Sunday Telegraph: Fructose is a “Demon in Our Diets”

CarbohydrateChronic disease
Written By Michael Butler

In a nutshell

  • Fructose is widespread in everyday foods and linked to chronic disease risk

  • It fails to signal satiety as effectively as glucose, raising the chance of overeating

  • Simple and practical steps can sharply reduce intake

The latest mainstream article worth highlighting comes from the UK Sunday Telegraph. Entitled “The everyday ingredient we ought to beware” it raises concerns about the ubiquitous use of fructose in our diet.

I cautioned previously against over-drinking fruit juices because of their readily available fructose and its deleterious effects.. This article goes a stage further and describes the wide-spread use of fructose in our diet and attendant risks. Consider:

 
“From ketchup to granola, fructose is everywhere - but experts warn that overconsumption can lead to a range of chronic diseases.”
 

The article draws on insight from Professor Robert Lustig, author of “Metabolical: The Lure and Lies of Processed Food”. I like the practical way he discusses dietary fructose:

 
“There should be no more than 4g of added sugar per product that you buy

If one of the top three ingredients on the list is a sugar, this is a desert. Chinese chicken is a desert; salad dressing [in a bottle] is a desert”
 

Lustig recommends seven ways to cut back on dietary fructose:

  • Always look at the label

  • Shop at the edges of the supermarket, where the fruits and meats are

  • Note the sugar content

  • Recognise there are 262 names for sugar

  • Eat more fibre

  • Munch the fruit, don’t drink the fruit juice

  • Learn to spot artificial sweeteners


The newspaper article stems from research published by the Monell Chemical Senses Center comparing the how fructose signals satiety to the brain compared to glucose. Essentially, fructose does not signal fullness as efficiently as glucose. There exists, therefore, a greater risk of over-eating with fructose than glucose.

Summary

The Sunday Telegraph article is an important addition to the ever-expanding public awareness of the risks of added sugars in our everyday food.

Professor Lustig does not beat about the bush in his advice for reducing the harm from fructose

 
“There is no pill for this. Supplements don’t undo the effect of fructose. The only way is to stop consuming it.”
 

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Michael Butler
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