Acesulfame potassium is a zero-calorie sweetener that is added to many sugar-free…
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Fructose
Fructose
Fructose
What is it:
Fructose is a natural sugar commonly found in fruits, honey, and some vegetables. In the context of food labels, fructose refers to a crystalline sweetener. It is commonly made from corn starch through a process that involves enzymatic hydrolysis to break down the starch into glucose units, followed by isomerization to convert some of the glucose into fructose. Crystalline fructose is used as a sweetener in various processed foods and beverages due to its high sweetness level, often used alongside other sweeteners like sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. It is commonly found in sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods.
Rating:
While fructose is naturally occurring in many foods, fructose used in food production is simply another type of added sugar in many processed foods. Added sugar is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other negative health effects. Studies suggest that high fructose consumption has negative metabolic effects and may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and certain types of cancer. Additionally, fructose in food production is commonly derived from GMO corn. While consuming natural sources of fructose may be beneficial for health due to other compounds and nutrients in fruits or vegetables, consuming fructose as a sweetener in processed foods can be harmful.
Resources:
- Health implications of dietary fructose
- Fructose-sweetened beverages negatively affect metabolic parameters (clinical trial)
- High-fructose diet doesn’t stimulate appetite control pathways the same as glucose (randomized controlled trial)
- Added sugar intake associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease
- Sugar-sweetened beverages associated with risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies)
- Sugar-sweetened beverage intake associated with risk of colorectal cancer in adolescents (multicenter study)
How we rate ingredients
Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:
Clean
It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.
Caution
It goes into one or more of the below categories
- It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
- It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)
We Avoid
It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)
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