The form of sugar known as fructose can cause health problems in people who have a genetic intolerance, but it can also lead to weight gain and related health conditions in other individuals. One way to avoid these problems is to consume a fructose-free diet. Meal planning can be difficult since the list of foods containing fructose is long, but the benefits could be worth it.
Identification
Fructose is a naturally occurring form of sugar twice as sweet as table sugar, or sucrose, which is one reason it's popular as a sweetener in processed foods. High-fructose corn syrup, made from corn starch using enzymes, accounts for almost half of all the added sugars in the U.S. diet. Crystalline fructose is also a corn-based sweetener used by food manufacturers, but whereas high-fructose corn syrup contains 55 percent fructose and the rest glucose, crystalline fructose results from extra processing steps that yield a product close to 100 percent fructose.
Significance
Hereditary fructose intolerance is a genetic disorder where an enzyme needed to break down fructose is missing. It can be mild or severe and lead to such symptoms as an enlarged liver or spleen, yellow skin, vomiting and convulsions. Fructose may also be partly responsible for obesity, diabetes and other conditions. The American Diabetes Association recommends avoiding fructose other than when it occurs naturally in fruit because it may adversely affect levels of fatty acids and cholesterol in the blood. Even if you don't have hereditary fructose intolerance or diabetes, a 2005 study by researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City found that consuming more than 25 grams of fructose a day often causes stomach pain and diarrhea.
Recommendations
If you need to avoid fructose completely, choose meals without fruit, honey, syrups of all kinds, sucrose, regular sodas, other sweetened beverages, Splenda and sugar alcohols like sorbitol and maltitol. Since many of these substances are also included in processed foods, avoid products such as baked beans, honey-baked meats and breads, cereals, cookies and cakes with the forbidden sweeteners. Many labels may have hidden forms of fructose in the ingredients list, which is a reason to use foods in their whole, unprocessed form.
Considerations
Consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian to determine your tolerance levels for fructose, because not everyone will react the same. You can also try a four-week fructose-free diet and then introduce small amounts and gradually increase them until you begin to have symptoms. If you are diabetic, your doctor will advise you on the amounts of food with fructose you can safely consume, and you will need to monitor your blood-sugar levels frequently.
References
- Vancouver Sun; Sugar: A Glossary; March 12, 2011
- Los Angeles Times; Is Crystalline Fructose a Better Choice of Sweetener?; Elena Conis; Feb. 2, 2009
- Mayo Clinic; Fructose Intolerance: Which Foods Should I Avoid?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Dietary Sugars Stimulate Fatty Acid Synthesis in Adults; E.J. Parks, et al.; June 2008
- PubMed Health; Hereditary Fructose Intolerance; April 2009
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