Can fructose also cause fatty liver? Sugar's "sweet trap" and the metabolic burden on the liver

Even if they are ingredients found in natural foods, you should not eat too much.

Almost everyone knows that alcohol damages the liver, but few people know that there is a type of fatty liver called "non-alcoholic fatty liver disease."

Non-alcoholic, as the name suggests, means that the "culprit" is not alcohol.

According to relevant data in 2019, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in my country is 29%. This means that one-third of the Chinese people are suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It is also the chronic liver disease with the highest number of outbreaks in the world.

If non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is not taken seriously, it will develop into more serious diseases such as liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.

Currently, the known factors that can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease include obesity and insulin resistance. However, research in recent years has found a potential risk factor that affects almost everyone.

It is fructose.

The harm of fructose to the liver should not be underestimated

Fructose is a type of sugar that exists in many natural foods, such as various fruits and honey.

Humans began to eat a lot of fructose in the 1970s. At that time, artificial fructose "high fructose corn syrup" was extracted from corn raw materials. This fructose is not only sweeter than sucrose, but also very cheap, so it was widely used in various processed foods. But since then, the number of people suffering from fatty liver has exploded.

Scientists have conducted relevant research on this. The latest research results show that fructose is 2 to 3 times more effective than glucose in increasing liver fat. It can even cause the appearance of fibrous tissue, and "fibrous tissue hyperplasia" is often the beginning of liver cirrhosis.

Another study found that even with the same calorie intake, a high-fructose diet increased liver fat more than a complex carbohydrate diet. In just 9 days, liver fat can increase by 37%.

Why does fructose, which seems natural and healthy, have such a big impact on the liver?

The truth behind fructose damaging the liver

Various studies in recent years have revealed the truth behind fructose's damage to the liver.

When fructose is ingested by the human body, the liver is the main metabolic organ. However, there is no enzyme that plays a special "rate-limiting" role in the metabolic process, so a large amount of substances will accumulate in the liver and then be converted into fat. If fructose is consumed too much, it will eventually develop into fatty liver and other metabolic diseases. At the same time, fructose also has a certain destructive effect on the intestinal barrier, thereby accelerating the production of enzymes that can promote the liver to synthesize fat, resulting in a large amount of lipid deposition in the liver. If excessive consumption of fructose at this time stimulates fatty degeneration of the liver, it may cause fatty hepatitis.

In addition to damaging the liver, excessive fructose intake can also lead to increased uric acid levels and increased risk of gout; decreased insulin sensitivity, leading to hyperglycemia and even type 2 diabetes.

Limit the amount of natural fructose you eat, and be more careful about various added fructose

Although fructose is one of the risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, there is no need to avoid eating fruits. It is safe to consume fructose within a certain range. In addition, the dietary fiber contained in fruits can also slow down the speed at which fructose enters the blood, helping us prevent liver damage. According to the Chinese Residents' Dietary Guidelines, the optimal daily fruit intake for healthy adults is 200-350g. It is recommended to eat directly, not to squeeze juice! Juicing will speed up the speed at which fructose enters the blood, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar, which is not good for liver metabolism.

In addition, be careful about added fructose in processed foods. If the words "fructose corn syrup", "high fructose corn syrup" or "glucose isomerase syrup" appear in the ingredient list, it means that fructose has been added. Sucrose also produces fructose after digestion. According to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines, the daily intake of added sugar for healthy adults should not exceed 50 grams, and it is best to control it below 25 grams.

Take Coke for example. The fructose content of Coke is 5.8g/100g, which doesn't seem like much. After drinking a 500ml bottle of Coke, 30g of fructose will easily enter the liver, not counting the glucose after sucrose is hydrolyzed. So what do you think? Will you still dare to drink Happy Fat House Water happily in the future?

If you drink too much, you will feel uncomfortable and will naturally know how to stop.

But fructose is delicious and does not make you feel full, so it is easy to eat too much if you are not careful, and the damage it causes can be comparable to alcohol.

Remember, moderation, moderation, and quantity!

References

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