Senior Health

4/14/2023 | By UHN Staff

The Western diet is largely made up of processed foods with added sugars, especially fructose. We look at fructose and health – is that tasty sweetness bad for us?

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than six teaspoons per day. The reality? Americans, children and adults alike, consume an average sugar intake of 17 teaspoons per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Western diet is largely made up of processed foods, most of which contain added sugar. Fructose, specifically high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is the most common type of sugar in processed foods.

Fructose and Health 101

Fructose is naturally present in fruits, vegetables and honey. It makes up about 50% of table sugar (sucrose), along with glucose. It is also used to make HFCS, which contains similar amounts of fructose and glucose. As the main energy source for our cells, the body breaks down glucose in the cells. Fructose must be made into glucose by the liver before it can provide energy to our cells. Glucose causes the release of insulin, but fructose does not trigger insulin, nor the hormones that tell the brain that the body is not hungry. This may lead to overeating and potential weight gain and associated health problems.

Too much added fructose

The word "fructose" written in sugar. The Western diet is largely made up of processed foods with added sugars, especially fructose. We look at fructose and health – is it bad?
Is this sugar worthy of our ire?

Excessive fructose, just like too much of any added sugars, is not healthy. Fructose is converted to glucose in the liver, but if there’s too much, the liver produces uric acid and fat in the form of triglycerides. This may increase the risk of fatty liver disease, gout and heart disease.

Too much added fructose has also been associated with insulin resistance, which can contribute to the development of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. A recent study links fructose, but not glucose, as the component of added sugar driving metabolic complications (including insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension and premature heart disease).

Another study suggests it may be the interaction between fructose and glucose in HFCS that increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes. Despite the many studies suggesting its ill-effects, more research is needed for a definitive conclusion against fructose. Many foods with high fructose also contain other sugars, such as glucose, and they tend to be high in calories, which also contribute to obesity and related negative health effects.

Natural fructose

Fruits, vegetables, fruit juices and honey contain varying amounts of fructose and glucose. Amounts of each of these two natural sugars vary as well, but generally it’s about half and half. The difference between eating fructose in its natural form compared to fructose as an added sugar is that whole fruits and vegetables not only have less sugar than foods with added sugar, they are also packed with filling dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, health-protecting phytochemicals, and water.

Consuming too much fructose from fruit and vegetable sources is highly improbable due to the overall balanced nutritional profile of these foods. In fact, studies have shown that eating whole fruits is not only unlikely to contribute to excess calories and weight gain, but may even play a role in its prevention and management.

The bottom line on fructose and health

Excess added sugars are not good for health, but it is unclear whether fructose alone is to blame. More research is needed on fructose and health. In its natural form — in fruits and vegetables — it remains a simple way to satisfy your sweet tooth and load up on health-promoting vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Environmental Nutrition is the award-winning independent newsletter written by nutrition experts dedicated to providing readers up-to-date, accurate information about health and nutrition in clear, concise English. For more information, visit www.environmentalnutrition.com.

©2023 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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UHN Staff

University Health News provides expert health advice from American universities and health centers through a variety of publications. One of these, Environmental Nutrition, is an award-winning independent newsletter written by nutrition experts dedicated to providing readers up-to-date, accurate information about health and nutrition.