# Bananas, fruits and IBS



## One Fine Day (Sep 14, 2009)

I have a question about fruits and fructose etc that comes from my experience of eating bananas.When I am feeling ok I can eat bananas that are slightly green. However, if I eat an overripe banana I will get some stomach cramps and they will push me towards D. Similarly if I am suffering from IBS D, then to recover I will go onto the BRAT diet minus the bananas as even slightly green bananas don't agree with me in this situation.After years of this it suddenly occured to me today that this may tell me something important about my triggers. Particularly as the conventional wisdom seems to be the opposite - i.e. that ripe bananas are easy to digest and unripe bananas cause stomach upsets.A quick google has told me that as bananas ripen, starches are convered to sugars - suggesting I am OK when the banana is starchy but that it causes me problems once these starches are turned to sugars. This would be consistent with my diet in general. I find starchy foods such as rice and potatoes lifesavers - but I have had to give up eating virtually all fruits - with the idea of eating a melon or watermelon particularly likely to give me a nightmare.My question on all this is, does my difficulty in eating fruits mean I am a sufferer of fructose malabsorption? Or are there other aspects to eating fruits that trigger IBS symptoms that could be to blame?I am interested in the answer because of what it may signify for the rest of my diet. I am quite partial to having honey on my toast and eating cake or flapjacks occasionally but if my problems eating fruits are down to issues around sugars, particularly fructose, then maybe I will have to rethink this.Any views would be appreciated.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

With some fruits it is the sorbitol, but bananas generally aren't an issue with that.http://john.toebes.com/diet.html has the fructose restricted diet. Some fruits and a fair number of other sugars are allowed in small amounts, and there are some other foods that can be a problem.Some IBSers do have problems with fructose, so it may be a diet to take a look at.


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## julianaraymondo (Dec 17, 2009)

Hi,When I started with IBS- D I found it was impossible to know what was the problem as I was severely ill whatever I ate. I had the York Test for food intolerance & it indicated problems with many fruit & veg. I think it is different for everyone but I have found that test very helpful, although it is not cheap. I have just repeated it after about 3 years & things were much improved, I had avoided many fruit and veg. Only yesterday I had a nutritional consultation (it is in the deal with the test) and it was suggested that maybe I have a histamine problem, also I have a yeast intolerance. She commented on whether I noticed a difference between a ripe banana or unripe. Apparently an unripe one is unlikely to have yeast, whereas an overripe one may have yeast. Some fruits have yeast on their skins such as grapes, plums, blueberries etc. Some people are appparently unable to cope with foods high in histamines - something to do with poor methylation (all new to me!).All the best to you.


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## One Fine Day (Sep 14, 2009)

Thanks Kathleen and Julianaraymondo for your replies. Much appreciated.I am feeling quietly hopeful that I may have identified a major trigger of my IBS in terms of fructose (and related sugars such as sorbitol). It certainly seems to tick quite a few boxes in terms of my symptoms.From reading up on it, fructose malabsorption leads to some fructose not being digested in the small intestine and making its way into the large interestine - where it has an osmotic effect drawing water into the colon.This osmotic effect is interesting for me because I am constantly thirsty, will usually wake with a dry mouth etc and often find myself taking 'rehydration sachets' (irrespective of whether I am actually suffering any D) because I am feeling dehydrated and tired (all this despite drinking plenty of water). As such, I have not found the usual 'cures' for loose stools to be any help - soluble fibre sachets just dehydrate me even more by having a similar osmotic effect - whilst the one time I took Immodium I ended up very dizzy, probably for a similar reason.Another ticked box is that I have read that one effect of fructose malabsorption is decreased levels of folic acid in the body - and when the gastro doctor took some blood tests last year , low levels of folic acid was the one thing they identified to be wrong with me.On a lighter note, Fructose malabsorption may also expalin why I am so bad at drinking a beer! It just wipes me out - I dehydrate instantly when drinking one (such that I have long since had to give up beer) - way more than the alcohol alone should cause. It would also, as mentioned previously, suggest why I have had to give up almost all fruit (which as a child I used to eat quite a lot of).My final reason for optimism is that since I wrote the first message earlier in the week I have not eaten any fruit and other things such as cereal bars that were previously in my diet with a high sugar (fructose) content and my stomach contents have felt a lot more 'solid' as a result. (In fact this past 3or4 days I have actually been suffering from constipation and I couldn't be more delighted! - although that delight may fade if I don't get to go to the toilet in the next day or two







Anyway, I have suffered IBS long enough to know not to get carried away too quickly - but for the moment I am definitely hopeful.







P.S. I will bear in mind the point about yeast. It would certainly fit with some of the points above. Similarly the York Test. I have been considering seeing a nutritionist because my diet has been very reduced - so may still look to do so if things don't improve soon. The fructose diet page meanwhile is very helpful. So thanks very much for the suggestions.


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

I suffered severe fructose intolerance some time ago, but now only have it relatively mild. I got over it by deleting wheat from my diet. Within 6 weeks, I began to notice my tolerance improving. When I'm having an extra dose of fruit, eating a handful of potato chips reduces the chances of distress. Cheers,Jackmat


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

This is an interesting observation, ie: unripened vs. ripened bananas.Although we all get very hung up on foods causing IBS, there isn't a great deal of research which supports that. The act of eating in itself causes normal stimulation of the gut. IBS sufferers tend to have an exaggerated response which may contribute to D or cramps and gas with C. Fructose or lactose intolerance is a separate issue which may cause symptoms which resemble IBS. It all gets very confusing.In any case, I'll be interested to know if you solved a piece of your own puzzle by limiting some foods.Jeff


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## idkwia (Feb 26, 2009)

For much more information on Fructose Malabsorption (Intolerance) you may like to see this http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/inter...rettArticle.pdfThis should help you with your elimination diet.If you want to know who specialises in this in the UK just let me know.


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## Tiger337 (Jul 20, 2007)

One of my major problems is digesting carbs. When things don't go right, I get a lot of gas. It can be embarrassing. I have problems digesting sugars and milk. I found this product Carb Digest from Kirkman Labs to be very helpful. I contains enzymes that help digest carbohydrates.http://www.kirkmanlabs.com/[email protected]I also use Kirkman Labs probiotics and probiotics from http://www.customprobiotics.com/Take care,Alan


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## Waray (Dec 27, 2009)

I have no dairy, no grains, no sugars and everything is organic. Bananas are a BIG trigger for D. I stick with Granny Smith apples, and berries for fruits, Tomatoes, onions, garlic, avocados, and yams seem to be safe most of the time but sometimes I think even a combination of a couple of safe foods can create problems. Meat and eggs are safest for me. There is never a guarantee when something goes in that it won't go right back out. No problem with obesity with this disease.


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## Maudlin (Mar 20, 2017)

I never have good reactions with bananas. They gave me the classical IBS symptoms - cramps, nausea and even reflux (which more has to do with GERD).


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