Is Fructose Bad for Health?

Fructose is one of the two principal constituents of added sugar, together with glucose. According to some healthcare experts, fructose is the worse of the two, at least when ingested in excess quantities. 

Many people are confused by the term because fructose is present in fruits, so how harmful can it be? The fact is that fructose, which is added to modern meals and beverages as a sweetener, is fueling many conditions such as obesity, reduction of immune system function, aging, and inhibiting the signal of satiety. 

What is fructose? 

Fructose, often known as fruit sugar, is a monosaccharide present in a variety of foods. The sweet taste of berries, fruits, and sweeteners such as honey is attributed to fructose. 

Fructose is obtained from natural sources and can be beneficial when consumed as part of a well-balanced diet. Fructose is not inherently harmful. Fructose is progressively being extracted, crystallized, and marketed to the processed food industries as a sweetener that is nearly twice as sweet as regular sugar and much cheaper. This is when the problems begin. 

Harmful effects of excess fructose 

A growing body of research suggests that excessive amounts of fructose intake, whether in the form of high fructose corn syrup or simple fructose, are one of the key causes of obesity and diabetes. There are several explanations for this: 

Fructose increases body fat: Fructose digestion, absorption, as well as metabolism vary from that of glucose. Unlike glucose, which can be utilized by practically every cell of the body to produce energy, fructose could only be metabolized by the organ called the liver. 

Furthermore, whenever fructose enters the liver, it tends to enhance the body's synthesis of triglycerides or fats. 

Fructose inhibits the signal of satiety: Hormones regulate several roles in the human body, including appetite.  leptin is one of the hormones involved in appetite regulation, with greater leptin levels resulting in a sense of fullness. Ghrelin is another one of these hormones; ghrelin levels are greatest before a meal and fall afterward.

When humans ingest fructose, two critical hormonal signaling pathways are disrupted: leptin levels do not rise and ghrelin levels do not fall, inhibiting the sense of fullness that is typically associated with eating. This, in turn, causes an increase in the desire of eating and overeat in an attempt to feel full. 

Reduces immune system function: The immune system is our first line of defense against both internal and external diseases. A strong, functional immune system reduces the risk of being ill as well as the amount of time we are ill! The immune system is critical in removing the cell mutations that cause cancer. In experiments, the ingestion of fructose, along with other kinds of sugar, severely reduced the ability of the immune system to fight pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. 

Fructose promotes aging: What about wrinkled skin and aging? No way! Excessive, long-term intake of fructose reduced levels of the kind of collagen that prevents wrinkles from appearing in rats, according to recent studies.