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Fructose
Level 5 — High concernIn Winter's Dictionary2 sources
Fructose is a natural sweetener — Natural sugar; sweetener, preservative, used in ice cream
What it does
Natural sugar; sweetener, preservative, used in ice cream
Where you'll see it
Fruits, honey, ice cream, sweetened products
What the research says
In 2004 a Louisiana State medical researcher linked high-fructose corn syrup to the increase in obesity since 1980s. Caused tumors in mice when injected under the skin in 5,000 mg/kg doses.
[metabolical] 100% of an oral fructose load reaches the liver, where it depletes ATP, generates uric acid, and drives de novo lipogenesis into liver fat. Its five-membered ring engages the Maillard (glycation) reaction seven times faster than glucose, and its breakdown product methylglyoxal drives glycation 250x faster than glucose. Fructose is biochemically equivalent to ethanol and is the primary driver of NAFLD, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome.
Benefits
Absorbed in GI tract more slowly than glucose; only slight increase in blood glucose levels after consumption.
Sources
- Metabolical (Lustig) — Chapter 7; Chapter 12; Chapter 21: fructose is the most egregious cause of liver insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome because of how the liver uniquely metabolizes it
- A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): a Louisiana State medical researcher linked high-fructose corn syrup to the increase in obesity