Fructose is a simple sugar called a monosaccharide composed of one, water-soluble molecule. Fructose is contained in plant-based foods and sweeteners used in food production. Consumption of fructose sweeteners may be hazardous to your health, according to research by George Bray, M.D., published in "Current Opinion in Lipidology" in 2010.
Types
Fructose is from different sources and in various forms. Fructose is naturally present as a monosaccharide in whole fruits, maple syrup and honey. Fructose is also part of sucrose, commonly called table sugar, a disaccharide binding 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. High-fructose corn syrup is a mixture of fructose and glucose made in 42, 55 and 90 percent fructose concentrations. Processing converts glucose in corn into fructose, producing a taste as sweet as sucrose and less costly. Crystallized fructose and concentrated fruit juices contain high amounts of fructose.
Misconceptions
All fructose is not the same. Different molecular structures may be metabolized differently. Your liver converts fructose into glucose, the form of sugar metabolized in cells throughout your body. Fructose is metabolized almost exclusively in your liver, where it may also produce fat. Fructose content in fruit, maple syrup and honey is in small amounts that your liver converts to glucose. Sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup have higher concentrations of fructose than fruit, are converted to fat in your liver, especially when consumed in high amounts, may lower leptin and not depress ghrelin, hormones that suppress and stimulate your appetite, respectively, which can lead to overeating. Research by Kimber Stanhope, Ph.D., published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2008 reported that humans consuming sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup each results in increases of triacyglyceol involved with fat production, at levels comparably as high after consuming pure fructose.
Effects
Fructose consumption from sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup and crystallized and concentrated fructose sweeteners may increase your risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Harvard Medical School report women who drink one or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks per day are 83 percent more likely to develop diabetes and gain weight than women who consume less than one drink a month. Beverages with fructose sweeteners increase body fat and blood levels of fat, cholesterol and insulin, elevating risk for chronic diseases, according to research by Stanhope published in the "Journal of Clinical Investigation" in 2009.
Managing Risk
Consumption of sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup increased for over four decades in the United States, accounting for 17 and 8 percent, respectively, of total caloric intake in 2004, according to research by Kiyah Duffey, Ph.D., published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2008. Based on epidemiological trends of obesity, diabetes and other diseases concurrent with increased consumption of fructose sweeteners, it is prudent to limit your intake of foods with these ingredients and consume whole, unprocessed foods and beverages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends consuming fresh fruits and fruit juices each day.
References
- PubMed.gov: Soft Drink Consumption and Obesity: It Is All About Fructose
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- Harvard Medical School: Added Sweeteners
- PubMed.gov: Twenty-Four-Hour Endocrine and Metabolic Profiles Following Consumption of High-Fructose Corn Syrup-, Sucrose-, Fructose- and Glucose-Sweetened Beverages with Meals
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
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