-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
Copy pathindex.html
198 lines (169 loc) · 10.7 KB
/
index.html
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--
Design and code by Dave
⸺
dnarna.co
-->
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<meta name="description"
content="Frequently asked questions about a shitty medical condition. Fructose malabsorption occurs when your body is unable to digest the sugar fructose.">
<meta name="keywords" content="fructose, malabsorption">
<meta name="author" content="Dave">
<title>Fructose Malabsorption FAQ</title>
<!-- Links -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
<link rel="icon" href="img/favicon.png" type="image/png">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Rubik:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
</head>
<body>
<main>
<div class="hero">
<div class="hero-text">
<div>
<h1>Fructose<br>Malabsorption<br>FAQ</h1>
<p><i>Frequently asked questions<br>about a shitty medical condition</i></p>
</div>
<p class="caption">Illustration adapted from <a href="https://www.amandaoleander.com/"
target="_blank">Amanda Oleander</a></p>
</div>
<img src="img/boy-or-girl.svg"
alt="A woman asks another person who looks pregnant: A boy or girl? The person replies: Just gas!"
class="hero-img">
</div>
<!-- Cards grid -->
<div class="grid">
<div>
<h2>🍏<br>What is fructose?</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose" target="_blank">Fructose</a> is a naturally
occurring simple sugar. You can find it in fruit, hence the name fructose, vegetables, or honey.
Fructose also makes up 50% of table sugar, sucrose, the other half being another simple sugar,
glucose.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🧨<br>What is fructose malabsorption?</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose_malabsorption" target="_blank">FM</a> occurs when
your small intestine cannot effectively absorb fructose, preventing it from reaching its
destination, the liver. This
leads to excess fructose in the gut, where it binds water and undergoes fermentation by gut
microbiota, disrupting
the normal digestive process.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>💩<br>What are the symptoms?</h2>
<p>Diarrhea or loose stools, gas, bloating, abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, headaches, sometimes
nutritional
deficiencies (tryptophan, folic acid, and zinc).</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🔬<br>How do I get tested?</h2>
<p>With a <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_breath_test" target="_blank">hydrogen breath
test</a>. Procedure: Arrive on an empty stomach, brush teeth at the doctor's office, drink a
fructose
solution, breathe into a plastic bag every 15 minutes for 4 hours, and discuss results.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🩹<br>What's the treatment?</h2>
<p>As of 2020, there is no cure. However, FM can be managed by following a low- or no-fructose diet,
and taking a xylose isomerase enzyme before a meal containing fructose. Brand names for xylose
isomerase include <a href="https://fructaidhealth.com/" target="_blank">Fructaid</a>, Lutomerase,
and
others. Unless the FM is only a symptom of a broader gastrointestinal condition.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🥄<br>What can I eat?</h2>
<p>One of the best strategies, besides seeing a specialist, is to get a mobile app with a database of
foods and their fructose content. For instance <a
href="https://www.baliza.de/en/apps/histamine.html" target="_blank">Food Intolerances</a> or <a
href="https://www.monashfodmap.com/ibs-central/i-have-ibs/get-the-app/" target="_blank">Monash
University FODMAP Diet</a>. A lesser-known option that is safe is to supplement with
nutritionally complete
powder food. For example <a href="https://superbodyfuel.com/" target="_blank">Super Body Fuel</a>
(except for strawberry flavor). For <a href="https://www.blendrunner.com/" target="_blank">other
brands</a>, be sure to check their list of ingredients.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🧅<br>Anything else to avoid besides fructose?</h2>
<p>Yes, the general advice is to limit or eliminate fructans and polyols. However, test the degree of
your individual sensitivity. <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructan"
target="_blank">Fructans</a> are chains of fructose molecules and are mainly found in garlic,
onion, and wheat. <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyol" target="_blank">Polyols</a> are
sugar alcohols and include sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, isomalt.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🍪<br>Can I eat sweet things?</h2>
<p>Yes, but only those sweetened with glucose ie. dextrose, lactose, stevia, monk fruit extract, and
artificial sweeteners except for polyols. Avoid foods
sweetened with fructose, table sugar ie. sucrose, honey, high fructose corn syrup, which all contain
fructose. This is not an exhaustive list, check your fructose diet mobile app for more.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🍞<br>Do I need to go gluten-free?</h2>
<p>No, unless you are a <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease"
target="_blank">celiac</a> or have a gluten sensitivity unrelated to fructose malabsorption.
While the protein <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten" target="_blank">gluten</a> itself
is not an issue for fructose malabsorbers, wheat does contain fructans. Some gluten-containing
grains, like oats, which contain gluten due to facility cross-contamination, are generally safe.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🍚<br>What is a low FODMAP diet?</h2>
<p>The acronym stands for <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FODMAP" target="_blank">Fermentable
Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols</a>, and the diet is recommended to IBS sufferers.
Saccharide means carbohydrate and the prefixes refer to the number of sugar units – few, two, one –
in one molecule of the saccharide. For fructose malabsorbers, the <a
href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-FODMAP_diet" target="_blank">low FODMAP diet</a> is
overly restrictive as it advises against dairy products like yogurt, milk, and soft cheese due to
the disaccharide lactose.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🧑⚕️<br>Will my primary care physician be familiar with this disorder?</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, the probability is on the lower side. While FM is still gaining recognition in the
medical community, specialists such as
gastroenterologists and registered dietitians
are typically more familiar with diagnosing and managing this condition.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🧬<br>Is it genetic?</h2>
<p>There is anecdotal evidence fructose malabsorption runs in families, often undiagnosed. However, the
origin of FM remains unresolved, and more research is needed to better understand its causes.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>🧐<br>Is fructose malabsorption fructose intolerance?</h2>
<p>Fructose intolerance usually refers to <a
href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary_fructose_intolerance"
target="_blank">Hereditary fructose intolerance</a>, which is a separate condition from <a
href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose_malabsorption" target="_blank">fructose
malabsorption</a>. HFI is caused by mutations in the gene that codes for the enzyme aldolase B.
This enzyme metabolizes fructose in the liver rather than in the small intestine.</p>
</div>
<div>
<h2>⌨️<br>Are there any online communities?</h2>
<p>Yes, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/fructosemalabsorption/"
target="_blank">r/fructosemalabsorption</a> on Reddit, <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/fructosemalabsorptionusa/" target="_blank">Fructose
Malabsorption USA</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/FMSGVIC/"
target="_blank">Fructose Malabsorption Victoria</a> on Facebook. If you join, be a good person,
but use critical thinking, and watch out for misinformation. Trust, but verify.</p>
</div>
</div> <!-- end of grid -->
<p class="feedback"><a href="https://forms.gle/hWamKJWPEJsEjBPe9" target="_blank">+ Suggest a new
question, or tell me what to improve</a></p>
<div class="author-box">
<div>
<h2>About the Author</h2>
<p>Inspired by the millionth fructose-induced diarrhea, Dave changed his major to molecular biology
during graduate school. Now he is studying absorption and metabolism of fructose to identify the
gene or genes that may be responsible for the development of fructose malabsorption.</p>
</div>
<img src="img/memoji.avif" alt="Memoji of the site's author" class="memoji">
</div>
</main>
<footer>
<p>© 2020—Present. Buy <a href="https://www.dnarna.co" target="_blank">me</a> a
cup of <a href="https://ko-fi.com/davbl" target="_blank">coffee</a> ☕️</p>
</footer>
</body>
</html>