Fructose malabsorption, formerly named "dietary fructose intolerance," is a digestive disorder in which absorption of fructose is impaired by deficient fructose carriers in the small intestine's enterocytes. This results in an increased concentration of fructose in the entire intestine. - WikipediaTurns out, this problem exists in 30-40% of women in central europe. Don't know what that says about americans, but most of us are from somewhere over there, right? Well, that's not the interesting part (wait, is apple juice flowing through the veins uninteresting??)
The amazing thing is that fructose malabsorption appears to lead to depression in women according to an Austrian study. Ironically, men appear to be unaffected - perhaps because of different chemical composition as Emily Deans explains in Evolutionary Psychiatry blog.
I always say that the Paleo diet has changed my life. It gave me energy, emotional stability, thereby making me a better parent, and allowing me to enjoy life. But the truth is, I don't know how it did it. Was I lacking protein on my low-fat high-carb diet? Was iron defficiency a problem? Was my body in a perpetual emotional yo-yo as my sugar swung wildly at each meal and snack? OK, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth - but nevertheless I tend to skip a heart beat every time I see yet another possible correlation between nutrient consumption and emotional state.
Fructose malabsorption is not a food allergy, meaning there is no production of IgE antibodies or release of histamine. There is also no typical allergic symptoms, like itching or hives.
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