Fructose Malabsorption can cause gas, cramping and diarrhea. If you have any of these symptoms than this is probably the most important article you will ever read. When I first learned about Fructose Malabsorption (FM) and realized that the horrible gas, cramping, and diarrhea was from the sugar in the fruit I was eating… I had no idea what to do about it. In this article I am going to explain what I learned about FM and how it caused my symptoms. I’m also going to share how I stopped my symptoms and ended the cycle of FM. If you follow along and learn what I share with you about FM you can follow the same steps that I used to stop your diarrhea, gas, and cramping.
What is Fructose Malabsorption?
Fructose Malabsorption really just means… not being able to absorb fructose. Fructose is a form of sugar and readily available in almost everything we eat, including fruit and vegetables. Both fructose and glucose are different forms of sugar and they are in the most simple form… but that’s the tricky part. Both forms of sugar require no digesting at all, they are already broken down into the most simple form for the body to soak right up. There in lies the problem behind fructose malabsorption, the fructose is not being soaked right up into the body.
When fructose doesn’t get soaked right up into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall like it’s supposed to, it is shipped further down the bowels and gobbled up by hungry bad bacteria. When the bad bacteria eat they make by-products such as methane and hydrogen gas that cause bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, and wicked bad breath. In fact, there is a test for Fructose Malabsorption that measures the level of hydrogen in the breath. This is because the bad bacteria release hydrogen after digesting fructose which gets absorbed into the blood stream and removed by the lungs, finally expelled from the body through the breath.
So Why Can’t The Body Soak Up Fructose?
There are several scenarios that would prevent the body from soaking up fructose. The first is a genetic disease that is hereditary and does not allow the body to deal with fructose, which is very rare. If there isn’t a genetic defect behind all this there are really only three things that could be going on. The bowels could just be moving way to slow in which case the fructose sits around not getting absorbed, allowing bad bacteria to feast on it, but this is also pretty rare for the small intestine (constipation takes place further along in the intestinal tract). The 2nd thing that could be going on is the GLUT5 and GLUT2 transporters could be deficient. GLUT5 and GLUT2 transporters are little escorts that guide the fructose across the intestinal wall and into the blood. If they are not around to escort the fructose it cannot be absorbed. This too has been found to be somewhat rare. The 3rd and more likely scenario is that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is in full swing and the bad bacteria are gobbling up the fructose in the small intestine before it has a chance to be escorted to the blood stream in the first place.
This is what was going on in my case. All the sugar I was consuming was being feasted on by severe small intestinal
End the gas and bad breath!
bacterial overgrowth which was causing me horrible gas, cramping, diarrhea, and unbelievable bad breath. The only way to stop this out of whack cycle that is causing the bacterial overgrowth and digestive unrest is (i) to stop eating sugars temporarily to starve out the bacteria and (ii) only eat things that the body can easily absorb to replace the nutrients you need to heal.
That’s where the SCD Diet comes in and accomplishes both of those things by eliminating complex carbohydrates (sugars, starches, and grains) and providing simple foods so the body can replenish the nutrients and begin to heal. I had already been on the SCD Diet when I was experiencing really strong symptoms of FM and decided to go even lower with my fruit/honey intake (I was binge eating on SCD Legal fruits all day long). Once I stopped the fruit I was able to break the cycle and kill off the bacteria… within a few days of a lower fruit version of the SCD diet my fructose malabsorption issues were gone and I could slowly bring the fruit back in (this time keep it in moderation).
Without the SCD diet I would have never been able to pinpoint that my bacterial overgrowth symptoms were related to fructose. Being on the diet assured me that none of my symptoms were related to any other food allergies or intolerance’s. That is most likely why I had such dramatic results the first day I stopped eating fruit. If I was eating complex grains, sugars or starches I would have had to eliminate each one slowly until I figured out the answer… which would have taken months to connect the problem (FM) to the amount of fruit I was eating. The SCD Diet once again showed me new levels of health I didn’t realize were possible, so I really hope that if you have any digestive problems at all that you give it a shot! Ready to get started?
So How Do I Properly Start the SCD Diet Anyways?
Here’s a 3 step process to properly start the SCD Diet and stop the gas, cramping, and diarrhea from fructose malabsorption in 30 days:
Step 1: Start making some SCD legal foods and experimenting to see how it goes over a few weeks… ease into the lifestyle.
Step 2: Pick a day that you are officially going to be on the diet and follow the intro diet to start it off right.
Step 3: Strictly follow the SCD diet for 30 days, and keep the fruit intake in moderation to keep the fructose/glucose down until you start to heal a little.
If you follow these 3 steps carefully to properly start the SCD Diet and give it a shot for 30 days, you can stop the gas, cramping, and diarrhea from fructose malabsorption like I did. Here’s what to do right now to make sure that you properly start the SCD diet:
Download our free guide here: “How to Properly Start the SCD Intro Diet”
Once you have it downloaded, make sure and try SCD legal food and recipes for a few weeks to get used to cooking those meals before you decide to jump in 100%. Then print it out and do what it says to get started on the intro diet and begin taking control of your fructose malabsorption. If you download the free guide today and get started on the SCD Diet in the next few weeks, you could have the gas, cramping, and diarrhea from fructose malabsorption taken care of in a little over a month.



{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Really appreciate your article on Fructose Malabsorption and SCD. I have been on SCD for 3 months and today have not eaten apples (previously 3 a day) as well as no FODMAPS foods. My symptoms of IBS are markedly improved
Jordan or Steve – would you know if SCD 24 hr fermented yoghurt (goats or almond) with GIPro non dairy yoghurt starter would be compatible with both FM and SC diets.
Thanks for your work
Anne-Marie
Anne-Marie ~ Good work taking control of the overgrowth! Oh and don’t worry too much if you experience another die off, that is completely normal if you are cutting back on the fructose/glucose that has been feeding the bad guys.
It’s hard to say about the yogurt. Milk is full of lactose (milk sugar) which is a disaccharide made up of the monosaccharides glucose and galactose. When the yogurt is fermenting the starter cultures feed on the lactose and break it down into those two sugars and continue to feed and multiply by consuming them. That is why Elaine recommended to ferment the yogurt for 24 hours, to completely break down the lactose. There are many things that can impact that process (like temperature, time, # of cultures, etc.). Long story short, it’s really hard to guess how much sugars are left in the form of lactose, galactose, or glucose after the 24 hours without lab testing. Again, keep it in moderation if you can and test it out, if you feel like you are doing better without it, than maybe take a break for a little while and then introduce again. Once you get a handle on the bacteria overgrowth you should be able to absorb sugars again (in moderation).
Hope that helps! Stay in touch.
Jordan
Has anybody ever had tomatoes bother them? I just have to cut them out of my diet at this point. I swear, everytime I eat them it causes some sort of inflammation to happen. All the arthritis symptoms that I experienced before the diet come back after I eat a meal containing them. I did briefly read something that talked about tomatoes being a part of the “night-shade” veggie group. Apparently, these along with peppers and some other thing I can’t remember can give people issues. I need to find that article again. Does anyone here have the same type of response to them?
My 10yo daughter has issues with nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.) It causes bumpy itchy skin that progresses to a red weeping rash that she can’t help but scratch until she’s bleeding. The process used to take 4-6 weeks from start to clear skin again. We’ve discovered that Shea Butter speeds up the process to about 7-10 days.
I get achy joints from eating nightshades so I don’t eat them often.
There is a no nightshades diet which omits potatoes,tomatoes,peppers & eggplant. http://www.noarthritis.com
Wow! Thanks Cat! I’ve been researching that all morning! I am def going to cut them out of SCD-hard as it may be! It’s worth it for maximum healing. Crazy about the blueberries too..I eat those every day! Can’t find out if strawberries are included in that category or not..back to research..lol!
No.strawberries are not included.
Hey Cat,
Just wanted to say thanks for the great info!
Jordan
Thanks so much for this article. It helps me understand what’s going on with me. I have upper GI gas issues, acid reflux and bad breath, rather than lower GI, and I’m seeing that sugar is a HUGE part of that. When I started SCD 2 years ago all of the symptoms went away. I started cheating 8 months ago, retreating to my old ways. Wasn’t worth it. So I am now back on 2 months now and very happy.
Tiffany – I too can’t eat tomatoes but mine is because of the reflux, not arthritis.
Thanks for the info and the site. Glad I found it.
Tina
Thanks Tina – keep working on the fruit/honey moderation and you will keep feeling good.
Jordan
Thank you very much. Really it is very useful. My experience is that I used to take a spoonful of honey in the morning everyday. During that time, I had cramps in the stomach. May be due to presence of rich fructose. Immediately I stopped taking honey, I got relief from the same. Recently, when I started consuming green grapes of about 250 gms everyday for a week, then cramps started in my stomach. Noticing the difference, I stopped taking green grapes and now I am alright. So, in my case, green grapes and honey are not suitable. Of course, It is my opinion that they can be taken in a little quantity. I shall try taking little after some time.
Hey!
I have been on SCD strictly for 1 week. My fruit intake is minimal (rarely have a couple of spoons of cooked pears/apples and some very dilute grape juice). I have noticed that I have a very bitter taste in my mouth- not necessarily bad breath but this taste is very odd- I have never experienced this before. I don’t know if it’s fructose (unlikely bc my intake is so low) or my drastic increase in animal protein consumption in the last week- I was almost vegan before starting this diet!)
Has anyone else experienced this???
Thanks!
Lori
Hi Lori – My guess is its just a die-off/change over symptom that should go away in a few weeks! Let us know how it changes
There are some great links and articles about fructose malabsorption and FODMAPS (if you don’t know what this means, and you have FM, you need to). FODMAPS are fermentable oligo-di-and mono-saccharides and polyols in the diet. Here is a good articles:
Nutrition Issues in Gastoenterology, Series #53 (August 2007) at this link: http://www.practicalgastro.com/pdf/August07/Aug07BarrettArticle.pdf
Gail
Hi Gail – Thanks for the great link!
The best part about SCD is that it can incorporate FODMAPS. In my opinion SCD is superior treatment for FM. FODMAPS seems to be a great way to get rid of the symptoms caused by FM but doesn’t appear to encourage recovery as well.
Jordan and others I’ve talked with have done great by eliminating/limiting high FODMAPS foods from SCD and then over time re-introducing them after being on SCD for awhile.
Hmmm, I have made an effort to avoid Fructose, since I suspect it is what is making America fat, but started to realize that even sugar is half fructose, I fortunately stumbled on an article that inspired me to look for the enzyme to digest fructose (silly me!) and found the phrase “fructose malabsorption” in Wikipedia, searched on that and picked your link first, Thanks, I think this is going to solve some mysteries, I will get back to you after I work on the initial steps.
Thanks for stopping by Jane! Glad we could help! Let us know how you do, you might also want to check out this post http://scdlifestyle.com/2011/03/what-to-do-when-the-scd-diet-isnt-working/
My daughter was just diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption. I am pretty sure her problem was mostly the amount of fruit juice that she consumed daily on the SCD diet for the past two years. You mentioned that you went off all fruit for a few weeks and gradually added certain fruits back in a few at a time. Did you also go off of all lettuce, tomatoes, onions and other vegetables or anything else during that time period? Can she just start omitting the fruit and juice?
Hi Kathy, I did go off all fructose for a few weeks and slowly brought fruit back in with moderation. I would say, test omitting everything with high sugar content for 4-days, then try slowly re-introducing the onions, beets, etc.
I think in those four days she will see an amazing improvement in how she’s feeling.
Stay in touch and let us know how she’s doing.
Jordan
I think fructose malabsorption may be a big issue in why my 18 yr old daughter diagnosed with Crohn’s 6 months ago and on SCD for 5 months has not had real success and consistent symptom relief. The question is: WHAT do you eat??? She tends to eat at least a couple of pcs of fruit a day, 1-2 almond flour based muffins, maybe a Larabar in school lunch. She knows that she does better when she eats what she calls “plain”, but that usually means dealing with hunger. She is already too thin and can’t live on basic intro foods of meat and simple veggies. What is the answer???
Hi Rebecca – great question!
To be the bacterial overgrowth causing fructose malabsorption I stuck with healthy fats, meats, veggies, and 1 cup of fruit/day. Lost of healthy fats will help her gain weight and curb hunger cravings. Think coconut oil and olive oil or avocado if she’s ready for it. Try it for four day and you’ll likely see massive improvements.
Stay in touch,
Jordan
I have suffered with IBS and acid reflux for years and was recently diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption. I have eliminiated most sugar, fruits, wheat and various vegetables from my diet. I have also stopped eating diary products because I seem to have a reaction to those as well. I have greatly improved but I am still suffering at times from stomach pains, gas and diarreah.
My mom suggested that I try SCD. My first reaction was “no way!” since I have already eliminated so much out of my diet and rice has become a staple of my diet. On second thought, I decided to look online to see if other FM sufferers have benefited from this diet so I was plesantly surprised to stumble upon your website.
I have the “everyday grain-free gourmet” book and I am getting a lot of great information from your website. I am hoping to start SCD soon.
It is my hope that I might be able to add some of the food back into my diet like cheese, certain lower-frutose fruits, and nuts after I have been on SCD for a while.
Is the yogurt a must have in this diet? If it is I might have to use that probiotic mentioned.
Thanks for all the information.
What about the legal SCD cheese? Can you continue to eat this if you are dealing with the FM? My son has been on SCD for 4 months and has had relief from acid reflux but stomach pain continues. We just started eliminating honey and he has had some improvement; next will be all fruit and fructans (onions, etc). But what about SCD legal cheese. Can we continue to eat that. We have not done the yogurt yet.
Thanks for any feedback.
oh this was really great, thanx.
Hi,
Just found this website and I am so grateful for all the information on here it has been so helpful! After 20 + years of suffering with what I thought was IBS and bad breath, was/is FM.
I have a question regarding gum. Does anyone have a suggestion for a sugar free gum without sorbitol? I had no idea that the gum I was using to get rid of the bad breath and bad taste in my mouth was actually exacerbating the problem!
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Maria
Hi,
Thanks for all the great info!
My question: I have gone cold turkey on sugar. I mean I have eliminated any and everything that could even remotely contain fructose, xylitol etc. My question is, how long before I get a relief from the incredible bad taste on my tongue and horrific bad breath? I use to chew sugar free gum like it’s going out of style because of the bad taste in my mouth and bad breath. I have nothad foods that contain these products, but haven’t noticed a difference. My tummy feels so much better though, and no more bloat. There hasn’t been any improvement either in my smelly stools (sorry, I feel the need to be as graphic and as honest as I can to get some answers) and it is still more of a diarrhea like consistency.
Thank you for any answers you can provide. My life has been turned upside down and I am so lost.
Maria
Hi, thank you all for the great info! (In the future, less use of acronyms
would be helpful…less homework) Nowhere is SCD spelled out anywhere.
But I will google and try.
Thanks!
I don’t think any gum is SCD legal but you can try the Indian tip of chewing a teaspoon or more of fenel seeds or some fresh parsley to freshen the breath.
I’m on SCD now, no eggs, onions, garlic and still introducing foods. Goat’s yogurt, home made gave me a horrible taste in my mouth. Not sure whether cow’s yogurt is good for me either but I want the good bacteria and it’s much cheaper than buying probiotics. Feeling better though, slowly.
@ Esther – great tip!
Glad to see that you’re feeling better, keep up the awesome work.
Jordan
Have you heard of Sucraid? It’s an oral enzyme prescription. It’s supposed to help sucrose intolerant folks but they find it helps for fructose and carbs too
@Willy – I have heard of it but I haven’t ever received feedback that it worked.
Me personally, I’m adverse to taking something like that and would rather lower my fructose intake.
Jordan
Just wondering about Luo Han Guo as a sweetener. From what I understand it is NEITHER Monosaccharide or Polysaccharide. It is 80% a whole new creature composed mostly of glycosides. Are Glycosides legal in an SCD Diet? I would be interested in understanding if this could be a low carb sweetener that could be used later on in SCD. It’s supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties from what I have read. Thank you for your help with understanding Sweeteners and what they do to the body.
Just a quick comment. I have been on SCD (SCDLifestyle’s version) for the month of Dec, Jan and most of Feb (roughly 3 months). During that time I had a good days and bad days (As to be expected), but I could barely get out of the intro diet at all. No matter what, urgency continued to run my life (for 7-8 years now)
I then researched FM and realized that many of the foods on the intro, phase 1,2,3, etc are loaded with fructose. Once I cut out carrots, which were my SCD staple, I felt better instantly. I have IBS and not IBD. I’m about to order a hydrogen breath test to confirm FM but I just want to say, if you don’t see somewhat constant improvement on SCD and the intro diet, please note fructose and frutans are in many of the foods which are SCD legal including carrots, onions, garlic, pears, apples, many of the fruits. A good resource is http://www.thefartingpear.com
I feel so much better and can eat so many more foods (and not be sick like I was for the last 7 years) following a *proper* FM diet (not just cut out fruit) than all the IBS diets I have ever tried. I think Steve and Jordan are doing a great job, but if SCD isn’t giving contestant results, just read a bit about FM and you may be surprised. Again, I don’t have IBD but rather severe IBS – this may not apply to you. I’ll try to remember to provide an update in a few weeks.
Great addition to this post Dave, thank you
I had the same experience that you did, and I had to eliminate high fructose fruits/veggies for about 6 months on SCD to reach another level of health.
About a year in I could start slowly adding more foods back in like onion, carrots, berries, etc. Now I’m fine with them and loving every minute of it!
Keep us posted,
Jordan
I have been diagnosed FM and have started the SCD 3 weeks ago. i am still in the intro and have experienced this: The first few weeks I struggled to find my way around in it, reading and reading the book. Before starting this diet I had seen a dietist to get help with my FM and she had included alot of fibre through ryebread and the diet was making my diarrea less, but instead I got severe stomach pain and felt sick and lost my appetite. I had followed this diet for 4 weeks and fortunately a friend of mine told me about the SCD or GAPS diet. So I decided to give it a try because the other diet was giving me so much pain. So I already knew alot about which fruit, vegetables and wheats to avoid. The first few days on SCD all my pain disappeared. Then I have had a few set backs with adding too many vegetables, which I have now removed. I have been sick for now 7 years and almost can’t bear this anymore. I have 3 little children and am looking after them at home it is very hard finding the energy for daily life. I really believe I can shape this diet to my personal needs, but my question is that when I am on level 1-2 of the introduction diet I have started getting these incredibly strong depressive moods where I just cry and cry when I have a set back (diarrea or pain). I have never felt such horrible moods before and feel besides myself. I wonder if somebody else have experienced something like that? Today I ate a banana and quite quickly my mood went back to normal, now I have also taken a B-vitamin supplement as I read that depression could be caused by lack of that. I am also getting a bit down by the fact that I have lost my appetite since starting this diet. I really have to force myself to eat something. Anybody can help me with these problems?
@ Vibeke – Hang in there your doing so well! The fact that the diet took care of your digestive problems in weeks is amazing don’t forget that fact just because the pain is gone. The hormonal issue could be many things from detox, healing to not enough nutrients. I think using a high quality B-complex is a great idea. Also hormones are made of fat, some people make the mistake of not eating enough on SCD. Please try eating a lot more fat for the next 2 weeks and see how you feel. Try using coconut oils and avocados.
Another question. Are there any alcohol that I am allowed to drink on SCD?
@ Vibeke – I wrote a 3 part series on alcohol… some of it is allowed. But if your having digestive symptoms I would abstain for awhile and let your body rest. Here is part 1 http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/01/scd-legal-alcohol/
Thanks for the great info!
I’ve been on a paleo/scd type diet for just over 3 months (No grains, legumes, starchy veggies, or processed sugar). When I get my diet just right, my life is perfect. Small cheating, whether it’s half a baked potato with a meal (starches) or a handful of raisins as a snack (fructose/sugars) sets off the same symptoms: cravings, bloating, extreme & sudden fatigue, and back/neck pain. I can take the raisins either right before or right after exercise, just not while sedentary. I can handle moderate carbs best when combined with a good deal of protein and fat, even something as sweet as dates is OK in the right combination of foods. If there’s not enough protein/fat in a meal even regular veggies can bring on symptoms. Does this sound like a fructose malaborption problem to you, or an intolerance to carbs in general, a blood sugar/insulin problem, or something else all together? I’m not overweight, I could actually stand to gain a few pounds, but that is hard to do on limited carbs.