Fructose is a simple sugar found in fruits and ingested in the form of sucrose. Fructose is absorbed by intestinal cells. It is when a process of metabolization occurs that fructose intolerance appears.
Unlike hereditary fructose intolerance, in the case of fructose malabsorption, the intestinal cells are unable to absorb all or part of the fructose. As a result, a series of gastrointestinal symptoms appear, the most frequent being diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea. Depending on the level of severity of these symptoms the dietary treatment will be different.
Dietary restrictions
Patients suffering from malabsorption must follow a strict diet based on fructose restriction and, again, the degree of restriction will vary depending on whether the malabsorption is partial or total.
In the case of total intolerance the diet should be very limited. In fact, the patient will not be able to ingest any food containing fructose or sucrose. The most appropriate diet would be that of a person suffering from Hereditary Fructose Intolerance.
On the other hand, in the case of partial intolerance, which is the most frequent, the person will be able to consume certain foods, which, due to their low fructose content, are not harmful to his or her organism. In the same way, certain foods with a high fructose content may also be consumed in moderation.
Vitamin supplements
In either case, the recommended diet has a negative side, and that is Vitamin C deficiency. To counteract this, it is recommended to take supplements of this nutrient. The same happens in the case of Folic Acid, since it increases the activity of glycolytic enzymes, and among them, fructose-1-phosphate-aldolase, which will allow us to consume a slight extra amount of fructose without suffering the consequences mentioned above.