Sunday, August 19, 2012

Fructose malabsorption and prognosis

Update:  I have found out about a supplement called Fructosin, which supposedly converts fructose to glucose.  That is most definitely an option.  If this progresses to complete intolerance for sugar, it is a diet that is virtually impossible to follow.  More to come on this in future training log posts.
EDIT:  I officially endorse Fructosin!

Almost a year ago, I made the decision to quit drinking soda, energy drinks and strictly limit my alcohol consumption.  I've cheated a few times but the end result was that I stabilized and eventually was able to wean myself off the rest of my pills or should I say, forced off the pills?  I can't take anything now without a swift negative reaction.   I first tried some healthier alternatives such as green tea and FRS energy.  Both of which eventually triggered negative reactions after some initial success.

  More recently, I got hooked on Naked juice smoothies, a supposedly healthy blend of fruits and vegetables.  It has about 55 grams of sugar per bottle, but it's all contained within the fruits with "no added sugar."  I cannot even tolerate that stuff either.  Next, I drank more Powerade Zero and Propel zero, which do not contain any sugars but rather artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame.  BAD stuff!

Finally, I tried some Chia fruit bars to help balance my blood sugar.  Once again, after some initial success, I suffered a sharp downturn within 2 weeks of beginning regular consumption.  Again, these fruit chia bars have no added sugar, all naturally contained in the fruit.  I really should have known that it would be bad for me but I thought it might be different because I was eating it instead of drinking it.  Right now, I highly doubt that my blood sugar is balanced but I'm not even sure that it's the main problem.  I fit the symptoms of fructose malabsorption the T.   The problem lies with my intestines, which cannot properly absorb or digest the sugar.

Did it play a role in plantar fasciitis issue?  Probably.  I overstressed parts of my body that had been damaged only because of this disorder.  If I consume too much sugar in any form, I will suffer sore muscles, inflammation, fatigue, malaise and depression.  It's not unlike adrenal fatigue.  The best way that I can describe it in a way that my readers can understand is that it basically feels like the flu (minus the fever and chills) and it takes about 5-7 days to recover only by strictly avoiding it.  Is sugar addictive?  Yes, I believe that it is.  Otherwise, I would not have been constantly looking for substitutes and never would have consumed items that I knew or should have known were bad for me.  That said, I'm sure that it is easier to quit than cigarettes or illegal drugs so it could be worse.

Prognosis:
  The best thing that I can do is to go cold turkey for at least 4 weeks. I know I've said that before but I cheated with the artificial sweeteners.   I will not even eat any fruit during that time, which can't be good for me long-term. Can I take probiotics?  Maybe but there is a risk that some of them contain what is known as prebiotics, which are building blocks of fructose.  I've read that there are supplements out there that may help but I'd prefer not to go down that road.  After all I've been through, do I really want to be locked into to taking a pill every day yet again? Will I be able to tolerate it?  Will it mess with my fragile equilibrium? I will take that action only if it progresses to the point in which a one time slip up would cause a 5-7 day problem.  Right now, I probably still have an allowance of about 25-30 grams of sugar (1 protein bar) per day.  If I break it once and by a small amount, no problem.  Any more than once a week and I'll be in trouble.

Running:
  There is still hope for a productive Fall season but the September 5K shots at my PR are probably out the window.  I've been able to maintain decent fitness lately and a week off now followed by a slack week won't kill me.  I might lose about a minute from my 10K time but should bounce back quickly.  I'll know after about 3 days following the 2nd round of prolo whether or not I can handle hard stuff again or I'll need a 3rd treatment.  I'm running Denver no matter what even if it turns out that I have to jog it.  After that, it is a question mark.  I've been through worse than this before but to have this happen just after I get freedom from the pills is very demoralizing.

NO running next week, no blogging about it, no reading about it and no talking about it.  I have one such week built into my plan per year in addition to the week off after Mercedes that I took so it won't affect my yearly GPA.  That's based on an average of 50 weeks, in which I need to average 40 miles to reach 2,000.  It'll be close.   Another week off, for any reason, is an automatic ZERO.


1 comment:

Yo Momma Runs said...

Wow, that's amazing that you were able to discover that you have a problem absorbing sugar. It's very hard to give up, so the fact that you have cut back to the amount you have is very impressive. I have one sister and some friends who don't eat sugar, so you are not alone in giving it up. You can do this! Especially since you know the difference it can make in your system. Enjoy your well deserved rest.