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MONDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthScoutNews) -- If you're prone to intestinal distress, fruits and honey could be your gastronomic enemies. Bad reactions to the simple, natural sugar commonly found in apples, juices, honey and candy might be behind some cases of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a new study suggests. Text Continues Below
When researchers at the University of Iowa Medical Center tested 219 people who complained of unexplained gas, bloating and stomach pain, they found that when they drank a fructose mixture, the majority of them showed fructose intolerance and many also had symptoms of IBS. What this means is staying away from fructose may be a simple way to ease the pain of IBS for some of the disease's 15.4 million sufferers, the researchers say. "It may be a useful tool to try to identify the disease," says the lead author, Dr. Young K. Choi, a gastroenterology expert at the university. "It's something to look further into." The findings were to be presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Las Vegas. One expert says the theory makes sense. "It's a good, interesting piece of work that supports what we might have felt," says Dr. Lucinda A. Harris, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Department of Gastroenterology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. "Fructose is notorious for causing gas. I think there's been evidence in the past that people of European background may have intolerance to carbohydrates and fructose. It's helpful to know there's yet another aspect of possible treatment for IBS," she adds. In the study, 219 patients who complained of unexplained bloating and gas pain were picked to take a fructose breath test. They also filled out a questionnaire and were evaluated for IBS. With the test, patients drank 50 milligrams of fructose in 125 milligrams of water. Breath samples were then collected every 30 minutes for five hours. The samples were measured for hydrogen and methane gas. These gases do not show up in the breath unless fructose has not been digested properly. Page: 1 | 2 | Next >>
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