# High fructose corn syrup.



## Guest (Feb 29, 2008)

I haven't posted here for quite a while but just received a penpal request and my reply bounced so I thought I would post on here. My problem is solved. I have hesitated to post here because I don't want anybody to think that I am saying that your suffering is so simply solved. I was just very lucky.I was tested by the digestive diseases center at University of Iowa hospitals and clinics. It was determined that I am fructose intolerant. My doc said that it is one of the major causes of IBS like symptoms. I saw a dietitian the same day and went on a fructose avoidance diet. After 6 weeks of that I could start adding things back to my diet. The only flare up I have had since then was caused by Cool whip. I am still eating very carefully and when I start being loose I go back to the strict fructose free diet. HFCS is in soft drinks, whipped topping, salad dressings, bread, crackers and other stuff. It sure wouldn't hurt to try a fructose free diet to see if it helps at all. I basically gave up all fruit and vegetables for a while. Plus I avoided sugars of all kinds, plus anything containing HFCS. I can now eat some tomato sauce and vegetables. I won't even consider fruit juices or berries as I know they are an issue for me. I have my life back and it is so wonderful. My family doc had never even heard of the fructose breath test. I was lucky to go to UI clinics because they have done a lot of research on this subject.


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## lyn_1968 (Jul 18, 2007)

I think this makes perfect sense. It is really hard to avoid though, isn't it? Do you find you're sensitive to other things derived from corn (dextrose?)? I am on an elimination diet and I definitely see a relation to my D when I eat candy. I can eat regular sugar if I don't overdo it, but corn syrup, glucose syrup, etc is not good! I miss my COKE!


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## IBD/IBS Author (May 24, 2007)

HFCS is a huge problem for many people with IBS. While it can be challenging to avoid HFCS, it can be done, and truly if you feel better by not eating it it makes it worth the huge changes in your diet that you need to make. Glad eliminating it from you diet has helped you. . . Bravo!


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## 1Rosa (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi! After feeling normal all my life, about seven years ago I began experiencing all sorts of horrible digestive problems. About two years after that my doctor gave me a hydrogen breath test to test for fructose intolerance. It came out positive and he said stop eating fructose and that was the last I ever saw of him. He's a pediatric doc, so I can't see him anymore (not that he knew much about it anyway), and I am also far away at college now. I have yet to find any doctors in my new town that have even heard of fructose intolerance/malabsorption. I was wondering what advice they gave you at U of Iowa?? Specifically, I worry about what extra vitamins and minerals I should be taking since I can't tolerate any fruit and hardly any veggies. I take a multivitamin and extra C, E, and Calcium (also lactose intolerant). Also, did they mention any food to not eat besides fruits, veggies, sugar, honey, HFCS, molasses and other obvious things? Even when I have completely cut out everything containing fructose, I still occasionally have strong reactions to ...something. No idea what. I've been tested for other intolerances/allergies and they've all come out negative, so I am wondering if there is something about fructose I just don't know? I sure wish there was more information about it available!! Also, everything I've found indicates that after awhile people are able to start reintroducing things with small amounts of fructose back into their diets. Not so for me!! What has your experience been with that? ...by the way, I'm glad you are feeling so much better!!


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## Takebackmylife (Feb 26, 2008)

This might help explain why fructose is not your friend. and how other complex sugars are not always either.....Carbohydrates are single sugars, or two sugars bound together, or thousands of sugars bound together called starch, or millions of sugars bound together called fiber. No carbohydrate can pass from your intestines into your bloodstream until it is broken down into a single sugar. For example, milk contains a double sugar called lactose that must be broken down into two single sugars before it can be absorbed into your bloodstream. Fifty percent of people on this earth get gas, cramping and diarrhea when they drink milk. To break the double sugar called lactose into the single sugars, your intestines must produce an enzyme called lactase. If your intestines do not produce lactase, you cannot split the double sugar into single sugars, and the double sugar cannot be absorbed in your upper intestines, so it passes to your colon, where bacteria ferment it to form gas, cramping and diarrhea.Fructose is a single sugar that is absorbed much more slowly than another sugar called glucose. Most of the fructose in you intestines is converted to glucose and then absorbed into the bloodstream. The fructose that is absorbed goes directly to your liver where it is converted to glucose. Some people have intestines that do not convert fructose to glucose rapidly. Therefore , the fructose is not absorbed in the upper intestinal tract and it passes to the colon where bacteria ferment it to form gas, cramping and diarrhea. These people should avoid foods that are high in fructose, particularly those made with high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used in almost all soft drinks and fruit beverages , in cookies, gum, jams, jellies and baked goods, and a wide variety of other processed foods. This study suggests that 30 to 60 percent of patients with irritable bowel syndrome have fructose intolerance and can be cured by avoiding foods made with fructose


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## Jhereg10 (Dec 26, 2008)

I found out by dumb luck that I was HFCS intolerant.I started getting IBS symptoms about 2 years ago. Thought, at the time, that caffeine and greasy foods were the primary culprits. Then I started travelling extensively. I found that trips to South America actually IMPROVED my IBS. I would have excelent digestive health within days of going there. Returning to the US, my symptoms would come back in a matter of days.Now just wait a minute here...So I looked at the diet. Same general diet, though I avoided fresh vegetables (but not fruits) while there. Lots of plantain/banana, lots of poultry, coffee/tea, cokes. The fresh veggies alone were not enough to make the difference since I (sadly) probably don't get enough of those in the US either.Ok, so it doesn't seem to be caffeine. So I took closer look. Hmm...South American sodas use CANE SUGAR, not HFCS, as the sweetener. Surely it's not that simple.So I do a quick web search and find...tadah, a University of Iowa study regarding IBS and fructose intolerance. So I cut out the HFCS, moderate on the fructose, and in a matter of days my digestion is mimicing my South American effect, and I'm symptom free within days. Looking back, suddenly it all makes sense. My first IBS symptoms came after takeout pizza (horrible episodes). I thought it must be the cheese, or the greasy food. But NO, because with the pizza, there was nothing better than chugging ice-cold sodas. It was the sodas (HFCS) that were nailing me. I've found (so far) that I can have sucrose, and drink real fruit juice without HFCS.The U of I said that about 40% of the IBS subjects in one study were fructose intolerant, and of those, the majority who reduced/omitted fructose from the diet saw reduced or no symptoms. It's tough, cause the stuff is EVERYWHERE (sodas, juice drinks, crackers, ice cream!) but it can be done.


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## WitchDoc (Jan 14, 2010)

I am a health care provider as well as a patient with ulcerative colitis (Dx 1986). I have been conducting my own investigation into the link between symptomatic UC and HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), since I discovered a correlation between a reduction of my symptoms and my work in Africa. I have been working on the continent of Africa for almost three years; every time I return overseas I become asymptomatic within a week or two after arrival. However, once I return to the United States, my symptoms will return in about the same amount of time. For the past few years I have paid close attention to dietary, medicinal, and behavoiral patterns between the two locations in order to identify the causal link between the two. For me, there remains two possible causes for this unexplained and rapid change in symptoms. One possibility is the reported low incidence of UC in under-developed countries where intestinal parasitic infection is common. There is a causal relationship between whipworm infestation and reduction of UC symptoms (M. M. Hunter & D. M. Mckay, et al, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 2004). In under-developed countries / continents such as Africa, South America, Asia, and the Middle East, parasitic infection is common, whilst reported cases of IBD is lower than industrialized countries. Secondly, most countries other than the USA DO NOT use high fructose corn syrup in the majority of their processed foods. Rather, cane sugar is the major ingredient used as a natural sweetener. There are many documented cases of HFCS food allergies and intestinal disease one can find during an internet search - as well as a plethora of health-related issues related to the consumption of HFCS. For me, the evidence is mounting - I have eliminated all other dietary, behavioral, and medicinal factors that may influence the status of my UC - with the exception of the consumption of HFCS. An interesting side note - my symptoms first appeared within months after the Coca-Cola Company's well devised ruse that introduced HFCS into the daily diet of the American consumer; switching back from the "New Coke" to the "Old Coke". It was upon this switch that the company began using HFCS to produce Coca Cola.So like the preceding forum member, I am almost certain that high fructose corn syrup has a strong if not direct link to my inflammatory bowel disease. If anyone on this forum has additional information, please do not hesitate to share your experiences with me.


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## myself (Jan 29, 2010)

Rosa,You are very right about fructose, it is a poison. It triggers fat hormone estrogen. Detoxify from fructose is compulsory for normal health. Try also to remove milk products from your diet (casein triggers estrogen). Remove gluten (it triggers estrogen). Omega 6 fats can cause alergic reaction (triggering estrogen included) - can offset it with omega 3 intake.Some vegies have chemicals sprayed on them during growing. Washing them is not enough to avoid alergic reaction. Try to cook it instead of eating raw.The out of normal reactions are usually caused by alergens in food.Passion flower, alfalfa can lower estrogen.Drink lots of water, soda water is OK it doesn't cause alergy.Drink green tea for it burns calories and can help you lose weight. Green tea will work for you very well after estrogen is vastly lowered.Ian


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## shyanna von banana (Jun 4, 2009)

HII was wondering if you could provide me with a list of foods that are safe to eat if your fructose intolerant? I am almost positive that I am fructose intolerant because fruit drinks give me eye pain and make my head feel tired. Plus, they have tested me for just about everything else. Is there a new fructose breath test out there that is accurate because i heard a few years ago that the breath test can sometimes be inaccurate.shyanna


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't know of a newer breath test so...Here is a link with a lot of what to eat, what to avoid, and what things people tend to tolerate in small amounts.http://john.toebes.com/diet.html


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