Fructose absorption through skin?

[nicoleh]

Hi all,
does anyone here know if you need to worry about fructose in skin applications? I'm wondering about a nappy rash cream I use on DD. it's calendula (herbal) based and is absolutely fabulous - far better than any other cream I"ve come across. But - is it potentially absorbing into her bloodstream? it would probably contain some fructose. Note I haven't seen an obvious reaction but DD has been reacting constantly to my breastmilk until very recently and I haven't used it since she got better - but I need to today.

What about creams etc that contain sorbitol?
I've never found a bubble bath that doesn't contain either seriously nasty chemicals (which I don't let the kids use) or fruit extracts etc. So that will possibly be something I want to use later. Hopefully someone knows the answer!

[colormist]

I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure the sugar has to be somehow processed by the body and shipped off to the liver-factory in order for people HFI to have a reaction. Again, not a doctor, but I think the only way the body can ship off fructose/sorbitol to the liver is by ingestion or intravenously. As far as I know, skin is waterproof, so lotions SHOULD be okay. I manage to bake with sugar/fruits/veggies and don't have any issues with those things touching my skin so long as I don't lick my fingers.

I, however, do get rashes from certain sunscreen products. I should probably look at those products and see what might be causing the rash (pretty sure I'm just allergic to harsh chemicals, dyes, or perfumes--and whatever is in nail polish), but I usually just throw the product away and opt for some sensitive skin baby sunscreen.

But, again, that's a rash and not a HFI-liver-related issue.

[nicoleh]

Unfortunately skin definitely does absorb stuff. Up to 60% of what goes on it, depending on the nature of the chemicals. That's how transdermal medications/nicotine patches etc work.

I don't know in particular how sugars are absorbed across skin, though they are definitely absorbed across mucous membranes. You're right about the liver, much less of it goes to the liver if it's not coming from the digestive tract, but I guess some of it would still get there. Of greater concern to me is the kidneys because that seems to be what troubles DD the most with fructose. so anything that made it into the bloodstream would be problematic for them. But I guess also that unless the amount absorbed was very large, most of that fructose could be metabolised by the Aldolase A/C in the local tissues near to the absorption site, yes?

so maybe just not too much?

FYI, one common allergen in sunscreen is PABA. You may do best with a micronized (non-nano) zinc cream with no other UV absorbing chemicals or preservatives. We've found a couple over here in Australia, and it works well. I'm extremely chemical-sensitive so I have had to look for all sorts of alternatives.

Thanks for your reply!

[ukbill]

I remember reading that about 25 % of the sugars in food are adsorbed through the skin of the mouth and throat, long before it reaches even the stomach.

Certainly I can "feel" refined sugar in foods nearly instantly.

Sometimes if I am not sure about a food I dab a little on my tongue and wait for 30 seconds or so. If I feel a cooling on the area under the food then I know it contains refined Sugar.. specifically Fructose.

However oil and fats dilute the effect and make it far harder to tell, as are sugars still trapped in foods. (vegetables etc) and not in solution as in sauce or gravy.

I suspect because of what I think of and have observed as a very high osmotic pressure from Fructose, it will go over.

If you think about it it would be very good for a skin care product (so far as the manufactures are concerned) if it did contain sugar and went through the skin barrier.

We all feel better if we take Glucose even if the amount is less than detectable by taste, and our brains release endorphin's in response.

So if you put on a skin preparation that contains skin permeable sugars, we would feel better and "like" the produced more than one that did not contain the sugars, in a subliminal way.

So I have no "proof" that they contain sugars but if I was formulating one I would certainly put in skin permeable sugars if possible.

Manufactures certainly put in sweet smelling additives.. like vanilla and chocolate so why not skin permeable sugars as well?

Since it is not a "food" I do not think they have to state all the ingredients unless they are in a certain "list" of known reactive products, although I may be wrong on this point.

[nicoleh]

yes, I think I'll at least be cautious about skin products. especially that super sweet smelling
"natural" bubble bath that my older girls use. yuk, I hate the stench, and I'm not even HFI!