Gluten-Like Symptoms After Consuming Sugar

[bridgetm]

Does anyone else experience glutened-like intestinal symptoms after eating a lot of sugar on an otherwise simple diet? Last night I had a small bowl (maybe 1/2 cup) of sorbet, some dark chocolate and some ginger ale. I didn't eat them all at the same time, but somewhere between 4 and 9 pm. Around 10:30 I had sudden diahrrea as if I had eaten a gluteny dinner. I've avoided those things so far today (focusing on rice, fruit, veggies and such) but at about 4:30 my mom craved DQ (it's 80 degrees and sunny and we spent the morning on the lake) so I ordered a small Arctic Rush... gluten-free and nothing but sugary flavored-syrup over crushed ice. As I was eating my dinner of rice and steamed veggies a while ago my lower abdomen cramped up and started rumbling. Do I need to stay away from artificial sugar now??? I've never been a huge fan of dark-chocolate or syrupy treats, but cutting them out now would just be cruel.

[Skylark]

My mom has fructose malabsorption, which can cause gas and diarrhea. It's sort of like lactose intolerance only with fructose. She has to avoid high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and most fruits to stay comfortable. She can eat things made with sucrose or dextrose comfortably.

Sorbet and ginger ale would both have HFCS, and the Arctic Rush might too.

[ravenwoodglass]

You mentioned artificial sugar, did you mean a sugar alcohol diet sugar replacement? Many people have problems with them. Products will even say on some labels that consuming in excess can cause D.

[bridgetm]

Skylark: Is that a temporary thing due to gluten-induced damage or a life-long diet change? I've have to cut out lactose and soy, but I think (and hope) that it will only be necessary until I heal.

Raven: I didn't mean diet sugar replacements, although I have experienced symptoms from that stuff too. Before I cut out soda altogether (except for occasional ginger ale or 7Up) I had to watch out for aspartame in diet drinks. Now I seem to be reacting to any high-sugar foods, more so this week than just a few weeks ago. Ginger ale is a nice change from water and also helped with post-glutening symptoms but now it seems to be the culprit. I discovered Haagan-Das Sorbet about 2 weeks ago and it didn't give me any problems until this week (though maybe it was last week, disguised by minor CC symptoms; who knows?)

It's been frustrating finding foods I enjoy and can eat comfortably only to have them cause problems later on.

[dilettantesteph]

My son developed DH when he had a lot of sugar. I tried it and got D. We switched to honey and were fine.

[ravenwoodglass]

My son developed DH when he had a lot of sugar. I tried it and got D. We switched to honey and were fine.

There was one brand of sugar that got me both GI and DH wise years ago. I had bought a very large container of it. I thought maybe it had been CC'd somewhere in the processing as sugar should be gluten free. Since then I have used a raw sugar and haven't had any issues.

[Skylark]

Skylark: Is that a temporary thing due to gluten-induced damage or a life-long diet change? I've have to cut out lactose and soy, but I think (and hope) that it will only be necessary until I heal.

Unfortunately, fructose malabsorption is thought to be genetic. People with fructose malabsorption don't have enough of the carriers that transport fructose across the gut so they don't absorb it well. My understanding is that it's life-long. Mom has always gotten stomachaches and IBS symptoms from fruit. She just didn't know why.

My mom eats pretty close to this diet.

Open Original Shared Link

[bridgetm]

Unfortunately, fructose malabsorption is thought to be genetic. People with fructose malabsorption don't have enough of the carriers that transport fructose across the gut so they don't absorb it well. My understanding is that it's life-long. Mom has always gotten stomachaches and IBS symptoms from fruit. She just didn't know why.

My mom eats pretty close to this diet.

Open Original Shared Link

Thank you for the info. This is another thing to add to my list of life-long problems that no one could identify and didn't seem serious enough to fully investigate. I am in the process of limiting fructose in my diet. Unfortunately I have all this food I should probably begin to avoid, but no one else will eat it and I don't want to throw it out. For now I'm going to cut out a few things at a time instead of eliminating everything and reintroducing. I'm avoiding HFCS and anything containing large amounts of sugar (if it's at the top of the ingredient list, it's out) and the worst of the fruits (especially honeydew, watermelon and apples especially which had given me unexplained- until now- problems in the last few weeks).

I have also noticed that my DH, which is undiagnosed but unlikely to be anything else, has worsened in the last 2 or 3 weeks whereas it immediately improved when I first went gluten-free 3 months ago. I am hoping that will be improved by the fructose elimination.

[ravenwoodglass]

I have also noticed that my DH, which is undiagnosed but unlikely to be anything else, has worsened in the last 2 or 3 weeks whereas it immediately improved when I first went gluten-free 3 months ago.

You may be getting some gluten cross contamination somewhere. Another thing to watch for with DH is iodine. It will keep the antibodies in the skin active so make sure until you have been DH free for a while that you eliminate iodine from foods and supplements. After you have been DH free for a while you can add iodized salt back in.