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Fructose Malabsorption and Grapes

Aug 25, 2011 | By Ashley Jacob
Fructose Malabsorption and Grapes
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Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruits, but it is also found in some sweeteners and sugary foods.and beverages. Some people have a poor ability to absorb fructose and may experience unpleasant symptoms when consuming high-fructose foods. Fructose malabsorption is more prevalent among people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, and other gastrointestinal disorders. Grapes are one of the fruits that are poorly tolerated by most fructose malabsorbers.

Fructose Malabsorption

If your body is not able to absorb fructose properly, the unabsorbed fructose just sits in your digestive tract. The fructose sitting in your intestines attracts large volumes of water from other parts of your body, which can cause watery diarrhea. Moreover, the fructose also can become food for the bacteria living in your intestines and the gas released by the bacteria can induce flatulence and bloating. People with fructose malabsorption often experience varying degrees of gastrointestinal distress when eating grapes and other high-fructose foods, such as honey, high-fructose corn syrup, apples, asparagus, mangoes and watermelon.

Excess Fructose

Because glucose enhances fructose absorption, foods that contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose are better tolerated in people with fructose malabsorption compared to foods containing more fructose than glucose. A 1 cup serving of grapes contains 1.4 g more fructose than glucose,or 12.3 g of fructose and 10.9 g of glucose. This excess of fructose in a serving of grapes can trigger symptoms of fructose malabsorption if you are sensitive to small amounts of excess fructose. Tolerance varies between people with fructose malabsorption, and you can experiment with a small serving of 1/4 to 1/2 cup to see if you tolerate grapes in small amounts.

Fructose Load

In addition to containing more fructose than glucose, eating too many grapes at once could overwhelm your limited ability to absorb fructose because of their high fructose content. For example, eating 2 cups of grapes, which contain close to 25 g of fructose, could induce your symptoms of fructose malabsorption. Dried grapes, or raisins, contain 21.5 g of fructose per cup, a 16-oz. glass of unsweetened grape juice has 37 g of fructose and sweetened grape juice contains even more. Keep your serving size small to prevent giving an excessive fructose load to your body if you have fructose malabsorption.

Safer Fruits

Although some fructose malabsorbers may be able to tolerate small servings of fresh grapes, large servings of fresh grapes as well as dried grapes and grape juice can cause problems. Instead, opt for fruits that contain more glucose than fructose or a smaller amount of total fructose, such as cantaloupe, blueberries, citrus fruits and bananas. Even if these fruits are safer, keep your portions moderate, avoid dried fruits and fruit juices, and spread your fruit intake throughout the day to facilitate fructose absorption.

References

Article reviewed by Kaydee Lowrey Last updated on: Aug 25, 2011

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