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Tuesday, December 26, 2000
Excessive Soft
Drinks
by The Mills County Extension Office
Excessive Soft Drinks May Be Linked to Fructose Malabsorption
Is there a connection between drinking large amounts of soft drinks and diarrhea? Beverages sweetened with high fructose syrup could cause cramps, diarrhea, gas and bloating, especially in children.
Research shows that some people fail to absorb fructose, one common type of sugar in our foods. "If fructose is not absorbed, it reaches the colon where it is broken down by bacteria to short chain fatty acids, carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas," said Elisabeth Schafer, extension nutritionist at Iowa State University. "Bloating, cramps, osmotic diarrhea and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are the consequence and appear in about 50 percent of the people who have fructose malabsorption. Interestingly, not all fructose malabsorbers will exhibit symptoms."
No clear population studies have been done to show how many people are fructose malabsorbers. "One study suggested that fructose malabsorption might be fairly common, but that the majority of people show no symptoms," Schafer said.
"Naturally, there are many other causes for gas, bloating, cramps and diarrhea," Schafer said. It's important for parents to be aware of the possible side effects of drinking too much pop. If the amount of fructose in one to two cans of pop is enough to cause symptoms in some adults who are fructose intolerant, then children who are fructose malabsorbers and have much smaller body size might experience the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome if they drink large amounts of pop. Any child with symptoms of cramps, gas, diarrhea and bloating should have a complete evaluation by a physician and not rely solely on parental
For additional information, contact Elisabeth Schafer, ISU Extension nutritionist, at (515) 294-1359.
