20 Bitter Truths About Fructose You Should Know

The instant "boost" that you get after consuming sugar is why you crave it for comfort and as a reward. Sugar is a carbohydrate that is naturally present in a variety of foods like milk, fruits and honey. A certain amount of sugar is necessary in the diet as energy to fuel the muscles and keep the brain functioning well.

Fructose is naturally present in foods like fruits, veggies and nuts, but that doesn't mean that it is good for your health. Glucose gets processed in the gut during digestion and is used by all the cells in your body. Fructose circumvents the gut entirely and goes directly to your liver.Dr. Priti Vaidyanathan from Sami Labs Ltd, shares 20 bitter truths about fructose you should know.

1. When we eat small amounts of fructose and follow it up with a workout, it will be used to make glycogen (stored glucose) in the liver. Failing which, fructose is converted to undesirable fat.
2. Consuming large amounts of fructose at a time (like a bottle of soda or a few scoops of ice cream) leads to a similar condition.
3. Fruits while having fructose, also have lots of water, fibre and a low energy density. They take a while to chew and make you feel full pretty fast. It is almost impossible to over consume fructose by eating fruit.
4. Studies report that having elevated triglycerides in the blood can block leptin, a hormone that is crucial for the regulation of long-term energy balance from getting into the brain. Fructose is one of the key drivers of elevated triglycerides.

5. Cancer cells thrive and proliferate very well with fructose as their energy source.
6. Fructose reacts with proteins and polyunsaturated fats in our bodies 7 times more than glucose. This reaction creates AGEs (advanced glycation end-products), which are compounds that create oxidative damage in our cells and ultimately lead or contribute to inflammation and a host of chronic diseases.
7. Growing evidence suggests that fructose contributes to the development and severity of NAFLD (Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver disease). In human studies, fructose is associated with increasing hepatic fat, inflammation, and possibly fibrosis.
8. Fructose lowers HDL cholesterol (commonly referred to as ¡®good¡¯ cholesterol) and increases the density of LDL (¡®bad¡¯) cholesterol.

9. Mouth bacteria require Fructose to destroy teeth enamel. Without it decay is minimal.
10. Fructose produces a dopamine response which leads to reduction in Serotonin receptors in turn leading to depression & anxiety.
11. Uric acid production due to Fructose metabolism leads to depression of nitric oxide production necessary for proper erectile dysfunction.
12. High Uric acid production also leads to High Blood pressure as it depresses the nitric oxide which is essential for the relaxation of blood vessels.
13. Studies also show that excess consumption of salt and fructose-sweetened beverage significantly reduced fertility, reflected as a 50% reduction in preimplantation of the fertilized egg in women.

14. A research group has shown in hamsters that insulin resistance due to over Fructose can affect the hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for learning and remembering facts and events.
15. Clinical human studies reveal the role of Fructose in leading to increased risk of obesity and in turn metabolic syndrome.
16. Fructose metabolism in the body leads to formation of uric acid, higher amounts of which is harmful and leads to conditions such as Gout (acute pain in smaller joints).
17. Fructose causes increased cross-linking of collagen, an indicator of accelerated ageing.
18. The ability of the human body to absorb fructose is limited. Hence consumption of higher quantities of fructose leads to bowel disturbances.
19. Experiments done on kidney models report that higher fructose intake leads to reduction in renal function and causes damage to the fine blood vessels within.
20. A potential health hazard causing major damage to the liver, kidney and other vital organs.

*Card Image Courtesy: iDiva