Fructose
Fructose is the sugar found in fruit.
To understand the negative relevance of fructose in the diet, it is necessary to first talk about uric acid.
Uric acid is a waste product left over from metabolism of chemical compounds called purines that can be found in some of the foods commonly consumed by many people today.
Low purine diets are extremely helpful in lowering levels of uric acid in the body, and will usually involve reducing or cutting out foods that have high levels of purines.
It’s been known that meats and purine* rich foods can raise uric acid, but it turns out that one of the most potent ways to raise uric acid is via fructose!
*High purine foods to avoid include:
- Beef Pork
- Bacon
- Lamb
- Seafood
- Foods that are made with a significant amount of yeast such as beer and bread
- Alcoholic beverages
*High purine foods which can be eaten in moderation include:
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Peas
- Spinach
- Whole-grain breads and cereals
- White poultry meats, such as chicken, duck and turkey
- Kidney and lima beans
*Low purine foods include:
- Green vegetables
- Tomatoes
- Fruits and pure fruit juices
- Breads that do not use yeast (many now available)
- Nuts
- Milk and milk products (to avoid other health issues, use only sheep and goat milk products)
- Butter is okay though
- Chocolate
- Coffee and tea
You probably already know that fructose is a sugar, but you may not realise is that it’s distinctly different from other sugars as is metabolised through very specific pathways that differ from those of glucose. Through its distinct metabolic action, uric acid is generated.
In fact, fructose typically generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion.
What is Uric Acid and How Much is Too Much?
Uric acid is a normal waste product found in your blood. High levels of uric acid are normally associated with gout, but it has been known for a long time that people with high blood pressure, overweight, and people with kidney disease, often have high uric acid levels as well.
It used to be thought that the uric acid was secondary in these conditions, and not the cause – but Dr. Johnson’s research indicates that it could be a lead player in the development of these conditions.
Interestingly, uric acid functions both as an antioxidant, and as a pro-oxidant once inside your cells.
So, if you lower uric acid too much, you lose its antioxidant benefits. But if your uric acid levels are too high, it tends to significantly increase inside your cells as well, where it acts as a pro-oxidant.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in fatty liver disease throughout the world, and studies done by Dr. Johnson and a group of researchers at Duke University showed that people who develop fatty liver drink a lot more soft drinks, and ingest far more fructose than the average person in the community.
Acknowledgment to some material in this article is given to:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/13/richard-johnson-interview.aspx
