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What is Fructose?

Jessica Gore
Jessica Gore

Fructose, also known as levulose, is a naturally occurring monosaccharide that can be found in fruits and honey. About twice as sweet as table sugar, and with a lower glycemic index, it can be used as a natural substitute for table sugar by people wanting to cut calories or maintain healthy blood sugar levels. For these reasons, it is sometimes used commercially in prepared cakes, cookies, and other sweets. Caution must be used when using fruit sugar in home cooking, however, as it has different physical and chemical properties from table sugar, and cannot always be substituted, in equal amounts, in standard recipes.

Monosaccharides are the simplest forms of sugar, each consisting of a single sugar molecule. There are a number of monosaccharides, both synthetic and naturally-occurring, but the only monosaccharides found in food are fructose, glucose, and galactose. The simple sugars are often found as bonded pairs, in which case they become disaccharides — such as sucrose, maltose, and lactose. Sugar molecules can also bond into long chains, known as polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates. From a nutritional standpoint, complex carbohydrates can be considered the most important form of sugar in the diet, as they take longer to break down in the digestive system, and create more stable blood sugar levels than quickly processed simple sugars.

Honey contains fructose.
Honey contains fructose.

The chemical formula for monosaccharides generally involves some multiple of CH2O. In a typical monosaccharide, the carbon atoms form a chain, in which, each carbon except one is bonded to a hydroxyl group. The single carbon that does not bond with a hydroxyl group is instead double bonded to an oxygen molecule, forming a carbonyl group. The location of the carbonyl group subdivides the monosaccharides into ketone sugars and aldehyde sugars. A laboratory test known as Seliwanoff's test can be used to chemically determine whether a particular sugar is a ketone sugar, such as fructose, or an aldehyde sugar, such as glucose or galactose.

Flatulence and oily stools are common symptoms of fructose malabsorption.
Flatulence and oily stools are common symptoms of fructose malabsorption.

While fruit sugar and honey are generally regarded as safe, excessive consumption can lead to hyperuricemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. There are also certain digestive disorders that are associated with difficulty processing, or absorbing, dietary fruit sugar. Fructose malabsorption is a disorder in which the small intestine lacks the ability to absorb that particular sugar, leading to a concentration of the sugar in the digestive system. Symptoms and testing for this condition are similar to those of lactose intolerance, and treatment often involves removing trigger foods from the diet.

Fructose is the naturally forming sugar found in almost all fruits.
Fructose is the naturally forming sugar found in almost all fruits.

A more serious condition is hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a genetic disorder involving a deficiency in the liver enzymes required for the digestion of fructose. Symptoms generally include severe gastrointestinal discomfort, dehydration, convulsions, and sweating. If left untreated, HFI can lead to permanent liver and kidney damage, and even death. While HFI is much more serious than fructose malabsorption, the treatment is similar, and usually centers around a careful avoidance of any foods containing fruit sugar or its derivatives.

Discussion Comments

anon338512

Fructose can cause uric acid to build up in the blood causing gout -- yes or no?

ddljohn

I am also confused about what the presence of fructose should be in our diets. Since it's a natural carbohydrate, I'm inclined to say that it cannot be any more dangerous than other carbohydrates found in nature.

But at the same time, most of the fructose we consume is not coming in a natural form, it's coming from a lab. So in that sense, I think its effects on the body are probably different.

The other reason I think this is because I have read that during the time that fructose consumption has increased in the U.S., so has diabetes, heart disease and obesity. But not much other than increased use of fructose has changed in our diets.

What do you think? Should we allow unnatural forms of fructose in our diet?

serenesurface

Can high consumption of fructose really lead to obesity? High fructose corn syrup is found in so many products these days. It was first used in sweet products like soda, candy and so forth. But I can now see fructose in all sorts of foods. I think it is used both as a sugar substitute and also as a preservative because it's cheap.

But I have heard claims that this wide use of fructose is causing Americans to gain weight. Is this because the amount of fructose in processed foods is much higher than what we would naturally get from eating fruit?

ysmina

I have fructose malabsorption. My parents thought that I had irritable bowel syndrome because my uncle has the same and the symptoms were similar to what I had. After I had foods with fructose, I had bloating, felt sick and sometimes had diarrhea.

People with irritable bowel syndrome usually experience the same. But tests at the hospital found out that it was due to fructose and my body not being able to absorb it.

anon120027

Why is it that they claim that fructose increases the multiplication of cancer cells? Apparently they thrive on it?

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    • Honey contains fructose.
      By: Jaimie Duplass
      Honey contains fructose.
    • Flatulence and oily stools are common symptoms of fructose malabsorption.
      By: Ana Blazic Pavlovic
      Flatulence and oily stools are common symptoms of fructose malabsorption.
    • Fructose is the naturally forming sugar found in almost all fruits.
      By: baibaz
      Fructose is the naturally forming sugar found in almost all fruits.
    • Fructose can be a good substitute for traditional table sugar.
      By: librakv
      Fructose can be a good substitute for traditional table sugar.
    • Fructose malabsorption occurs when the small intestine lacks the ability to absorb dietary fruit sugar.
      By: AlienCat
      Fructose malabsorption occurs when the small intestine lacks the ability to absorb dietary fruit sugar.
    • Because fructose has a lower glycemic index than sugar, some diabetics use it as a sweetener.
      By: dalaprod
      Because fructose has a lower glycemic index than sugar, some diabetics use it as a sweetener.