Both fructose intolerance and lactose intolerance create issues in the small intestine due to poor digestion of carbohydrates. Fructose intolerance is quite similar to lactose intolerance. It is only possible to absorb fructose with a specific carrying enzyme. If this enzyme is either missing from the body or has lost its ability to function, fructose will not be interested.

When fructose reaches a person’s large intestine and ferments there, the person may experience bloating, diarrhea, and discomfort in the stomach region. The fermentation process causes these symptoms. We have only just begun to scratch the surface of the magnitude and prevalence of the issue that is fructose intolerance.

What exactly is fructose?

One of the types of simple sugars is called fructose. This sugar is found in all fruits, most vegetables, virtually all sweets, and cereals like wheat. 

Table sugar, also known as sucrose, is one of the most common types of sweetener, along with high-fructose corn syrup, fructose sugar, inverted sugar, agave syrup, honey, maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrate.

Fatty acids can be produced from fructose.

Your small intestine absorbs fructose, then is transported to your liver, where it is converted into glucose. If your body needs to raise its blood sugar level, your liver will convert the fructose into glucose; otherwise, it will convert the fructose into glycogen. 

Once your blood sugar level of glucose decreases or declines, glycogen, which serves as your body’s reserve supply of energy, will be converted into glucose.

The problem is that shortly after you start consuming fructose, your liver will cease storing it as glycogen and instead be forced to convert any remaining fructose into fatty acids or fat. 

Because your liver and no other organ can only metabolize fructose, producing fatty acids is a relatively straightforward process. Consuming meals high in this sugar will, as a result, cause your body to have more fat than it needs to function correctly.

The Effect That Fructose Has On Your Health

The quantity of fructose you consume in your diet, in addition to your LDL cholesterol and triglyceride level, can impact your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. 

Fructose consumption produces compounds known as advanced glycation end products, which speed up the aging process. Consuming fructose will, first and foremost, result in a rise in uric acid because it will trigger uric acid production.

Hypertension, often known as high blood pressure, has been linked to fructose consumption.

Diets high in fructose cause us to produce more insulin, which in turn causes insulin resistance to increase, which is a vicious cycle. Sugar-related illnesses like diabetes could one day become common.

What to do If You Have an Intolerance to Fructose

You must determine how much sugar it takes for your body to get irritated because the threshold for symptoms differs from person to person.

A Breath Hydrogen Test is a diagnostic tool that may be used to determine whether or not a person has fructose intolerance.

A diet free of fructose can be the best option for susceptible persons. The consumption of sweetened beverages and sweets that include a significant quantity of fructose or high fructose corn syrup poses the highest risk.