Fructose is a simple sugar or monosaccharide. It is in table sugar, honey, and fruit. Fructose in the American diet is primarily from table sugar (50% fructose and 50% glucose,) and high fructose corn syrup (fructose and glucose.) The diets of many adolescents, Latino adults, and African American adults are 30% sugar. Fructose intake is increasing worldwide with the increase in metabolic syndrome. Mean daily intake of fructose is around 74 grams.
The metabolism of fructose can cause depletion of intracellular phosphorus and depletion of ATP (adenosine triphosphate, a cellular energy tranporter) in cells. This suppresses protein synthesis causes the eventual production of uric acid, glycogen, and triglycerides. (Glucose does not cause ATP depletion.)
Epidemiologic studies link sugar-sweetened beverages, high uric acid levels, and hypertension. Challenging young, healthy adults with fructose beverages raises their blood pressures and raises uric acid levels. If the pharmaceutical, allopurinol, is given to lower uric acid levels, fructose does not raise blood pressures. Low fructose diets lower uric acid levels and blood pressures.
The use of fructose induces all of the symptoms of the metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, increased triglycerides, and high LDL cholesterol. Fructose, also, causes nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Fructose may play a role in chronic kidney disease. Giving fructose to rats causes kidney swelling and injury. It increases the abnormal loss of protein in the urine. So far, only one human study links fructose intake and kidney disease.
A large amount of fructose in the form of the natural fruits, high in fruits and flavenols prevents the development of hypertension.
CONCLUSION: “…excessive fructose intake should be considered an environmental toxin…” There is increasing evidence that fructose is associated with hypertension and renal disease, along with liver disease and the metabolic syndrome. Along with the low protein diet usually given to patients with kidney disease, warnings about fructose and sugar containing fructose should, also, be given.
NOTE: Fructose plays a role in the Metabolic Syndrome. Read more about hepatosteatosis (non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome.) Read about the ability of flavonoids to lower uric acid levels. There is a relationship between high uric acid levels, endothelial dysfunction, and risk of cardiovascular disease. Fructose in any dietary form can increase uric acid levels.
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PMID: 21115612.
Summary #478.