Abdominal pain and gas can be triggered by many causes and if you have food intolerances or sensitivities, food may be responsible for your symptoms. Watermelon is a refreshing fruit option during summer, but it contains three types of sugar that can not only cause abdominal pain and flatulence, but also bloating, diarrhea, constipation and cramping. If you frequently suffer from abdominal pain and your gastrointestinal symptoms do not resolve after eliminating potentially offending foods such as watermelon, consult your doctor for help identifying any condition that could be responsible for your symptoms.
High Fructose Content
Fructose is a type of sugar naturally found in fruits, but people with fructose malabsorption have troubles absorbing it properly. As a result, the fructose that is not absorbed can be fermented by the bacteria in your intestines, causing abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. Fruits that contain more fructose than glucose are especially problematic and watermelon, along with pears, apples, mangoes and cherries fall in this category. In 100 g of watermelon, there are 3.4 g of fructose and 1.6 g of glucose. Fruits with more glucose than fructose, such as oranges, kiwifruits and blueberry, are usually less problematic because glucose facilitates the absorption of fructose.
Fructans
Watermelon is rich in fructans, which is a compound made of many molecules of fructose linked together. If you can't tolerate fructose, it is very likely that you can't tolerate fructans either. The symptoms associated with problems digesting fructans also include abdominal pain and flatulence. The severity of your abdominal pain and gas can depend on your degree of sensitivity to these types of fermentable sugar and on the amount you eat at once. If you are sensitive to fructose or fructans, eating a large serving of watermelon could certainly induce severe abdominal pain. The symptoms can appear within a few hours or up to two to three days after you had watermelon. If your pain is extreme or does not resolve, consult a health professional.
Mannitol
Mannitol is a type of sugar alcohol that could also be responsible for your gastrointestinal distress when you eat watermelon. If you are sensitive to mannitol, you can have abdominal pain and pass more gas than usual, which can range from mild to severe depending on your sensitivity and the amount you had, as well as other unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. If you react to watermelon because of its mannitol content, it is very likely that you will also experience abdominal pain if you eat cauliflower, mushroom or sweet potato.
Get Tested
To determine whether watermelon and other foods may be responsible for your abdominal pain and flatulence, consult your doctor. Fructose malabsorption can be diagnosed with a hydrogen breath test, but an elimination diet is the only way to figure out if fructans or mannitol are problematic for you. Consult a registered dietitian with expertise in this field to help you determine the group of foods that is triggering your abdominal pain so you can eliminate all of them and live pain free.
References
- "The Low FODMAP diet: reducing poorly absorbed sugars to control gastrointestinal symptoms"; Eastern Health Clinical School - Monash University; 2010
- "Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology"; Evidence-Based Dietary Management of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach; Peter R Gibson and Susan J Shepherd; 2010
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Fructose Malabsorption and Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Guidelines for Effective Dietary Management; Susan J. Shepherd and Peter R. Gibson; 2006
- "IBS--Free at Last!: A Revolutionary, New Step-by-Step Method for Those Who Have Tried Everything. Control IBS Symptoms by Limiting FODMAPS Carbohydrates in Your Diet"; Patsy Catsos; 2009
- Gastrolab: Hydrogen and Methane Breath Testing at Gastrolab
