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Properties of Fructose

One of the three most important blood sugars, fructose is a simple sugar found in many fruits and vegetables that the body uses for energy. It is the sweetest naturally occurring sugar.

  1. Chemical Composition and Structure

    • The chemical composition of fructose is (C6H12O6). Despite classification as hexose or 6 Carbon sugar, it typically lives as a furanose or a 5-membered ring structure according to EDinformatics.com.

    Sugar Substitute

    • Fructose is used as a substitute for sugar due its economic value and minimal effect on blood glucose levels. Consumed as high fructose corn syrup, this treated corn syrup has the same amount of sweet as common sugar in a smaller amount so manufacturers will use less fructose to reproduce the same the amount of sweetness in a particular processed food.

    Diabetics

    • Due to its minimal effect on blood sugar levels, fructose was initially thought to be better for diabetics than regular sugar or sucrose. The American Diabetes Association rescinded their advocation of fructose in 2006 due to its ill-effects on uric acid and plasma lipid levels as well as the correlation to damaged proteins.

    Obesity

    • It has long been hypothesized that fructose that causes obesity according to a 2002 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In 2004, Obesity: A Research Journal did in fact report a connection between the consumption of fructose and central obesity.

    High Blood Pressure

    • Bloomberg reports of a study conducted by Richard Johnson of the University of Colorado that a fructose heavy diet resulted in higher blood pressure, mainly in males.

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