Hypoglycemia question

[tummyache]

I have a question about hypoglycemia. Is it also a symptom of Fructose Malabsoption? I haven't seen it mentioned on the internet in connection with FM. I am asking because I definitely have problems with it when ingesting sugars. As a follow-up on the upper/lower GI scopes + biopsies = the doctor, who is suppose to be a digestive disorder specialist, refused to test for HFI....said that wasn't something he treated. Really?!!! So my husband and I recently did 23andMe -- and the test came back negative for top 4 HFI genes. I would have thought at least one of the main 4 genes would have been positive as I am 99.6% Northern European. I have been told for years that I am "Fructose Intolerant" - So, is it HFI or FM? However, 23andMe was positive for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

[nicoleh]

hi tummyache,
Lucky and I have been talking on another thread about how there seems to be something other than genetics which can cause hfi. just a little theorising with not much to back it up, other than the idea that surely, since hfi is an enzyme malfunction, that something other than wrong dna could cause this malfunction. like a toxin disabling the enzyme, or improper transcription of the dna etc etc. it seemed like a fructose tolerance test was a better way of diagnosing for those who didn't have the dna show up, because when it comes to the crunch, how your body handles fructose is the most important thing. so in other words, just because your dna came back negative - I don't think that means much. a positive test is definitive, but negative isn't (in fact the blood tests you get will even say so much if they come back negative). you could still have hfi, or it may just be fm; though like you I haven't heard of fm causing hypoglycaemia - except AFTER the diarrhoea, it is quite possible to become hypo from the stress and loss of nutrients, if the diarrhoea is severe. I certainly have experienced this in the past when I ate something I was allergic to. But never before the diarrhoea. HTH

[Debra]

HFI is more likely to cause hypoglycemia rather than DFI.

Fructose is primarily broken down in the liver through a multi-step metabolic pathway. If an enzyme is missing or lowered in it's effective activity level, then the incomplete metabolism can interfere with proper liver function. When the liver is not functioning effectively then it cannot break down glycogen to restore and maintain blood glucose levels and hypoglycemia can ensue.

Current research has uncovered up to 36 genetic mutations that cause HFI and it is suspected that as many as 100 mutations may be in the human population.