Fructose intolerance: recognize symptoms on the skin

If you have a food intolerance, your body has difficulty absorbing and properly digesting certain substances. This can lead to various complaints. If you have fructose intolerance, symptoms can appear on the skin, for example.

For example, this can be red and itchy. In addition, other complaints can occur. For example, digestive problems and fatigue are typical.

If you think you cannot tolerate a food, you should have it examined carefully by a doctor. This can rule out that another illness is behind your symptoms. An elimination diet is also recommended.

First, you completely eliminate the suspicious foods from your diet. After some time, you start consuming these in small quantities . If you don't have any symptoms, you can slightly increase the amount.

During this time, write down exactly what you ate, when and what symptoms you felt. You take your results with you to the doctor and discuss them with him. This supports the most accurate diagnosis possible.

In the further course of the article, we will first explain to you what fructose actually is and where it occurs naturally. It should be noted that some foods are supplied artificially.

This particularly applies to processed products. In the following section we will discuss the skin problems that can cause intolerance. It is also important for you to know what other symptoms may arise.

You can also find out more about how fructose intolerance can be diagnosed by a doctor.

It is advisable to see a gastroenterologist for this. Finally, we answer the question of which things you can continue to eat with a clear conscience without having to fear physical problems due to your intolerance.

What is fructose and what foods is it found in?

Before we look at the possible consequences of fructose intolerance , we would first like to explain to you what fructose actually is. The naturally occurring chemical compound is a sugar and is found in many foods. However, this is not always obvious at first glance.

While sugar is suspected when eating sweet foods, this is not necessarily the case with vegetables. But it is also found in fruits and vegetables. Fructose is also one of the two main types of sugar that make up table sugar. The other part is glucose.

As already mentioned, this type of sugar is found in many natural foods. There is a lot in these types of fruit, for example :

  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Bananas
  • Mangoes
  • Grapes
  • dried raisins
  • dried apricots.


It can also be detected in some vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and carrots, but in smaller quantities than in fruit. You should be careful if you suddenly have a food intolerance, including corn syrup.

The artificially produced sweetener is commonly used in processed foods as well as sodas and candies. It even contains a higher concentration of fructose than table sugar.

Not all foods are unhealthy just because they contain sugar. Other vital nutrients are found in fruits and vegetables in particular. These include various vitamins, fiber and antioxidants .

That's why eating natural foods is very important. However, you can safely stay away from products that have artificially added sugar.

If you suffer from intolerance , you should always seek medical advice. Together you can find out whether you need to avoid certain foods completely or whether you can continue to eat them in small quantities. It is essential that you continue to eat a balanced diet and get enough nutrients.

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Fructose Intolerance Symptoms Skin: Signs of intolerance

Do you ever have a red face after eating or notice that your skin has gotten worse recently for no apparent reason? Then you may be suffering from fructose intolerance.

The reason for this, unlike a fruit allergy , is a digestive disorder in which the absorption of nutrients in the intestine and their transfer do not work properly. This leads to unpleasant symptoms , including the skin, which can also be affected.

Signs of intolerance are itchy and red skin that can become inflamed. Many people affected initially think of neurodermatitis.

With this disease, the skin is also red and itchy. However, neurodermatitis is often accompanied by very dry skin and eczema is visible. Furthermore, neurodermatitis progresses in episodes.

If you suddenly notice unpleasant skin changes , you should pay attention to when they appear more frequently. Do certain areas of your skin always itch a few hours after you eat fruit?

Do some parts of the body turn red after eating sugary foods? This could be due to fructose intolerance, although there is no proof of this yet.

However, fructose intolerance can also lead to other skin problems. It is possible that you may develop acne or hives due to intolerance.

Acne is a skin condition caused by the clogging of hair follicles or pores and the inflammation of the sebaceous glands in the skin. This makes it easy for bacteria and those affected suffer from many pimples.

Hives, on the other hand, often manifests itself as a red rash in conjunction with so-called hives. Hives are rounded skin lesions that are often pale in the middle and red at the edges. They may itch or burn severely.

If you avoid fruit in the future due to an intolerance and therefore consume too few nutrients, you can also get pimples from this. It is therefore important to pay attention to a healthy diet .

What other symptoms are there?

In addition to skin changes, there are a number of other symptoms that can indicate fructose intolerance . Which includes :

  • Abdominal Pain : Abdominal pain is one of the most common problems suffered by sufferers. The pain usually occurs in the lower abdomen. This may cause you to feel nauseated, which can also lead to vomiting. In addition, the abdominal pain can feel cramp-like.

  • Digestive problems : Many people with food intolerance also suffer from bloating. This is because the undigested fructose is fermented in the intestines by bacteria, which in turn leads to the formation of gases. Diarrhea may also occur under certain circumstances. What helps against bloating is primarily light exercise such as a walk.
  • Exhaustion: If you feed your body food that it cannot process, it puts a strain on it. Therefore, you may feel exhausted and tired. You may also have trouble sleeping and have no energy to tackle things.

  • Psychological problems: If the body's reactions become chronic, this results in psychological stress. In the long term , fructose intolerance can lead to panic attacks if the symptoms are not treated or the cause is not eliminated.

  • Kidney problems: Fructose intolerance itself does not directly cause kidney problems. However, if a person does not adjust their diet despite serious physical reactions, kidney or liver damage can be promoted.


It should be noted that not everyone experiences the same symptoms and this list is not complete. Some sufferers sweat due to fructose intolerance or have particularly low blood sugar levels, while others suffer from headaches.

Still others discover their intolerance only late because they have almost no symptoms at all . No matter how severe your complaints are, you should always take them seriously and get to the bottom of them.

How is fructose intolerance diagnosed?

Detecting fructose intolerance is important in order to work on changing your diet. Because the symptoms will only disappear if you avoid sugar in the future. For a reliable diagnosis you should consult a doctor.

He will first take an anamnesis and ask you about your eating habits and complaints. An H2 breath test can then be used.

This involves giving the patient a certain amount of fructose , usually in the form of a solution. The patient's breath is then tested for hydrogen (H2) at regular intervals.

If the fructose is not digested properly, it ends up in the large intestine, where bacteria break it down and produce hydrogen. An increase in hydrogen levels in the breath therefore indicates intolerance.

If the test is not clear, further tests may be necessary. This is intended to rule out other diseases. There are a number of other intolerances and illnesses that cause similar symptoms. An example of this is celiac disease .

In the case of gluten intolerance , the consumption of wheat and various other grains leads to inflammation of the small intestinal lining. This in turn also leads to nausea, fatigue and other physical problems.

This example shows how difficult it can be to accurately diagnose food intolerance . For this reason, close cooperation between patient and doctor is necessary to determine this.

What else can I eat?

If it is clear that you suffer from fructose intolerance , the next step is to change your diet. Since the problem is caused by a metabolic disorder, food intolerance cannot simply be cured.

This means that you may have to avoid fructose completely . You should check with your doctor whether you can still eat these in small quantities.

Nutritional advice can also help you. A nutritionist knows how you can best replace the missing nutrients from fruit with other foods so that you don't suffer from deficiency symptoms.

These can also affect your attitude to life. He can also explain to you why you shouldn't eat oatmeal if you're fructose intolerant .

It is beneficial for your psyche if you concentrate on the things you are allowed to eat. Then you won't constantly think about what will be taboo for you in the future. Browse the range in store or on the Greenforce website.

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There you will definitely find a lot of foods that are delicious and fructose-free at the same time. The following things are generally well tolerated by those affected:

  • Grains : You can consume grain products as long as no fructose was added during processing. Rice and quinoa shouldn't hurt your stomach either.

  • Nuts : Nuts and seeds also do not naturally contain fructose, so you can eat them.

  • Vegetables : Many vegetables contain only small amounts of fructose. You can therefore carefully test whether you can tolerate them. You can start with potatoes or broccoli, for example.


Glucose and stevia are possible alternative sweeteners. Pay attention to the ingredients of ready-made products. All ingredients must be listed there. If you consistently avoid foods containing fructose, your skin's symptoms of fructose intolerance will quickly improve.