Conditions treated
by the Shepherd Works team.

FRUCTOSE MALABSORPTION

The foods we eat are made up of many components, including sugars. Fructose is a sugar found naturally in many foods, including honey, wheat, fruits and vegetables. Fructose is present in a single sugar form and also as a chain of fructose sugar units (fructans). Normally, fructose is absorbed in the small bowel. However, with fructose malabsorption, the normal absorption of fructose is impaired. Fructose malabsorption can cause symptoms of stomach bloating, wind, stomach pain, loose bowel motions and / or constipation if the diet is not well planned. These are common symptoms that can often be called irritable bowel syndrome.

Not every food that contains fructose is a problem for people with fructose malabsorption. It is important to understand how fructose occurs in foods to know which foods are suitable to eat, and which foods should be limited.

Fructose malabsorption can be diagnosed using hydrogen and/or methane breath tests, which recognise unabsorbed fructose. Click Here to find out more about hydrogen breath testing.