Authors: Fernandez-Banares F, Esteve-Pardo M, de Leon R, Humbert P, Cabre E, Llovet JM, Gassull MA.

Institution: Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of sugar malabsorption to the development of clinical symptoms in functional bowel disease.

Results: Frequency of sugar malabsorption was high in both patients and controls, with malabsorption of at least one sugar in more than 90% of the subjects. Median symptom scores after both lactose [median 6; interquartile (IQ) range 3-7] and fructose plus sorbitol (median 2; IQ range 0-4) malabsorption were significantly higher than after sucrose load (median 1; IQ range 0-1.5) in functional bowel disease patients (p = 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively).

However, there were no differences in healthy controls. In addition, symptoms score after both lactose and fructose plus sorbitol malabsorption was significantly higher in patients than in control subjects (p = 0.02 and p = 0.008, respectively)…

Conclusions: These results suggest that sugar malabsorption may be implicated in the development of abdominal distress in at least a subset of patients with functional bowel disease.

Study link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8249972&query_hl=12

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• The Effect of a Lactose-Restricted Diet in Patients with a Positive Lactose Tolerance Test, Earlier Diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a 5-year Follow-Up Study
• Lactose Intolerance in Different Types of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in North Indians