Fructose is a strange sugar. It is the sweetest natural sugar, yet it has the lowest glycemic index of any sugar. Nutritionists often recommend that people with diabetes use fructose.
Many of our favorite fruits and vegetables get their sweetness from fructose. We love honey, tree fruits, berries, ...
The Fructose Puzzle
7/24/06 12:24pm
Having downloaded the abstract of Dr Bantle's recent paper and the Nov. 2000 article, it remains unclear from the abstract whether all the conclusions apply to diabetes patients or some only for 'healthy subjects'. While sharing your view on de minimis amounts, I am still concerned over medium amounts (no fuss about 'regular' soft drinks, sweetened with high fructose corn syrup; counted them out years ago). Somewhere they argue that glucose is better than fructose: surprisingly counterintuitive! Thanks for pointing this research out, David. David's Response: The full-text version of Dr. Bantle's recent paper, which he sent me, makes it clear, Peter, that his conclusions do apply to patients with diabetes and not just for "healthy subjects." It wasn't Dr. Bantle but rather Joe Anderson who argues that glucose is better than fructose. It is counterintuitive. And I am not ready to accept it either.
2/ 3/09 3:04pm
1/ 5/10 2:56pm
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2/16/10 7:55pm
I avoid anything that has sugar or HFCS, but I certainly am not going to put fresh or canned fruit out my diet, even though I have diabetes. I don't know about the commenter who said it bypassed is meter but showed up on his A1c, but my A1c is great, even though my glucose level on my meter fluctuates a lot. Oranges are the fruit I do avoid because they do have about the most sugar of any fruit and my doctor advised me to avoid orange juce also. I cannot eat grapefruit or drink the juice because it interferes with several of the other meds I take. It would never occur to me to use sugar in anything I have a choice about using a sweetener on as long as there is Truvia or Splenda to cook with. I love to bake and when it is something I will be partaking of it is totally sugar free. If I choose a canned fruit that has light syrup or something like that, I put it in a strainer and rinse it several times to get the fruit clean of the sweetener. this time of year the fresh fruit in my area is not of very good quality.
3/ 3/10 5:07am
Glucose is bad for diabetics even the naturally occuring kind. Most fruits contain Glucose in addition to Fructose. For example , apple contains not only Fructose but also Sucrose and Glucose. It is not safe for Diabetics to eat fruits in large measure assuming that fruits contain only Fructose. Not so.
sam
6/ 2/10 9:20pm
My wife Meredith and I are known for optimal health. Would it surprise you that even though we do not have diabetes we watch our fructose intake most carefully.
Certainly advanced glycation end products are a concern. Another concern that is easily measurable is cardiovascular health and the lipid profile that contributes to that. We have noticed that when we eat fruits that are high in fructose and the amount gets to around 18g/dday or so it shows up in lipid profiles.
We suggest using the VAP test -- an advanced lipid profile test and looking carefully at atherogenic subparticles like apoB. That, IMO, should be a criteria for how much fructose one includes in their diet. If apoB increases, you might just be eating too much fructose.
Paul
6/ 2/10 9:33pm
11/15/10 6:04pm
The mention of the VAP-test (a multi-fraction lipid profile) is a great idea. Three VAP-metrics, in particular, are quite significant: [ Lp(a) ] which has event-PREDICTOR- value, [ ApoB ]; and "Particle Size", which assesses LDL proclivity to insinuate itself into the actual vascular-wall, ultimately a significant part of the critical plaque-rupture scenario. Aside from the VAP, there is a separate test for the [ LpPLA(2) ] entity, a very important 'phospholipid protein', which is also critical in assessing your 'event' outlook. There are things that can be done for [Lp(a)] NOW, and a Ph-3 trial is now under-way for an Rx for [LpPLA(2)]. I have really 'pushed back' (successfully) on the 'particle-size' problem (two letter-grades!) w/ existing targeted-compounds. And -- there's hope on other VAP-fraction fronts too.
6/22/10 7:56pm
I love fruit, and would love to eat some, but everytime I do, it spikes my blood. They only fruit that I can eat and be comfortable with, are strawberries. I can cook with cranberries, but that's about it for me. I'm on Dr. Bernstein's Solution to Diabetes, and manage just fine without much fruit.
Really enjoyed your article David.
Keep up the good work
lovingcritters
consue
7/29/10 9:54pm
...is in the fruit.
For decades, butter was 'to be avoided', because of the dangers associated with cholesterol and saturated fats. The realization that it also contained the enzymes necessary to digest these compounds put it back on the 'Good' list.
The story is the same for many of the things we eat and drink. They may contain components that, taken alone, could be harmful, but are harmless as a part of a whole food.
Sugars, in general, fit this class well. In nature, they are perfectly balanced with other ingredients to provide an organism's metabolic support. It is their refinement that causes problems.
After several years of disappointing readings I cut my baseline in half, this year. The main thing I do differently is eat and drink fruit.
8/14/10 11:53pm
Okay...seriously! What the f*ck is this guy Joe talking about? I for one just LOVE reading posts like this, so ridgid in their view! So high fructose corn syrup is bad...THAT'S NOT FRUCTOSE!
lol. I got a big laugh from this! Some people will go to ANY lengths to prove their point or opinion, all in order to say their opinion is right! "Oh, high fructose corn syrup is bad! So that must mean ALL fructose is bad!" WTF? Typical human mind...
To add, this type of view is actually the sign of a mental illness, did anyone know? Ridgity is the sign of a mental illness...here, Joe expresses just that!
Another important thing to add, this is just how our inferior brains work. We find a word then anything with that word must be linked to what we first heard. Like in this article we mentioned cholesterol. There are two types of cholesteral, that were not clearly listed! HDL cholesterol is good for us, without it, we would die. LDL cholesterol is most likely what he speaks of, the BAD kind! We see the world 'cholesterol" we automatically recoil into our defense protective mechanism and think "Oh, cholesterol! BAD CHOLESTEROL!" when not all cholesterol, nor even a small exess in the bad cholesterol is going to send us into a cardiac arrest. A little too much bad cholesterol isn't a bad thing either, when it gets too high, there's the issue.
Seems our not so average Joe here has a hatred towards fruits and vegetables! Could this be another way for kids to explain to their parents why eating their fruits and veggies is bad? "Mommy! I could get diabetes from eating this!" What a laugh!
Plus, fructose we NEED to survive! Without it, we would die! No calories, no LIFE!
Anyway, good article! Made me laugh! To 'compliment' dear Joe and his...mental imcapacities, I've decided to salute him, by drinking a bottle of fresh squeezed, fructose rich orange juice...as I engulf it and submerge myself in it's sweet sugary delight, I shall say, salutations, Joe!
8/15/10 4:20pm
I don't know how you missed my point, but you apparently got the opposite message.
I love fruits and vegetables, in their unadulterated form, and eat more of them than my Dr recommends. The result is, by ignoring my doctors advice I am finally getting my blood sugar in the good range.
The first 9 posts in this thread speak of what a bad idea it is to eat fructose and fruit. I wasn't the one of them.
2/ 6/12 2:13pm
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