Fructose Intolerance and IBS

Food intolerance seems to be a theme this week as we go from gluten intolerance to fructose intolerance. A study was just published that looked at the usefulness of placing IBS patients on a fructose-limited diet. The study administered a fructose breath test to 80 patients who met diagnostic criteria for IBS. Over one third of the patients tested had a positive breath test and were given information regarding maintaining a fructose-restricted diet. Only one-half of the patients were compliant with the diet at a one-year follow-up. These cooperative subjects were rewarded for their diligence as they experienced improvement in the symptoms of pain, belching, bloating, fullness, indigestion and diarrhea. The non-compliant patients only received the benefit of less belching. The compliant group reported that the fructose-restricted diet had only a moderate impact on their lifestyle.

The fact that one-third of the IBS patients tested positive for fructose intolerance suggests that it might be a good idea for you to ask your doctor to administer the simple breath test for fructose intolerance. Be prepared for disappointment; remember two-thirds of the people reading this will once again be faced with a lack of a clear-cut reason for their IBS suffering. The optimist in me hopes that someday this number will be significantly lower!

_Source:

Choi, Y., Kraft, N., Zimmerman, B., Jackson, M. & Rao, S. “Fructose Intolerance in IBS and Utility of Fructose-Restricted Diet.” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology 2008 42:233-238.