What's the word on rye?

The sources I used to create the allowed food lists for the FODMAPS elimination diet suggest that in clinical practice rye seemed to be reasonably well tolerated and is not considered problematic, although it does contain fructans. A more recent publication by the same work group puts rye on the "problem" list (Gibson PR, Shepherd SJ, Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2010;25(2):252-258). This is creating some confusion, and a lot of questions from sharp-eyed readers and dietitians!

After doing some extra digging around, I conclude that this is an excellent example of the importance of cultural context in  In the US, for example, rye consumption is rare and in minor quantities. Even most rye breads in the US have more wheat flour in them than rye. This makes rye not "problematic" here, as in Australia.

In Scandanavian countries, on the other hand, rye may be eaten daily, and in larger amounts. According to a paper I recently read (Karppinen S, Dietary Fibre Components of Rye Bran and Their Fermentation In Vitro, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, 2003) rye is the number one source of dietary fiber in the Finnish diet. That paper also reports that the fructan content of rye is significantly higher than that of wheat (typographical error corrected 8/18/10). Put those two facts together and you HAVE got a problematic food, at least in some parts of the world.

Looks like rye should be removed from the allowed food lists for the basic elimination diet, and added to the fructans challenge list. When all is said and done, most people will be able to eventually include rye in their diets in small quantities.

Remember, rye contains gluten. People with celiac disease shouldn't eat rye at all, even in small quantities.

Comments

[Sandy Farl]

Are there any other current foods that that have changed from the allowed to not allowed list (and visa versa) for FODMAPS?

[Patsy Catsos]

A short list of changes is accumulating and I will put together a summary of what they are in the very near future--watch blog postings for the latest.
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[Sharon]

What about sourdough bread? Does the baking process break down the fructans and make it more easily digested?

[Patsy Catsos]

I dont think that baking breaks down the fructans. Being made with wheat flour, sourdough bread would not be allowed on the elimination diet.
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[KnowledgeSponge]

Kindle version of book - The new edition in Kindle is great! One format issue for Kindle - your FODMAP foods lists are hard to work with as you can't have a paper copy in Kindle. I want to cross off, make marks, print it out, etc. Do you have a version of your acceptable and unacceptable food lists that readers can download? (Not a shopping list but the entire list.)

[Patsy Catsos]

Sorry, no, I don't. Try using the kindle note and highlight functions for that.

[W.M.]

While I understand that rye is not eaten as widely nor as often in the USA as it is in Scandinavian countries, I'm at a loss as to why this info about individual countries would impact the research about rye itself.

If I'm in the US and I'm considering switching my wheat for rye, I'd like to know if rye is or is not problematic. For me, the mention that my country might dilute rye usage has no importance.

So I am still baffled by the rye issue. In 2012, has there been further clarification? It has been two years since the last news was published here on this blog about rye.

As a side note, I think what the person was asking in their separate question about sourdough wasn't so much about whether the baking breaks down the FODMAPS, but whether extremely long proofing times would break down FODMAPS. There has been experimentation and publishing of studies on PUBMED that indicate that if grains are proofed long enough prior to baking that the gluten becomes "safe" for those normally intolerant. I think the original poster (and myself) might be wondering if long proof times would also render other fodmaps harmless. (Proof times are lengthened from mere hours to a full 24 hours or maybe more by keeping the dough relatively cool. It then rises more slowly. During this time, the wild sourdough yeasts or some other component is thought to break down the undesirable elements. It has been speculated that long proofing with commercial yeast may or may not offer the same results. I haven't seen pubmed studies on commercial yeast though. I'm not gluten intolerant - merely interested in the info.)

[Patsy]

Rye is a high FODMAP grain. Switching from wheat to rye will double or triple your fructan intake. The country you are in does not change this fact. The difference between countries is that rye is less of a staple food in the US than it is in Scandinavia, therefore is not one of the predominant sources of FODMAPs in the U.S. diet.

It is likely that the long proofing times in sourdough breads breaks down some of the FODMAPs. Unlike commercial yeasts, sourdough contains lactic-acid producing bacteria as well as wild yeasts, which may help.

I have seen some VERY preliminary work on reducing gluten content of cultured grains. But people with celiac desease or gluten intolerance should not be under the false impression that the gluten becomes "safe" in sourdough bread.

It is easy to confuse gluten and fructans because they are found in some of the same foods. Remember gluten is not a FODMAP. Gluten is the *protein* found in wheat, barley and rye, which coincidentally also contain fructans (carbohydrates).