DR. MIRKIN ON THE DANGERS OF FRUCTOSE
The Dangers of Fructose
An ever-increasing number of studies show that sugared drinks and foods cause fatty liver, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, kidney damage and premature death. A review of recent studies shows that fructose may be more damaging than other sugars (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, November 29, 2010).
Fructose is found in:
*fruit juices (sucrose, which is glucose and fructose bound together in a single molecule)
*table sugar from sugar cane and beets (sucrose)
*honey (mostly glucose and fructose separate from each other), and
*drinks and foods that contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (glucose and fructose, separate from each other).
*Sucrose is also found in most fruits and many vegetables.
Sucrose contains 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose bound together. High Fructose Corn Syrup contains approximately a 55/45 proportion of fructose and glucose. As far as the body is concerned, the ratio of glucose to fructose is not important. The issue is whether fructose is more harmful than glucose.
GLUCOSE, BUT NOT FRUCTOSE, CAN CIRCULATE IN YOUR BLOODSTREAM
Only single sugars can pass from your intestines into your bloodstream. The double sugars, such as sucrose in fruits or lactose in milk, have to be broken down into single sugars before they can be absorbed.
Glucose is the only sugar that is allowed to circulate through your body. Fructose cannot circulate in your bloodstream. Fructose is absorbed from your intestines into the blood vessels that carry blood to your liver, where it is immediately converted to glycogen, the stored sugar in your liver, or to triglycerides, a type of fat.
When the liver’s stores of glycogen are needed for energy, the glycogen is converted into glucose and released into the bloodstream. After glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, it passes into your general circulation and is used for energy for your brain, muscles and other tissues.
Glucose in your blood supplies almost 98 percent of the calories necessary for your brain to function, which is why a sudden drop in blood sugar can cause you to pass out.
HOW FRUCTOSE CAUSES LIVER DAMAGE, OBESITY, DIABETES AND DEATH
Your liver converts excess fructose into triglycerides.
Triglycerides:
*are building blocks for the bad LDL cholesterol that forms plaques in arteries
*can be stored in your liver to cause a fatty liver,
*can be stored in your fat cells to make you obese.
Having excess triglycerides in your liver:
*causes a condition called fatty liver which interferes with normal liver function; and
*causes fat to be stored in your belly and decreases insulin sensitivity to cause diabetes (Journal of Clinical Investigation, May 2009).
Triglycerides can pass into your bloodstream to:
*damage your kidneys to cause high blood pressure, and
*in very high amounts, can form clots in your bloodstream.
All of these side effects of excess triglycerides increase your risk for heart attacks and strokes.
WHO IS HARMED BY FRUCTOSE?
Fructose appears to be safe if:
*You don’t eat large amounts. You have to take in a lot of fructose to raise your triglycerides and become insulin insensitive. Small amounts will not harm you.
*You are not overweight. The fatter you are, the more likely you are to become diabetic. Full fat cells send out hormones of inflammation that block insulin receptors to increase risk for diabetes.
*You do not store fat primarily in your belly. Storing fat primarily in your belly means that you are already insulin insensitive and have high blood insulin and sugar levels. High levels of insulin cause fat to be stored specifically in the liver and belly.
*You exercise regularly. Contracting muscles draw sugar so rapidly from the bloodstream that there is less fructose available to be turned into triglycerides.
*You get fructose from fruit, not fruit juice. Fructose in fruit is absorbed far more slowly than fructose in fruit juice. The fiber in fruit can keep fruit in your stomach for up to five hours and markedly slows absorption to reduce blood sugar levels. On the other hand, the sugar in fruit juice passes directly into the intestines to be absorbed immediately and cause a high rise in blood sugar. A high rise in blood sugar causes sugar to stick to cell membranes that causes irreversible damage.
Dr. Pinna says:
Everywhere I go I see fruit juice sold to everyone. This juice is almost as bad as High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Mankind did not evolve in the forest drinking juice of any kind. Not fruit juice, nor vegetable juice. Our teeth are designed for chewing… Both fruit and veggies.
The FIBER in fruit and veggies is extremely important. It is a timing agent which allows molecules to be released slowly into the blood stream.
Do not let the hucksters sell you juice or juicing machines. Eat all fruit and veggies whole. Your intestines and your body are still part of the animal kingdom. I have many friends who are animals, and none of them has a juicing machine.
They are never fat.
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Filed Under: Added Sugar • Food • Health • Insulin
Your molecule image is actually of glucose, not fructose.