Fructose and Diabetes Advice

Fructose, a monosaccharide abundant in nature, distinguishes itself as the most naturally sweet carbohydrate. Its passage from the intestines to the liver occurs at a relatively slower pace, preventing the release of insulin from the pancreas.

The intestinal mucosa does not actively absorb fructose; instead, it undergoes a gradual and incomplete absorption through facilitated diffusion. In the liver, fructose converts into glucose, which enters the bloodstream. Additionally, fructose transforms into glycogen, lactate, and to a limited extent, triglyceride.

Despite the time-consuming nature of this process and its consistent impact on sugar levels compared to sucrose, doctors have historically endorsed the use of natural fructose by diabetic patients as a sweetener. However, excessive fructose intake can lead to increased body fat and elevated blood glucose due to the stimulation of glucose production in the liver.

Encouraging obese adult diabetics to avoid unnecessary calories poses a challenge for doctors. Since fructose, with its calorie content equivalent to sugar, is widely perceived as a concern rather than a solution, the recommendation is to refrain from using added fructose as a sweetening agent in the diabetic diet.

Nevertheless, there is no obligation to avoid naturally occurring fructose in fruits and vegetables, as it constitutes a modest proportion of energy intake, typically around 3-4%.
Fructose and Diabetes Advice

Insulin resistance: A decrease in the ability of insulin to stimulate body glucose disposal

Insulin resistance is a characteristic feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus and impacts the heart in various ways. Insulin resistance is also strongly associated with hypertension, the cardiometabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary disease.

Insulin is a peptide hormone secreted by the β cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans and maintains normal blood glucose levels by facilitating cellular glucose uptake, regulating carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism and promoting cell division and growth through its mitogenic effects.

Insulin resistance is a state in which there are impaired biological and physiological responses to insulin in tissue. Insulin resistance can be caused by prereceptor, receptor, or postreceptor abnormalities.

When the person has insulin resistance, his body can’t use insulin properly. At first, the pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time his body isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep the blood glucose at normal levels.

Generalized insulin resistance occurs primarily as a result of obesity, a consequence of caloric excess, physical inactivity, genetics, and age.

Obesity is the leading cause of insulin resistance, and obese individuals tend to have higher plasma FFAs as a result of decreased suppression of lipolysis by insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance: A decrease in the ability of insulin to stimulate body glucose disposal