Fructose Intolerance: How Can I Recognize It?

Fruits are delicious, very nutritious and natural sources of energy that fill us with vitality throughout the day, keeping us in a good mood and helping to maintain an ideal care in the daily diet.

Well, with fruits, vegetables and cereals it is possible to obtain a balanced and healthy diet, that is why doctors Nutritionists insist on its consumption, especially as a replacement for processed and high-sugar foods refined.

But what happens when these healthy sources hurt us? The human body can be extremely delicate in some respects, which affects its proper functioning and can lead to more serious diseases or irreversible complications. As with cases of intolerance that prevent the body from taking advantage of the benefits of food.

• It may interest you: "Annual calendar of seasonal fruits and vegetables"

One of these cases is fructose intolerance, which makes it impossible for people who suffer from it to enjoy and benefit from the properties of fruits and some vegetables. But... What is it and how can it affect us? In this article we will tell you everything.

What is fructose?

However, Let's first get into the matter of the element that can be harmful to the body: fructose. This consists of a simple carbohydrate that is found in fruits, some vegetables and in honey and we can find it in the form of Sucrose or natural sugar from these foods and for which companies in favor of healthy eating have used this hydrate to make dietary products.

Although we are consuming sugar, it does not affect us since it comes from a natural source and It is not artificially manipulated and the World Health Organization agrees with this done. However, it warns that sucrose consumption should be limited when it is used to manufacture processed foods or preservatives. Well, it loses its healthy property.

Why does fructose cause us intolerance?

It is mainly due to the inability of the small intestine to metabolize the fructose present in any food that has it. It is a defect of the enzymes located in this organ, due to the inactive or lack of the protein that processes sugar natural and causing discomfort or complications of the intestinal tract, such as gas, flatulence, abdominal pain or diarrhea.

The damage that fructose causes by not being processed and absorbed correctly, is that it mixes with bacteria of the intestine, where they end up fermenting and leading to the gastrointestinal disorders that we already mentioned.

Differences between hereditary intolerance and fructose malabsorption

Therefore, people who suffer from this disorder of the body, must be very careful with what they eat and the amount of fructose they ingest in their daily diet.

Commonly, people can assimilate up to 35 grams of fructose daily. But those with fructose intolerance can only tolerate 25 grams or even less.

1. Fructose malabsorption problems

This is also known as fructose malabsorption and may or may not be reversible, depending on the severity of the problem. It does not usually cause serious sequelae for the person suffering from it, but it can interfere with the daily routine due to gastrointestinal discomfort.

It is necessary to keep in constant consultation with a specialist, to carry out a diet according to the degree of illness and be careful with the servings of fructose consumed daily, as well as monitor meals ingested. This is because fructose is present in many types of food.

Like fruits, some vegetables (especially those with a sweet taste), some red fruits and processed foods.

2. Hereditary fructose intolerance

While hereditary fructose intolerance is a genetic disorder that is suffered by a very small number of the world's population. In which, fructose is absorbed by the cells of the intestine, but cannot be metabolized by the body, accumulating the unprocessed remains and transforming them into toxic substances in the organism.

This occurs from infancy, the first moment in which the infant comes into contact with foods that contain fructose, such as prepared cereals or fruit porridges.

Causing infant weight problems, dehydration, vomiting, liver dysfunction, increased bilirubin, and hypoglycemia. Which leads to having a more complete medical treatment and a very rigorous diet. It is possible to control and improve it when an early diagnosis is made, that is, in the infantile stage and following medical indications.

Is it possible to consume sweeteners with this deficit?

A question that many people who suffer from fructose intolerance ask is whether it is possible consume another type of sugar, since your problem lies precisely in the lack of metabolization of the fructose. That is, there are sweeteners based on other active ingredients and can refined sugar also hurt?

The answer is yes and no, in what sense? People who suffer from fructose intolerance can actually consume sweeteners that are made from other natural sweetening components, such as stevia, maltose, glucose and saccharose.

But it is recommended that they do not consume processed sugars, or saccharin or its derivatives (Sucralose, sucrose). neither sorbitol and maltitol since these can become fructose once they enter the body.

So always check the sugar content and its main sweetening elements. Well, they can be sweetened foods based on stevia, but share another manufacturing asset such as sorbitol.

Symptoms of fructose intolerance

It is possible to detect if you have this disease by paying attention to the following symptoms.

1. Gastrointestinal discomfort

The main symptom of fructose intolerance is stomach and intestinal discomfort. Such as: Abdominal pain, spasms, feeling of heaviness, abdominal bloating, vomiting, diarrhea and flatulence.

2. Low defenses

This is in terms of the low or no use of our system of the properties of foods that contain natural sugars. for example: Decay, constant fatigue, lack of energy, easy contagion of other diseases and muscular weakness. problems associated with a lack of correct assimilation of nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the body.

3. Changes in mood

Another very common symptom in fructose intolerance is changes in mood and mood of people, due to that the intestinal tract does not absorb tryptophan, an amino acid responsible for promoting the release of serotonin in the brain.

As the synthesis of this does not occur, people can suffer from irritability, mental fatigue, sadness and a negative mood in general. Leaving the most extreme cases in depressive diagnoses.

Care to be taken

You can control and improve this disease with these simple tips that you must adapt and put into practice on a daily basis.

1. Consult your specialist

It is inherent to your well-being that you always be in contact with your specialist and you are responsible for complying with the treatment indicated by it. Clarify all your doubts regarding what you can and cannot eat, how much you can tolerate and how to have a healthy and energetic lifestyle.

2. Watch the meals

It is very important that you always have an open eye to what you are buying, read the fine print of the food contents well and choose to buy fresh food, instead of processed food.

Remember that the danger is in consuming products that have higher levels of fructose than glucose, so try to mentalize those that have equal amounts of fructose and glucose or with less sorbitol content.

3. Take care of the portions

Once you carry out all the medical tests indicated by your specialist and you know the grams of fructose that your body tolerates, ask what foods and how much of them you can eat. As well as the possibility of mixing several fruits or if you can only eat them separately.

Another question that you should resolve is about the impact that the state of ripeness of fruits and vegetables can affect you. Some specialists agree that the more mature the product is, the more damage it will do, as it becomes sweeter. So they recommend eating them in their greenest state.

4. Say yes to the natural

Try to make your own meals at home, that way you can have healthy food with fresh ingredients. You can search the web for tutorials on how to make delicious fructose-free desserts, foods, and drinks.

but also be careful with the types of foods that they ask for in a recipe, as they can discern those that your body tolerates.

5. Find your own balance

Be proactive! Find your own daily solution to have energy adapting and trying new habits. This way you have the possibility to stay active and enjoy your day to day more. For example, you can take walks in a park, go cycling, practice yoga, find a hobby, hang out with friends, and have a little relaxation break.

Remember to go to your doctor if you have any symptoms that may indicate an intolerance, follow their recommendations, respect your diet and generate your own energy to maintain a normal rhythm of life and even better than average. Don't let this problem take over you, make it a goal that you can overcome.