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Malabsorption of fructose (a sugar found naturally in foods such as honey, prunes, peaches, and apples and also used in many food sweeteners, soft drinks, and diabetic and diet foods) has been implicated as a cause of adverse gastrointestinal symptoms. To assess adults’ normal fructose absorption capacity and to develop a method for evaluating fructose malabsorption, researchers in Iowa conducted a double-blind trial in 20 healthy volunteers (mean age, 31). On 1 day each week for 4 weeks, participants ingested fructose solutions (15 g, 25 g, or 50 g of fructose in 10% solutions, or 50 g in a 33% solution). Investigators obtained breath samples every 30 minutes for 5 hours to assess for hydrogen and methane (known markers for unabsorbed fruc…