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Research indicates for many people, gluten is being blamed for problems caused by fructans, a type of carbohydrate found in various plants.
By: Amy Denney
If you’ve been avoiding gluten because it makes your gut feel miserable—yet still struggling with frequent gas and bloating—you could be reacting to fructans.
Wheat contains a number of substances that can cause unpleasant symptoms. Besides wheat proteins like gluten, wheat also contains fructans—natural carbohydrates found in a number of plants in varying amounts.
Many people with gastrointestinal (GI) complaints feel better when eating gluten-free simply because they are cutting out a major source of fructan. Research reveals that gluten seems to be getting a bad rap for the problems caused by fructans.
Upward Trend in Gluten Problems
There are a number of reasons someone might be sensitive to gluten—most being well-understood except the elusive non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity. There is no way to test for this condition, as well as no clear mechanism, and symptoms overlap with other conditions like celiac disease.
Celiac disease is the most serious reason to avoid wheat or gluten. It’s an autoimmune disorder in which gluten damages the small intestine, causes long-lasting and chronic digestive symptoms, and prevents nutrient absorption.
A wheat allergy happens when the immune system responds to wheat by making immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which release chemicals causing allergies affecting the nose, throat, lungs, or skin.
Gluten sensitivity can cause symptoms in both the gut and immune system, Dr. Elizabeth Boham, a physician and dietitian who specializes in functional medicine, said in an email interview with The Epoch Times. Symptoms can include fatigue, eczema, itchy skin, brain fog, joint pain, headaches, and gut symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and pain.
People with fructan intolerance respond to wheat with a non-immune mediated reaction, meaning symptoms are limited to the gut.
Fructan intolerance is caused by an imbalance of gut microbes, including a lack of those that digest carbohydrates. That causes the fibers to ferment in the gut, causing gas, bloating, pain, and changes in bowel movements like diarrhea or constipation.
Complicated Nature of Fructans
Fructans are a type of FODMAP, an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates poorly absorbed by the small intestine. Other FODMAPs are typically single molecules, with some being sugar alcohols, like sorbitol and mannitol, and others being simple sugars, like fructose and lactose.
The FODMAP fructan is a chain of fructose sugar molecules with a glucose sugar molecule at the end. They vary in length and structure, making them complex to measure.
FODMAPS span food groups. Fructans are found in a wider variety of food groups than other FODMAP foods, including grains, fruits, and vegetables. This can make it harder to eliminate fructans from the diet.
Foods with both gluten and fructan include wheat, barley, rye, and spelt.
Gluten-free foods with fructan include fruit, legumes, vegetables, and nuts, including bananas, dates, watermelon, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, shallots, chicory root, leeks, almonds, cashews, and pistachios.
The Bigger Villain Fructan
Patients with non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity helped researchers test the hypothesis that fructans could be causing their symptoms rather than gluten.
A 2024 study published in BMC Medicine showed that patients were more likely to react with GI symptoms after eating fructan bars than gluten bars. However, researchers were unable to find the precise mechanism.
