Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: fructose malabsorption-questions for Syl

Yep - an endocscopy is the gold standard test for celiac disease. I had one - it isn't too bad of a procedure. Unfortunately, gluten intolerance has become popularized and many people needless try to stick to a gluten free diet when they don't have too. It might be worthwhile having the endoscopy so you know for sure if you have celiac disease

I know the food intolerance web site. It has some interesting information but much of it is general and not particular helpful in assisting us to true identify problems.

The elimination diet approach is useful. I have used it in the past with some success. I don't think it focuses on meat - it is a very general approach. The most successful approach that I found was to establish a base diet that I knew significantly reduced my symptoms. My base diet is similar to Heather's BTC diet. It is composed of oatmeal, chicken breast, rice and boiled carrots. When my symptoms flare-up I drop back to my base diet for 2-3 days. Once I am stable I start adding things back in until I find the problem food. It is sort of an elimination diet in reverse

The difficult with IBS is that a food may seem to be okay but it may take several days after re-introducing it before it cause symptoms. For example, while D is a common symptom for fructose malabsorption it can also cause C. The fructose that is not absorbed in the GI tract can pass through to the colon where it is a food source of colonic bacteria. Some of these bacteria can be methogenic that is they produce methane gas as by-product of digesting carbohydrates like fructose. Methane is known to reduce the contraction rate in the bowel producing C. Once the food source for these bacteria is restricted they produce less methane and less C. However, it can take a quite a few days after something is eliminated from your diet before it has an effect on the colonic bacteria ecology.

Oh well - it is all a big mystery.

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