Dextrose

[kikilou23]

Has anyone else had a problem with Dextrose. It says it is 'Gluten Free' but I have eaten a product with this ingredient and I have swelled up like a balloon all around my tummy, abdomen and hips and it hurts.

[BabsyWabsy]

Hi Kikilou23, two possible issues with dextrose, it is highly fermentable and can be derived from wheat. Could either or both of these be an issue for you? Maltodextrin can also be derived from wheat, but is a non-fermentable sugar. Neither need to be labelled with their origin on UK packaging at the moment, but I think this may be about to change because the Food Standards Agency is making some amendments to food labelling to make it more transparent for coeliacs and people with allergies.

[Babette]

Yep. It's one of the ingredients that makes me feel tired and a bit 'off'. I avoid it and maltodextrin now.

[CATRYNA49]

Dextrose is derived from corn, wheat, or rice and can be a real problem for many of us, especially those of us who cannot tolerate grains at all. My most recent encounter with dextrose was in an IV that was given me by an ambulance tech who transported me to the ER. He mistakenly thought my intense sweating from the extreme pain I was in, was due to a diabetic low blood sugar problem. I am not diabetic and I pleaded with him not to administer the dextrose, but he did anyway. I ended up with Celiac Dermatitis Herpetiformis reaction with painful and itchy blisters on the right side of my face and inside of my right ear. It was maddening.

[freelancer]

I used to react to it and have since avoided it, but decided (stupidly) to test this out last week by eating ham and salami containing it, leading to days of bloating, shiveriness and fatigue. I’ll stick to the ones that say maize dextrose in future, which seem to work for me! I’m not a diagnosed coeliac but have been GF for 10+ years and have problems with other things that are below the GF level, such as yeast extract.

[kikilou23 in reply to freelancer]

What is really bad is these companies (food) are advertising gluten free foods with dextrose and it’s not gluten free.