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Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

sugarscience.ucsf.edu

21–30 of 166 posts

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#21
post #13

Too much of everything is always bad.

>Too much of everything is always bad. That's folk-wisdom, which is sort of a good heuristic but is not useful when we can actually test and demonstrate. Some things are bad even in small quantities, say poison. Somethings we can't get enough of, say fresh air. I've mostly cut out fructose (and most other forms of sugar) altogether from my diet and it's probably the single-most impactful change that I've made in my l…

> Somethings we can't get enough of, say fresh air.

Well, if you get too much air, the pressure will probably kill you, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#22
post #3

Just wanna say that my wife has a PhD in nutrition and this isn't news to us. We've "known" that unbound fructose is hard on the liver for years.

Your wife is one of the few pedigreed nutrionists who “knows” that! Sadly most nutritionists are overweight themselves and continue to advocate people consume whole grains, low-fat dairy, and fruit to lose weight/be healthier. Kudos to your wife for ignoring the massive amount of BS most doctors and nutritionists are inculcated with!

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#23

I hear as bananas ripen, the sucrose breaks down and more fructose is available. That's why they get sweeter. So healthier not to wait too long.

It's been a long time I did biology in high school, but a quick fact checking on WP suggests I'm not too far off: This is true for most/all(?) fruit and yet untrue for humans because sucrose is broken down into glucose and fructose by the body anyway.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#24
post #10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've read Lustig's book, and my recollection is that he says that more than 10% of your daily calories from (all, both added sugar and naturally included sugar, if I remember correctly) sugar is too much. So if you're eating 2000 calories/day, then 200 calories from sugar, which means 200/4 = 50 grams total (including added sugar). Separately, on the sugar science website they say: > our scientific team recommends ke…

So one orange, a large apple and a banana per day will hurt my liver (totaling 63 grams of sugar[1])? Where is the scientific evidence supporting this? [1] http://www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm

I just watched a documentary where Lustig said sugar in fruit is fine because the fibre in the fruit means you absorb the sugar over a period of time, meaning the liver doesn't get one big hit.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#25
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What isn't hard on your liver these days? Most drugs undergo metabolism and activation through the CYP450 system. Meaning that those drugs which clear hepatically are most likely hard on your liver in the long run.

Moderation is the important thing here. It's easier to avoid consuming drugs every day compared to eating a high fructose diet.

Depends on who you're using as an example. If you're consuming too much alcohol or other, obvious well-known substances that cause liver damage it might be easier to eat healthy than it would be to not consume. (From a mental/logical standpoint.)

Point is, the onslaught on the liver is coming from all angles. Actual kids are being hurt unknowingly in a similar way that "college kids" are being knowingly hurt.

Moderation shmoderation. Choice isn't always a factor for those affected.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#26
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is real fruit not a problem but HFCS is? Dates sugar content is mostly sucrose which is broken down in the small intestine very rapidly into 50/50 glucose/fructose while HFCS is typically 45/55 glucose/fructose. Once one sucrose is metabolized by sucrase it hits the bloodstream as glucose and fructose no different than HFSC. Doesn't only matter in the end how much fructose you consume regardless of whether enters…

Industrial sugar contains no fiber vs. the fiber in many fruits complementing the fructose and ameliorating potentially harmful effects meanwhile slowing digestion [1]. My guess is this leads to a more sustained energy boost and relatively mild to nonexistent crash depending on how well your body reacts to carbohydrates. One may need to be somewhat more moderate with dates as they contain little fiber to sugar conten…

So based on that it looks like nothing to do with sucrose vs HFSC, only that the berries have some other properties like binding the sugar up in fiber that slow down metabolism.

It would seem if you bound HFSC up with fiber it would have the same effect.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#27
post #20
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is real fruit not a problem but HFCS is? Dates sugar content is mostly sucrose which is broken down in the small intestine very rapidly into 50/50 glucose/fructose while HFCS is typically 45/55 glucose/fructose. Once one sucrose is metabolized by sucrase it hits the bloodstream as glucose and fructose no different than HFSC. Doesn't only matter in the end how much fructose you consume regardless of whether enters…

> Why is real fruit not a problem but HFCS is? Fruit has loads of fiber, although less than what our ancestors gathered, and in less quantity. Fiber is what produces satiety. For the same reason fruit juice is not good for you.

Again seems like that has nothing to do with HFSC or sucrose, only whats its mixed with.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#29
post #3

Just wanna say that my wife has a PhD in nutrition and this isn't news to us. We've "known" that unbound fructose is hard on the liver for years.

Your wife is one of the few pedigreed nutrionists who “knows” that! Sadly most nutritionists are overweight themselves and continue to advocate people consume whole grains, low-fat dairy, and fruit to lose weight/be healthier. Kudos to your wife for ignoring the massive amount of BS most doctors and nutritionists are inculcated with!

What is wrong with whole grains or fruit? I have never heard of that before.

Re: Too much fructose can damage your liver, just like too much alcohol

#30
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So one orange, a large apple and a banana per day will hurt my liver (totaling 63 grams of sugar[1])? Where is the scientific evidence supporting this? [1] http://www.sugarstacks.com/fruits.htm

I just watched a documentary where Lustig said sugar in fruit is fine because the fibre in the fruit means you absorb the sugar over a period of time, meaning the liver doesn't get one big hit.

No citation available, but I see far more people drinking fruit juice than I do eating fruit with the skin/fibre still intact.
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