M.D. A research paper from Israel shows that many cases of irritable bowel syndrome are caused by inability to absorb certain sugars.
Irritable bowel means that a person has terrible discomfort from intestinal gas.
Sugars should be absorbed in the upper intestinal tract so they don't reach the colon. Sugars that are not absorbed, pass to the colon where bacteria ferment them to cause gas. This study shows that 78 percent of people with irritable bowel syndrome do not absorb the sugars fructose and lactose efficiently. Restricting these sugars reduced symptoms. Lactose is a double sugar in milk that has to be broken down into two single sugars, glucose and galactose, to be absorbed.