Coming under the ‘M’ of the FODMAP acronym, fructose is a monosaccharide commonly found in fruits, honey and sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup. In terms of its impact on IBS, it is the quantity of fructose in excess of any glucose in a food that determines its FODMAP rating.
In previously published studies, we have noted that we have two different low FODMAP cut-offs for excess fructose. (1) The cut-off that is used depends on the presence of other FODMAPs, as well as what type of food it was found in (fresh fruits and vegetables or not). (1)
Having the two cut-offs was due to the consideration of how foods are consumed. For example, the cut-off for excess fructose in fresh fruits and vegetables was set higher to allow for the consumption of a whole piece of fruit, which is very often consumed as a snack on its own. The cut-off used for anything other than fresh fruits and vegetables was set lower to account for the combination of multiple foods within a meal together.
We have recently reviewed the use of the fructose cut-off and believe that the smaller cut-off used for the majority of foods should also extend to fresh vegetables. Vegetables are commonly combined in meals, whether they be raw in a salad or cooked together in a vegetable bake, stir fry and so on. Therefore, to allow for this combination, and easier avoidance of potential FODMAP stacking, the vegetables within the app have been reviewed against these cut-offs. Below are some examples of changes that you will see in the App now that a smaller low FODMAP cut-off will be implemented for fructose in vegetables:
We found that the majority of vegetables containing excess fructose do remain low FODMAP at 1 serve (75g / 2.65oz). The main impact is smaller amber and red serves of these foods instead.
Some noteworthy changes, where the low FODMAP serving size has decreased, can be seen in the table below:
This table is a summary of the foods where the 'Green Serve Size' has changed. For example, Broccolini (heads only), raw - has an overall red rating in the app for a 75g/2.65oz serve, and a green serve at 58g/2.05oz. With the slight change for the fructose cut-off, the overall rating stays red, however, the green serve size has now been reduced to 21g/0.74oz.
If you already tolerated fructose well, then this update will have no real impact on your consumption of vegetables.
If you poorly tolerate fructose in quantities above the previous green serving sizes, you could attempt to re-test your tolerance, using the new serving sizes as a guide.
As always, your tolerance to FODMAPs is personal to you, so use this information as a guide and starting point from which you can learn and navigate to discover your personal limits and work with a FODMAP-trained dietitian throughout this process.