Does Sugar From Fruit Make You Fat? Here's Busting This Debated Myth

 The saying, ‘eat more fruits for a healthy life' was something or parents, teachers and coaches have always told us. However, with recent studies and new opinions on high fructose corn syrup, fructose has started getting a bad rep. Studies show how fructose corn syrup and glucose can have a negative effect on one's health and leads to weight gain. But did the studies talk about fructose from fruit? With this piece, we'll tell you how different types of sugars are metabolized differently in your body, giving you a clearer picture about sugar from fruit.

What we commonly call sugar is categorized in three different types- sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Though they all are sweet, the way your body metabolizes each of them, varies. Simple carbs are classified in two categories- monosaccharides and disaccharides. Glucose and fructose are monosaccharides .They are the building blocks of sucrose which is a disaccharide, thus a disaccharide is formed when two monosaccharides are joined together and a molecule of water is removed.

Your body processes most carbohydrates you eat into glucose. Either to be used immediately for energy or to be stored in muscle cells or the liver as glycogen for later use. Glucose circulates in the blood and relies on the enzymes glucokinase or hexokinase to initiate metabolism. Insulin is secreted primarily in response to elevated blood concentrations of glucose as insulin supports the entry of glucose into cells. Very frequent and uncontrolled insulin spikes are not good for the body and results in obesity which further results in insulin resistance. 

Sucrose, which is commonly known as table sugar, is obtained from sugar cane. Fruits and vegetables also naturally contain sucrose. When sucrose is consumed, the enzyme beta-fructosidase separates sucrose into its individual sugar units of glucose and fructose. Both of them are then metabolized by the body by their specific transport mechanisms. The body responds to the glucose content of the meal in its usual manner; however, fructose uptake occurs at the same time. The body will use glucose as its main energy source and the excess energy from fructose, if not needed, will be poured into fat synthesis, which is stimulated by the insulin released in response to glucose.

Fructose is a sugar that's naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Fructose is metabolized in the liver and relies on the enzyme fructokinase to initiate metabolism. Unlike glucose, it does not cause insulin spike and stimulates production of leptin. Now theoretically, dietary fructose might increase energy intake as it does not stimulate high levels of insulin secretion like glucose. Since insulin increases leptin release, lower circulating insulin and leptin after fructose ingestion might restrain your appetite more than the consumption of other carbohydrates and leads to increased energy intake.

 However, there isn't any real convincing experimental evidence that dietary fructose ‘does' increase energy intake. To quote a study conducted by Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, MN, USA.  “Fructose that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables is a modest component of energy intake and should not be of concern.”