Fructose

Fructose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) found in many foods and one of the three most important blood sugars along with glucose and galactose. Honey; tree fruits; berries; melons; and some root vegetables, such as beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips and onions, contain fructose, usually in combination with sucrose and glucose. Fructose is also derived from the digestion of sucrose, a disaccharide consisting of glucose and fructose which is broken down by enzymes during digestion.

Related Topics:
Sugar - Monosaccharide - Blood sugar - Glucose - Galactose - Honey - Sucrose - Enzymes

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Fructose is often recommended for, and consumed by, people with diabetes mellitus or hypoglycemia, because it has a very low Glycemic Index (GI 32) relative to cane sugar (sucrose). The low GI is due to the unique and lengthy metabolic pathway of fructose, which involves phosphorylation and a multi-step enzymatic process in the liver. See health effects and glycation for further informations.

Related Topics:
Diabetes mellitus - Hypoglycemia - GI - Cane sugar - Sucrose - Health effects - Glycation

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