What kinds of fructose intolerance are there?
Differentiate between
- Fructose Malabsorption, also known as Intestinal Fructose Intolerance or Fruit Sugar Intolerance, and
- Hereditary Fructose Intolerance (HFI)
Is there actually fructose intolerance or is this a body’s normal, healthy reaction to too much fructose?
Recent studies have demonstrated a connection between high sugar intake and metabolic disorders in general, independent of the "Fructose Intolerance" disease pattern. According to the studies, responsibility could lie with the fructose bound up in table sugar (Table sugar consists of half fructose and half glucose): Fructose, as has long been known, is metabolized completely differently than its less-sweet partner molecule, glucose (grape sugar). While the body can utilize the glucose directly as an energy supply, the fructose has to be converted by the liver - and this organ’s capacity is limited.
Fructose intolerance as a result of an overloaded metabolism
If the liver is consistently exposed to more fructose than it can process, the reaction is similar to a reaction to an excess of alcohol, with far-reaching consequences for the metabolism. Control circuits for insulin release and excess fat storage can result, including obesity. The liver itself can react to an extreme overload with a fatty liver up to liver cirrhosis. We wouldn’t go so far as to boldly say that "sugar is poison", as various scientists do. However, if one reads a few of these studies, one can reach the conclusion that the dose makes the poison: The human body does not appear to have been designed for today's extremely high fructose intake.
Could it be that between Hereditary Fructose Intolerance (fructose processing capacity of the liver of under 1g/day) and the normal fructose processing capacity of the liver (sources say around 25g/day), there are different individual grades of fructose processing capacity?
Could it be that fructose malabsorption is a healthy response of the body to an excess of fructose - does it refuse the intake so as not to damage itself?