Talk to me about fructose - and other sugars if you like

[lph]

Ok, so Wasps link led me to finally watching "Sugar, the bitter truth", a widely published rant against fructose and the sugar industry by endocrinologist Robert Lustig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Basically he posits that "fructose is a poison" and is just "alcohol without the buzz". If I picked it up correctly: it's metabolized by the body much the same way that alcohol is, by the liver, which somehow means that it triggers fat storage, and most interesting to me - does not trigger a feeling of satiety that way glucose does. And this is a problem because fructose is cheaper and sweeter than sugar (which is also half fructose), and is used as an additive in processed foods and in large amounts in soft drinks, in his opinion the main driver behind the obesity epidemic. Apparently eating fruit is not a problem, though, because the fructose levels aren't that high, and you then ingest it at the same time as a dose of fiber. And the one time that you can efficiently metabolize fructose is after a hard workout, when your glycogen stores are low (therefore: sports drinks ok for endurance athletes, but not others).

If this been debated to death in a thread I've missed, just point me thataway.

I've heard it mentioned around on TE, but haven't paid much attention since I rarely drink soft drinks. And it has not been a big media thing over here. But I think my metabolism is slowing down a notch, maybe perimenopause, so I'm taking an extra look at my diet. I do eat cookies or chocolate weekly in moderate amounts, and some processed foods like sauces and condiments.

Anyway. I googled some more, and found Norwegian doctors and nutrionists saying: "well, yeah, but the studies are based on rats ingesting huge amounts of fructose, nothing like a normal diet. In small, normal amounts it's actually beneficial since it doesn't raise your blood sugar." And fructose has been marketed as a "healthier" alternative to regular sugar, for baking etc.

So now I'm confused. My own reaction is sort of - how bad can it be, when it occurs naturally in all fruit, which we've pretty obviously evolved to eat. In normal concentrations, that is, mimicking a diet high in fruit. And ok, so it's a "poison" like alcohol, but I do actually drink alcohol, every week, and the amounts I drink are neither poisoning me nor giving me a beer belly. I agree with his premise that children should not be drinking soft drinks nor eating sweetened fast foods daily, but... duh.

So what's your take on it? Do you read labels and avoid all fructose, including fruit? Eat fruit but avoid fructose added to processed food? Just avoid drinks full of HFCS? Or not worry about it?

[malkin]

I don't worry about it.
Years ago I decided in favor of eating food that looks like food. If my sensible, opinionated and outspoken grandfather wouldn't have recognized something as food, then it doesn't qualify.

[Crankin]

I can't say I avoid it all, but almost all. I don't eat packaged sweets, only home made, on the rare occasion I have them. I don't drink soda. In fact, I just don't eat packaged or prepared foods at all. Like you, I do have alcohol, about 4-5X a week, mostly a glass of red wine, occasional beer. The literature here does point to fructose and other things like it as the culprits for the recent upswing in obesity, along with lack of exercise. Frankly, my opinion is, it's better to have a little bit of real sugar once in awhile, just not all the time. I think what happens is, that people think, oh, this is not real sugar, so they eat more of whatever it is, that contains fructose, just like they do with the "fat-free" stuff.
I eat fruit, I do read labels, and I avoid all HFCS.

[Blueberry]

I don't avoid fructose completely (of course it is naturally occurring), but I do make an effort to avoid high fructose corn syrup (IMO not the same thing). I don't knowingly bring food into my home with HFCS, but I am sure it crops up in the occasional meal out or in small quantities that may not appear on labels.

[OakLeaf]

I also make an effort to avoid HFCS, though honestly that has more to do with the degree of refining inherent in its presence, than anything about the sugar itself. More or less what Malkin said. Plus, considering the horror that is corn-growing in the USA at least, I don't think there's even such a thing as organic HFCS. I make a pretty strong effort not to buy any corn that isn't organic, more so than any other food.

I do know that if I have much fructose during a long run or ride (a run especially), my gut will let me know about it afterward. Doesn't matter whether it's fresh fruit, brown rice syrup or Gatorade. I can (and usually do) have fresh, frozen or occasionally dried fruit for breakfast, but there's usually a couple of hours between that and when I head out.



Considering that other studies have shown a strong link between obesity and gut flora, it wouldn't surprise me at all if there's a relationship there. One of their longest known functions is digesting sugars.

[Eden]

HFC's have a chemical manufacturing process that is nasty… so yeah I avoid buying things with HFC's, but I don't avoid fruit. Your cells need sugar to survive… everything you eat- everything, is broken down into glucose eventually so that you can access the energy in it. Some things are easier to break down and absorb than others, depending on how close they are already to being glucose (and how much in them can't be broken down at all), but it all eventually either gets there or gets excreted...

[Catrin]

Some people don't have much of a problem with reasonable fructose, others of us do. I learned when I was still working to get my blood sugar under control that more than a little fructose - and I do mean a little - made it much harder for me to manage my blood sugar spikes. I "technically" no longer have to worry about that, but I figure it will always be a weakness of mine. I do eat fruit, but not much and I keep an eye on when (and how much) I allow it in my diet. HFCS is not allowed at all. Period.