Fructose

Removing added fructose can reduce liver fat by 20% to 30% within 9 days according to research cited in the article. Whole fruit contains only 1–10% fructose, while high fructose corn syrup contains 50% or more. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, unlike glucose, which can be used throughout the body. Table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are described as especially damaging because they contain roughly equal parts glucose and fructose. Agave syrup is identified as a high-fructose sweetener that can be harmful for people with fatty liver disease or metabolic syndrome. The article rejects the idea that fructose is safer because it does not directly raise insulin. The article distinguishes whole fruit from fruit juice because intact fruit contains compounds that alter fructose handling. Whole fruit is treated differently from isolated fructose because its fiber and water matrix slows absorption. Whole fruit fructose does not produce the same oxidative burden as HFCS because of lower concentration, slower enzymatic cleavage from sucrose, and a fiber matrix that delays digestion. Fructose may have less immediate blood-sugar impact than glucose, but the article rejects th…