New research suggests that fructose can affect more than your blood sugar levels and your weight gain.
If you are trying to cut down on sugar, you are on the right track. A lot of research has shown the detriment it can cause to your health; we hope that this is an incentive to check how much you indulge in sweets.
The kind of refined sugar you consume is made up of two molecules: glucose and fructose. Fructose is present in small quantities in fruits and vegetables and in honey, it tastes sweeter than glucose and it is usually used in processed foods.
The average person eats about 55g of fructose a day, which is 40 grams more than we used to until the early 1900s. experts believe that fructose may be even more harmful than glucose: it can increase inflammation and impact our immune response –this does not mean that you should stop eating fruit, it means that you have to cut down on high fructose processed products.
This is what fructose can do to your health
Inflammation
Monocytes, a type of white blood cell, become more inflamed when it receives fructose, this means that they produce more proteins associated with inflammation. This kind of inflammation can damage cells and tissues.
Immune system damage
Dendritic cells, a type of cell key to immune response, also become inflamed when exposed to fructose.
Obesity
Only the liver can metabolize fructose, contrary to glucose that can be metabolized by all cells. If you eat too much fructose, the liver turns it into fat and it can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Of course, it also increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.
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