We know fructose, the main sugar from fruit, it very toxic to the liver. Does that mean we shouldn’t be eating fruit?
Nah! It means eat moderately. Think of yourself as a caveman or cavewoman wandering through he forest, gathering and nibbling berries and roots. Eat at about that rate.
What’s wrong with our modern living is that we can go to a supermarket and buy a whole week’s food and then eat the entire packet in hours. That’s not natural.
Eating some grapes, crunching an apple, followed by a few nuts, a couple of dried apricots an hour or two later… that’s hunter-gatherer style eating.
What’s really unnatural, of course, is eating concentrated fruit sugars; meaning high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Fructose is a simple sugar found in fruits and vegetables. It also is combined with glucose to manufacture high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener in many packaged foods such as cereal and soda. That’s very bad and we know it damages the liver. I doubt it does the rest of the body much good either.
Now a new test has been suggested, to monitor levels of uric acid and a reduction in liver energy stores. High uric acid, or hyperuricemia (like gout), is linked to lower levels of liver adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound involved in transferring energy between cells.
The researchers, who published their new report in the September issue of the journal Hepatology, noted that energy depletion in the liver could result in liver damage for those with the metabolic condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and in those at risk for the condition. They stressed that the public should be aware of these risks associated with a diet high in fructose.
Lead author Dr. Manal Abdelmalek said in the journal news release. “Given the concurrent rise in fructose consumption and metabolic diseases, we need to fully understand the impact of a high-fructose diet on liver function and liver disease.”
Researchers measured the difference in liver ATP content between patients with low fructose consumption (less than 15 grams per day) and those with high fructose consumption (greater than 15 grams per day).
The study revealed that participants with high dietary fructose consumption had lower liver ATP levels (less cellular energy) than controls. The researchers also noted that those with high uric acid levels had lower ATP stores following high fructose intake.
Based on their findings, the researchers suggested uric acid, which is produced by the breakdown of natural food substances known as purines, may serve as a marker for increased fructose consumption and low levels of liver ATP.
Of course they are quick to protect the food industry and say that high levels of HFCS associated with liver damage doesn’t mean a cause and effect relationship.
Well I’m saying it.
Look after you liver: LOVE YOUR LIVER. That’s the title of one of my cutting edge books. If you don’t have a copy yet, it’s time you did.
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[SOURCE: Hepatology, news release, Sept. 13, 2012]
Fructose, from fruit, is very toxic to the liver? I have not heard this before. I am aware of many long term fruitarians here on the internet, some for many years eating nothing but fruit. Are they killing themselves? I am aware of no fatty liver disease or scorosis. I have always heard that high fructose corn syrup is bad.