Is a fructose intolerance curable?
The hereditary form of fructose intolerance is not curable and can only be treated by strictly avoiding fructose. The intestinal form or malabsorption disorder may correspond to a complete or partial inability to absorb fructose. In many cases the symptoms manifest themselves only over the years.
Although a complete cure is rare, the right dietary changes can provide significant relief. If the nutritional measures are consistently maintained over a longer period of time, in some cases a gradual increase in fructose intake is achieved. This is due to a recovery of the transport mechanisms in the intestinal wall. In this sense, a self-test for tolerance can also be carried out again and again as part of a consistent nutritional therapy.
Summary
Fructose intolerance combines three different forms of fruit sugar intolerance. Common to them is a disturbed fructose metabolism. The intestinal or alimentary fructose intolerance is also called fructose malabsorption disorder and is accompanied by an insufficient intake of fructose.
A further distinction is made between fructosemia with fructosuria, an accumulation of fructose in the blood, and hereditary fructose intolerance, which is based on a hereditary enzyme deficiency. The symptoms of fructose intolerance range from increased urination, through intestinal complaints such as diarrhea, to symptoms of poisoning in the hereditary form. The therapy of the various fructose intolerances depends on the cause and can consist in the reduced consumption of fructose or the total renunciation of it.
All articles in this series:
