Facts about Sugar, Glucose and Fructose
Sugar, Glucose or Fructose
Fructose has recently been the focus of much interest as a possible contributor to the current epidemic of metabolic diseases.
Facts about Sugar, Glucose and Fructose
- Fructose and sugar are not essential for any physiological function – you don’t need it
- Glucose is essential to all cells to generate energy and an exclusive energy fuel for the brain
- Fruit and honey contain small amounts of fructose and glucose
- Our fructose intake today mainly comes from sugar (glucose and fructose combined)
- You don’t need to consume sugar to maintain blood glucose levels. (Until recently our dietary source for glucose was derived from complex carbohydrates)
- Sugar is easily digested and spikes blood glucose levels and the fructose part can increase triglycerides (can have an increasing effect on total cholesterol)
- Diabetics should exclude sugar in their diet because of the effect on the triglycerides and healthy active people should limit the consumption there of
- A high fructose and sucrose (sugar) diet can increase body fat and body weight
- Too much fructose in the diet can increase fat storage in the liver and can cause a non-alcoholic fatty liver
- A high fructose intake can cause insulin resistance on the long run but we need more research
- Small amounts of fructose (40g/d) will not increase plasma triglycerides but can increase LDL cholesterol
