Debunking the Fructose Myth

Poor fructose has been slammed and shamed lately. Where once fruit was the ‘go-to’ healthy snack, a strong anti-fructose media message recently has created a population of people scratching their heads wondering what on earth to have now as their snack and do they have to start making bliss balls and activating their nuts instead?

So as a Dietitian, let me shed some scientific light for you on fructose.

What is fructose and were is it found?

Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit, honey and most root vegetable. It is also in cane sugar and isolated from corn and sugar beets to make high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). High fructose corn syrup is used infrequently in processed foods in Australia, cane sugar is used instead as it’s less expensive. However they are virtually the same thing, both containing fructose and glucose molecules.

How do we metabolise fructose and when can it be bad for us?

Almost every cell in the body can break down glucose for energy. Fructose however is almost solely metabolized in liver cells. This is fine in small doses, but have a constant stream of high dose refined fructose in your diet and the liver starts converting that fructose into tiny droplets of fat that accumulate in liver cells, called non-alcoholic fatty liver. Excess fructose in the diet can also increase triglycerides and bad LDL fats, increases visceral fat that coats our organs, increases blood pressure and makes cells insulin resistant, also known as pre-diabetes.

What foods should you avoid?

Soft drinks, sweets, sugary cereals, biscuits, bottled sauces, fruit juice and other processed food that contain refined cane sugar or sucrose delivers large doses of fructose to the liver very quickly and contain next to no nutritional value. It’s these foods that have given poor fructose their bad name.

So is it ok to eat fruit?

Yes yes and yes! There is only a small amount of fructose in a piece of fruit, delivered slowly to the liver because it is eaten slowly and digested slowly. Fruit also contains fibre, in particular soluble fibre that can reduce cholesterol levels and slows the digestion of sugars (low GI). Fruit also contains vitamins such as folate, vitamin C and potassium. Stick to your 2-3 serves of fruit per day, mostly choose the highest fibre fruits like apples, pears and oranges and eat the whole thing, don’t make it into a juice.