Fructose
Fructose is a carbohydrate, a naturally occurring sugar found in honey, berries, fruits and sweet vegetables. On the counters of modern stores, fructose is found everywhere, as it is very popular with many adherents of a healthy lifestyle. However, not all doctors and nutritionists share the opinion about the total benefits of fructose.
Unique properties and benefits of fructose
The main property of fructose is that it is almost twice as sweet as sugar and has a low glycemic index, therefore it is often used as a sweetener.
When it gets into the bloodstream, regular sugar causes a feeling of fullness, while increasing blood glucose levels. To reduce it, the body produces the hormone insulin. Such a mechanism can be dangerous for diabetic patients when the pancreas is unable to produce the required amount of insulin. A high blood sugar level leads to the destruction of the walls of blood vessels, injured vessels become overgrown with cholesterol plaques, which in turn contributes to impaired blood flow, the occurrence of trophic ulcers, heart attacks and life-threatening strokes.
When fructose enters the bloodstream, the sugar level in the body does not rise. Blood cells assimilate it without the participation of insulin - this property of fructose is widely used in the diet of patients with diabetes mellitus. When fructose is consumed, in accordance with medical recommendations, it is possible to achieve stabilization of the sugar level in this category of patients. Another valuable proven property of fructose is the absence of its negative effect on tooth enamel.
The harm of fructose or features you need to know about
Despite the listed advantages, experts talk about the dangers of fructose if it completely replaces the usual sugar. These data are confirmed by serious modern studies of domestic and foreign scientists. The fact is that with the constant use of fructose in food, hypoglycemic states develop, when the blood sugar level steadily decreases below the permissible limit.
A person who regularly and uncontrollably consumes fructose feels constant hunger and unsuccessfully tries to satisfy it by absorbing huge amounts of food. As a result, various endocrine disorders develop, obesity and even diabetes mellitus may occur. Moreover, the use of fructose instead of sugar for the purpose of losing weight is unjustified, since its calorie content is about 400 kcal per 100 grams of product.
In addition to metabolic disorders and excess body weight, the harm of fructose and its negative role in the occurrence of the process of fatty degeneration of the liver, a formidable chronic disease, consisting in the degeneration of liver cells, has been proven. This is due to the fact that in the process of splitting popular fructose is absorbed very quickly and turns exclusively into fat, and once started, the process is cyclical and extremely difficult to block. The harm of fructose is also observed in cases of its uncontrolled use in the form of toxic liver damage.
Scientists associate the emergence of the obesity epidemic in the United States with the harm of fructose and its widespread use in pseudo-dietary products. In view of the above, it has been established that the benefits of fructose for the human body are manifested when its daily use is no more than 50 g; an overdose of fructose can lead to the development of disorders in the cardiovascular system.
The intake of fructose in the body
In healthy people, the intake of fructose into the body should occur naturally when eating various fruits and berries. Even in the diet of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the benefits of fructose today are not indisputable - many doctors advise simply to limit the amount of fast carbohydrates in their diet. Those who are shown to use fructose are strongly advised to do so under the supervision of a physician.
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