosophy. She even has a cookbook by the same name, which will be released in German on the 29th of April. Deniz said, “I want people to take away that this is not the end of the world. You should be happy that someone closed the door and told you that you can't eat sugar anymore. I want to help open the dialogue about issues with fructose malabsorption.”
Photo from Fructopia
Read on for tips from Deniz about living a healthy, happy, sane (and fructose-free) lifestyle in Istanbul:
My perfect day of eating is...I love big breakfasts: spelt croissants, a green smoothie and bulletproof coffee. For lunch, I could eat seafood all day, so probably a seafood salad. At dinner, I would want dumplings, even though they contain wheat. There is also a great Japanese place in Berlin that makes nice sushi and rice bowls.
Best effects of not eating fructose are: Getting rid of mood swings, extra pounds and having a topic to talk about – it brought a lot of things into my life, like my blog!
My favorite sugar-free dessert recipe is...I don't have real cravings for sugar. Sometimes, I get cravings for the sweet and sour gummies from my childhood. If I want something dessert-like, I make an avocado and banana chocolate mouse. There is also a gluten-free strawberry cake in my book. It is light enough to eat for breakfast and has a rustic taste, like most of my recipes.
Ways to de-stress in Istanbul: Spending a night at home alone. I started running again, too. I like going to Belgrad Ormani. Sitting in a cafe and fading out. Lastly, 20 minutes on the ferry is a like a day at the hamam for me.
Tip for quitting sugar and/or fructose: Finding a reward not made out of sugar is so important. People reward a hard day with chocolate. Be careful of the non-obvious sugar bombs – the little stuff is the hard part. Hidden sugars in sauces and condiments. You need to be prepared and take your own snacks, make your own food for parties, etc.
Resources for leading a fructose-free lifestyle: I Quit Sugar is a great resource. There are also two applications in German and English that help identify how much fructose is in foods. The first is Food Intolerances by Baliza, and the second is The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet. They are both great for people with IBS, fructose malabsorption and those on the Low FODMAP diet. Lastly, I love Ashley Neese.
Three favorite ingredients to cook with are: Coconut oil, fresh turmeric and right now, black rice and millet.
Where I shop in Istanbul for food: Safran Organik in Nisantasi, the Besiktas Saturday market, the normal Ferikoy market, and sometimes the organic market in Ferikoy, Macro Center or Ambar.
My morning ritual is...I started my own interview series about morning rituals on my blog because I was so confused on how to start my own day. There are so many options. I like to have the first hour of the day to myself. I oil pull, brush my teeth then drink hot water with lemon and ginger. I wait to have breakfast for a few hours. Sometimes it is just bulletproof coffee, other times I have oatmeal or smoothies. There are times when I consume nothing because I want to give my digestion a rest. It really depends. After breakfast, I start work either at my home or in the office.
My favorite restaurants for fructose-free meals are: I frequent Plus Kitchen because it is close to my work. There is a great ev yemekleri in Kurtulus. I love Journey in Cihangir. They have a grain-free bread and paleo breakfast. They do a lot dishes with fresh, seasonal ingredients. I also like Datli Maya, again in Cihangir. You can find gluten-free, made with chickpea flour, pide and lahmacun.