Fructose sources, health benefits and uses

Fructose is a monosaccharide and is one of the main types of sugars found in fruits, honey, and vegetables. It is soluble in water, alcohol, or ether. It is used as a preservative and an intravenous infusion in parental feeding. However, it is more advisable to get fructose from fruits rather than processed foods and drinks. Fruits such as dates, raisins, molasses, and figs are great sources of fructose.

It has been used as a sweetener, in its pure form, since the mid 1850s and has advantages for certain groups, including people with diabetes and those who are trying to control their weight. It is known as a simple sugar because it is a single sweetening molecule.

It is also a component of sucrose, table sugar, in equal quantity to glucose which it is linked. It is twice as sweet as sucrose, and can be bought at the supermarket like table sugar.

Fructose has a low glycemic load or glycemic index, so it does not cause a rapid rise and subsequent large fall in blood glucose.

Medicinal uses for fructose

Fructose is used by diabetic patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition resulting from dangerously high levels of ketones and blood sugar. It may be useful in early management of this type of diabetes.

A study found that in can be a substitute for glucose in patenteral fluid since it does not exceed renal threshold as readily.

Fructose solution, like those of dextrose, are employed to replace or supplement oral consumption of food or water in order to provide calories required for metabolic needs, to supply water in the body, to spare body proteins, to lower the production of excess ketones by liver, and to spare loss of electrolytes.

It also has medicinal use in the dental aspect as consumption of fructose diets resulted in the reduction of incidence of dental caries by 30 percent, according to a study.

Body systems supported by fructose

Small amounts of fructose support the fertility of males. Since fructose does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels, it may be helpful to people with diabetes to reduce post-prandial glycemia and to help limit calories in foods that require a lot of sweeteners.

Where to learn more

• High Fructose Corn Syrup Now Labeled as Fructose or HFCS-90
• Food companies hiding harmful high fructose corn syrup under new name
• Fructose interferes with brain’s appetite regulation
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes: What the Experts Say
• Fructose promotes hormonal imbalance and weight gain

Summary

Fructose is a monosaccharide that is a type of sugar found in fruits, honey, and sugar. Fructose can help prevent obesity, diabetes, and glycemia.

Sources include:

CalorieControl.org

PubChem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

RaySahelian.com