Fructose - better than sucrose or glucose? Yes says the EFSA

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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    this doesnt seem right considering virtually anything that comes in a box, wrapper or bottle contains high fructose corn syrup... not that that is the same thing as fructose

    that may be the case in America or the US, it isn't the case in the EU which is the subject of the OP.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    Please help me to understand exactly how the sugar in an orange or blueberries affects weight loss differently or is any way different from the sugar in Ice Cream or bread. What would the difference be?

    The only significant difference I can see is the amount. Easier to go over your calories with refined sugar because of the concentration. I am a believer that the devil is in the dose so as long as you can navigate all the foods you love and still stay in a deficit then it really is of no consequence.

    i'm certainly no expert but my suspicion is that its about how quickly the sugar can be digested and absorbed.

    All carbs have to be broken down into glucose to be absorbed. Glucose (which is usually called dextrose on an ingredient lable) I would think would have the highest Glycemic index because it really doesn't have to be broken down chemically.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    this doesnt seem right considering virtually anything that comes in a box, wrapper or bottle contains high fructose corn syrup... not that that is the same thing as fructose

    that may be the case in America or the US, it isn't the case in the EU which is the subject of the OP.

    missed that, thanks for pointing it out.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    A combo of the sugars is worse than one alone because it is a lot harder on the liver.

    So we're back to "fruit is bad for you"?

    Gah.

    i remember reading that high fructose corn syrup was more 'unhealthy' then fructose because of how it interacted with the liver.

    Again i'm no expert and can't explain what i just typed lol, but you're not going to find HFCS in fruit anyway. can't imagine anyone saying fruit is bad for you lol
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    i'm certainly no expert but my suspicion is that its about how quickly the sugar can be digested and absorbed.

    All carbs have to be broken down into glucose to be absorbed. Glucose (which is usually called dextrose on an ingredient lable) I would think would have the highest Glycemic index because it really doesn't have to be broken down chemically.

    Indeed, Glucose has a GI of 100 when 50g of glucose is used as the test method for GI. White bread is the alternative, but 100 on the bread scale puts glucose at 140 for exactly the reason you state - glucose is ready to go into the bloodstream "as is" without digestion or conversion.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Please help me to understand exactly how the sugar in an orange or blueberries affects weight loss differently or is any way different from the sugar in Ice Cream or bread. What would the difference be?

    The only significant difference I can see is the amount. Easier to go over your calories with refined sugar because of the concentration. I am a believer that the devil is in the dose so as long as you can navigate all the foods you love and still stay in a deficit then it really is of no consequence.

    i'm certainly no expert but my suspicion is that its about how quickly the sugar can be digested and absorbed.

    All carbs have to be broken down into glucose to be absorbed. Glucose (which is usually called dextrose on an ingredient lable) I would think would have the highest Glycemic index because it really doesn't have to be broken down chemically.
    But sugar is rarely consumed in isolation. The fiber, fat and protien alters the GI significantly. This is true even of a candy bar like say, a snickers.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Please help me to understand exactly how the sugar in an orange or blueberries affects weight loss differently or is any way different from the sugar in Ice Cream or bread. What would the difference be?

    The only significant difference I can see is the amount. Easier to go over your calories with refined sugar because of the concentration. I am a believer that the devil is in the dose so as long as you can navigate all the foods you love and still stay in a deficit then it really is of no consequence.

    Could not agree more!
  • silenceinspace
    silenceinspace Posts: 142 Member
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    A combo of the sugars is worse than one alone because it is a lot harder on the liver.

    So we're back to "fruit is bad for you"?

    Gah.

    i remember reading that high fructose corn syrup was more 'unhealthy' then fructose because of how it interacted with the liver.

    Again i'm no expert and can't explain what i just typed lol, but you're not going to find HFCS in fruit anyway. can't imagine anyone saying fruit is bad for you lol

    People who follow ketogenic or very low carb diets believe just that, actually. Not defending or knocking it, but it is true.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    A combo of the sugars is worse than one alone because it is a lot harder on the liver.

    So we're back to "fruit is bad for you"?

    Gah.

    i remember reading that high fructose corn syrup was more 'unhealthy' then fructose because of how it interacted with the liver.

    Again i'm no expert and can't explain what i just typed lol, but you're not going to find HFCS in fruit anyway. can't imagine anyone saying fruit is bad for you lol
    Why wouldn't you? Most fruit has roughly the same ratio of fructose to glucose as HFCS, sometimes even higher ratios, so it basically IS HFCS in fruit. As far as digestion goes, anyway. Neither one is bad in moderate (read, normal) doses.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    I'm not sure where we are here in this discussion but I do know I make invert sugar before I inoculate it with yeast.
    To make invert sugar, you take sucrose and add a bit of weak acid to break the bonds and simmer it for a bit.
    This gives the sugars a slightly sweeter apparent taste and saves the yeast from having to do the work to break the bonds.
    Bakers use invert sugar for its higher apparent sweetness. This means you can use less.
    I don't know if it's because of the free fructose but it probably is. Fructose has the highest apparent sweetness to us.

    400px-Relativesweetness.png
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    I'm not sure where we are here in this discussion but I do know I make invert sugar before I inoculate it with yeast.
    To make invert sugar, you take sucrose and add a bit of weak acid to break the bonds and simmer it for a bit.
    This gives the sugars a slightly sweeter apparent taste and saves the yeast from having to do the work to break the bonds.
    Bakers use invert sugar for its higher apparent sweetness. This means you can use less.
    I don't know if it's because of the free fructose but it probably is. Fructose has the highest apparent sweetness to us.

    400px-Relativesweetness.png

    Relevant to the topic - the glycosidic bond is acid labile, and sucrose is hydrolysed in the stomach to glucose plus fructose before it gets absorbed in the small intestine.

    Totally off topic: but do you think invert sugar actually helps the yeast? I have made it myself, but I tend to let it caramalize to #2 or 3 before using, as it also adds a slight fruitiness to my bitters.

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