What is fructose: calories, benefits and harms

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Fructose, whose calorie content is as much as 400 kcal, despite this, is considered almost a dietary product that is unable to harm weight. But is this really true, and what are the main benefits and harms of fructose, are described in detail in this article.

What is fructose

The calorie content of fructose is 400 kcal per 100 grams. However, it is considered a low-calorie carbohydrate in foods. Many people call fructose a natural analogue of sugar. Most often, this substance can be found in various fruits, vegetables and honey.

Short description of what fructose is:

• calories - 400 kcal/100g;
• food group - carbohydrates;
• natural monosaccharide, isomer of glucose;
• taste - pronounced sweet;
• glycemic index - 20.

Many, for example, have seen fructose diet oatmeal cookies on store shelves, the calorie content of which is about 90 kcal per piece.

Fructose is one of the few sweets that is allowed to be consumed by people suffering from diabetes.diabetes. The thing is that, unlike sucrose, fructose does not affect the production of insulin and does not lead to an increase in blood sugar. That is why many people add this substance to their food instead of sugar.

However, is fructose, the calorie content of which exceeds that of some fast foods, safe for a figure? And how many grams of fructose per day can you consume?

Fructose and excess weight

Many girls, trying to limit themselves from sweets, replace regular sugar with fructose, believing that in this way they will reduce the negative effects of carbohydrates on the body. The calorie content of fructose and sugar is almost the same - in the first case 400 kcal per 100 g, in the second - 380 kcal. However, despite this, for some reason it is fructose that people consider safer for the figure.

The theory that replacing sugar with this substance, you can avoid problems with being overweight, is erroneous. In fact, fructose, among other things, can cause hunger. And with prolonged use - a violation of some hormones responsible for energy balance.

However, these negative effects only appear when fructose is consumed in excessive amounts. The daily norm of a substance for an adult is 25-40 g.

Fruit content

If we talk about the permissible norm of fructose per day, it is worth understanding in more detail - in which fruits and berries it is found in the largestquantities. 25-40 grams of a substance is:

• 3-5 bananas;
• 3-4 apples;
• 10-15 cherries;
• about 9 cups of strawberries.

In addition, significant amounts of fructose are present in grapes, dates, pears, figs, raisins, watermelons, melons and cherries. That is why most of the products from this list are not in the diet of people who follow their figure. However, fructose has a number of positive properties.

He alth benefits

When used properly, fructose is not only not dangerous to he alth, but it can also be useful, which ordinary sugar is definitely not capable of. For example, it has a tonic effect, helps restore energy and reduce fatigue.

Unlike sugar, fructose in moderation does not harm teeth. Moreover, thanks to this monosaccharide, the risk of developing caries is reduced.

But its main advantage lies in the fact that fructose does not increase blood sugar levels, being absorbed without the participation of insulin. And insulin, as you know, not only helps break down complex carbohydrates such as sugar and glucose, but also leads to the appearance of body fat. Therefore, reasonable amounts of fructose are recommended in some diets.

Fructose Harm

As for the negative aspects of the impact on the human body of this substance - there are several of them at once:

First - as mentioned above - the high energy value of fructose (400 kcal per 100 g). However, eata large amount of this monosaccharide can not even the most inveterate sweet tooth. Therefore, you should not be so afraid of this number. You can evaluate the information from the other side. So, for example, the calorie content of a teaspoon of fructose is only 9 kcal. But this is quite enough to add sweetness to some dish, since fructose is much sweeter than sugar.

The second negative side - excessive consumption of fructose can lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases and disruption of the body's metabolic processes.

In addition, Israeli scientists have found that frequent use of this substance can lead to premature aging. Although it is worth clarifying here that the experiments were carried out not on humans, but on mice.

There are no special prohibitions on the use of fructose. But it should be remembered that this monosaccharide should be consumed in moderation.