If you’re a chronic stomachache survivor like me, you likely have heard of all the troubling digestive conditions out there. From Celiac disease and gluten intolerance to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), it seems there’s plenty to go around for all of us.
That being said, with so many possible driving factors of digestive distress, many people misdiagnose themselves with the wrong conditions. One common mixup is thinking you have a gluten intolerance when really you’re experiencing something else entirely: a fructan intolerance.
Still Experiencing Digestive Distress After Eliminating Gluten? You Might Have a Fructan Intolerance.
According to Cleveland Clinic, fructans are a type of oligosaccharide, a small-chain carbohydrate/sugar that is part of FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols). If you’ve ever heard of the FODMAP diet, you likely know that it can help with digestive conditions like IBS and SIBO.
This is why so many people who believe they’re gluten intolerant still experience symptoms after cutting out gluten. Fructan is present in many of the same food items as gluten, but it’s also in things like fruits and vegetables. So, even if you think you’re being healthy when consuming your colorful diet, you actually might be consuming trigger foods.
Of course, you’ll want to see a professional to know for sure. Cutting too many foods can make it hard to eat a well-balanced diet.
Many doctors will use a hydrogen breath test to diagnose food intolerances or other conditions like SIBO. This test measures your digestion of certain sugars via the gas you exhale.
Another common way for doctors to diagnose fructan intolerance is through an elimination diet.
“I use the low-FODMAP diet as a test for patients with symptoms,” said Dr. Ellen Stein, gastroenterologist and associate professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, via Well+Good. “This helps them find a series of foods less likely to cause symptoms, and to get healthy foods into their diet that can keep them well.”
So, if you’ve been struggling to find the root of your digestive problems, perhaps it’s time to explore this potential issue.
The post Your Stomach Issues Might Not Be Gluten Intolerance After All appeared first on VICE.
