Our expert says:
There are at present 2 divergent schools of thought regarding the effect of excessive fructose intakes on health. One group of researchers believes that there is no difference between a high fructose intake and excessive intakes of other sugars, and that both cause identical detrimental effects. The other group of researchers is of the opinion that the sudden pronounced increase in the intake of fructose (esp in the USA where all the cold drinks are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup and fructose intake has increased a 100% over the past few decades), is responsible for most diseases of lifestyle (raised blood lipid levels, esp triglycerides; type-2 diabetes; metabolic syndrome; the obesity epidemic; gout, because fructose is the only sugar that increases uric acid levels; kidney disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). At present, these theories are primarily based on epidemiological and animal studies. Until we have sufficient evidence from well controlled, random studies in humans comparing the metabolic effects of fructose to other types of sugar, it is difficult to draw a firm conclusion. However, the current recommendations are that patients with high triglyceride levels should limit their intake of liquid fructose and that we should all be careful of drinking unlimited quantities of cold drinks sweetened with fructose and fruit juices. In regard to fruit, the approach is that fruits are complex structures which contain dietary fibre and many protective nutrients that may ameliorate the negative effects of the accompanying fructose intake. It is also prudent to eat more vegetables than fruit when complying with the 5-A-Day recommendation regarding fruit and veg intake.
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