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Summer. It’s sunny time, when such fragrant and aromatic fruits and berries ripen, bees swarm, collecting nectar and pollen. Honey, apples, grapes, flower pollen and some root crops contain, in addition to numerous vitamins and minerals, such an important nutritional component as fructose.
Fructose-rich foods:
Indicated approximate quantity in 100 g of product
General characteristics of fructose
Fructose, or fruit sugar, most commonly found in sweet plants and foods. From a chemical point of view, fructose is a monosaccharide that is part of sucrose. Fructose is 1.5 times sweeter than sugar and 3 times more sweet than glucose! It belongs to the group of easily digestible carbohydrates, although its glycemic index (the rate of absorption by the body) is significantly lower than that of glucose.
Artificially, fructose is produced from sugar beets and corn.
Its production is most developed in the USA and China. It is used as a sweetener in products intended for patients with diabetes mellitus. It is not recommended for healthy people to use it in a concentrated form, since fructose has a number of features that cause concern among nutritionists.
Research is underway to study its characteristics and test its ability to increase the number of fat cells in the body.
Daily need for fructose
On this issue, doctors are not unanimous. The figures are from 30 to 50 grams per day. Moreover, 50 grams per day are usually prescribed for diabetics, who are advised to limit or completely eliminate sugar from their use.
The need for fructose increases:
Active mental and physical activity, associated with high energy costs, requires energy replenishment. And fructose contained in honey and plant products can relieve fatigue and give the body new strength and energy.
The need for fructose decreases:
- overweight is an absolute contraindication to addiction to sweet foods;
- recreation and low-energy (low-cost) activities;
- evening and night time.
Digestibility of fructose
Fructose is absorbed by the body through liver cells, which convert it into fatty acids. Unlike sucrose and glucose, fructose is absorbed by the body without the help of insulin, therefore it is used by diabetics and is recommended as part of products necessary for a healthy diet.
Useful properties of fructose and its effect on the body
Fructose tones the body, blocks caries, provides energy and stimulates brain activity. At the same time, it is absorbed by the body more slowly than glucose and does not increase blood sugar levels, which has a beneficial effect on the health of the endocrine system.
Interaction with essential elements
Fructose is water soluble. It also interacts with some sugars, fatty and fruit acids.
Signs of a lack of fructose in the body
Apathy, irritability, depression and lack of energy for no apparent reason can be evidence of a lack of sweets in the diet. A more severe form of lack of fructose and glucose in the body is nervous exhaustion.
Signs of excess fructose in the body
- Excess weight. As mentioned earlier, more fructose is processed by the liver into fatty acids, and therefore can be stored “in reserve”.
- Increased appetite. It is believed that fructose suppresses the hormone leptin, which controls our appetite, and does not signal satiety to the brain.
Factors affecting the body’s fructose content
Fructose is not produced by the body, and enters it with food. In addition to fructose, which comes directly from natural products containing it, it can enter the body with the help of sucrose, which, when absorbed in the body, breaks down into fructose and glucose. And also in refined form as part of overseas syrups (agave and corn), in various drinks, some sweets, baby food and juices.
Fructose for beauty and health
The opinion of doctors about the usefulness of fructose is somewhat ambiguous. Some believe that fructose is very useful, as it prevents the development of tooth decay and plaque, does not burden the pancreas and is also much sweeter than sugar. Others argue that it contributes to obesity and causes gout. But all doctors are unanimous in one thing: fructose, which is contained in various fruits and vegetables, and consumed in normal quantities for a person, can bring nothing but benefit to the body. Basically, the discussions are about the effect on the body of refined fructose, which is especially carried away by some highly developed countries.
We have collected the most important points about fructose in this illustration, and we would be grateful if you share the picture on a social network or blog, with a link to this page: