You’ve probably heard this saying that ‘sugar is sugar’ and it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Because it performs the same function in your body, right?
The fact is, there are different types of sugar. They don’t all act the same way in your body. And the word ‘sugar’ actually refers to a group of products rather than what you use at home (that’s also in the group though). There’s more on names that are also sugars.
In this article, you’ll explore these two sugars, fructose and glucose, and how they affect you.
Fructose and Glucose: What are they?
Fructose and Glucose are simple sugars. They are also called monosaccharides meaning ‘single sugar units’ in Greek. These sugars cannot break down in your body into smaller sizes again. Because that’s the smallest they can be.
When you consume these sugars, they are absorbed into your bloodstream. But the way they affect your blood sugar (and of course, your body) is different.
Glucose
Your body prefers to use glucose as its source of energy. Glucose powers how your brain functions, to how your muscles move and to pretty much every activity your body performs. Even as you read this article.
Glucose forms the building block of carbohydrates. When you take in fruit that contains carbohydrates, your body breaks it down into glucose first. Then the glucose goes into your bloodstream, then to the various parts of your body to provide energy.
This means that when you take glucose directly, it goes into your blood stream. And this raises your blood sugar almost immediately. This is what you know as glucose spike.
What glucose does in your body
When your blood sugar rises, quickly your pancreas produces insulin. It’s a hormone that acts like a key to allow glucose to enter the cells of the body. This insulin also ensures the cells use up the glucose accordingly. This process lowers the sugar in your blood to normal levels. If more glucose is left in your blood, insulin ensures it’s converted into glycogen for future use.
Sources of Glucose
You get glucose from these foods:
- Whole grains: Brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, whole wheat bread, barley, whole grain pasta
- Root tubers: Potatoes, cassava, yams, beets, radishes, cocoyam.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, kale, bell peppers, carrots, asparagus.
- Starchy vegetables: Corn, peas, pumpkin, winter squash, parsnips.
- Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, mangoes, strawberries, pear.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds.
- Sucrose: table sugar, brown sugar.
And also, from many processed and ultra processed foods.
The difference between glucose in the whole foods and glucose in the (ultra)processed foods is that, the whole foods need to undergo a break down in your body before becoming glucose. But the (ultra)processed food already contains the glucose so it goes into our blood without any prior breakdown.
Check the following post about this topic
Fructose
Fructose is not like glucose. So your body does not use it as its main source of energy. When it gets into your bloodstream, it goes into your liver. That’s where it’s converted to different forms. Some researches say the small intestine can also convert a good amount of fructose into its various final forms.
You can get fructose from these sources:
- Fruits: apples, grapes, bananas, blueberries, and pears
- Vegetables: eggplants, carrots, sweet onions, and red bell peppers
- Other natural sources: Agave nectar and honey
- (Ultra)processed foods: millions of processed food products containing high fructose corn syrup, sucrose and other artificial sources of fructose.
What fructose does in your body
When you eat a food containing fructose, it goes into your liver. Then it goes through some processes to change into fats.
Where does this fat go? You ask. It goes into “fat stores” like the liver itself and fat cells (adipose tissues) [explain adipose tissues).
Your body can use this fat when you’re not eating. Or when you’re doing a lot of physical activity. Does this ring a bell? [talk about fasting. exercise, physical activity, etc]
Note: Your body prefers to use glucose as its source of energy. So if there’s glucose, be rest assured the fat is going nowhere 🫠
You might be asking, what of the plenty mangoes I eat? Does that mean mangoes will give me fats? Or even worse fatty liver disease?
Here’s the thing. Fruits like mangoes and apples contain fructose. But the fructose is linked with other components such as water, vitamins, minerals and fibre.
So when you eat mangoes, these other components must breakdown first, before the fructose will release into your bloodstream. And this process helps slow down how your body absorbs the fructose.
Additionally, the quantity of fructose in one fruit is not high enough to harm you. You’d have to consume a ton of mangoes or apples overtime to get excess fructose that can harm you.
Now ask yourself, how much mangoes can you eat in a day? Even if you really really like mangoes.
So moderation and including other foods in your diet are key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
If you’re worried about too much fructose, then it mostly from the (ultra)processed foods. These foods usually contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), sucrose and other sweeteners that have fructose in them.
HFCS is a common sweetener used in the food industry. This sweetener can be found in millions if not billions of (ultra)processed food products. And it is not linked to other components as in fruits.
Also, it’s usually in higher quantities than necessary (not as in the fruits). And because of this, when you consume such foods, the fructose goes into your bloodstream immediately, then into your liver. And by now, you know what happens next.
Glucose or Fructose, which is better?
Short answer: none is better than the other.
Long answer 👇
While both fructose and glucose are sugars, glucose is the necessary fuel for your body. Excess consumption of either leads to health outcomes you won’t ever want to hear of.
When these two sugars are from artificial sources, it makes matters worse. Because they’re not linked to other components that prevent them from gushing into your bloodstream.
Consume them in moderation, and preferably from whole food sources like fruits, vegetables and grains.
Practical tips for you
- Be mindful of (ultra)processed foods especially those high in HFCS
- Include whole grains, legumes, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your overall diet.
- Variety is the spice of life. Vary the fruits you eat
- Read food labels and determine how you consume foods high in sugars.
Do you want to monitor your sugar intake? Are you interested in observing how you feel when you take too much sugar? Check out this free 3-day sweet swap tracker designed to help you feel better quickly. It’s free.
Bringing it all together, fructose and glucose are sugars. And excess consumption of either can lead to health issues. But glucose is the necessary fuel for your body. Fruits are an essential part of a healthy diet. And while they do contain glucose and fructose, their natural, slow-release endows you with a wealth of health benefits.
Check out this free guide, a 3-day sweet swap tracker. It’s designed to help you start feeling better quickly by observing how you feel when you swap your sweet intake time. It best for you if you’re looking to control the amount of sugary foods (the ultraprocessed ones) you take. Download it for free
Etornam is a food research engineer with a generous passion for healthy food. She’s also a doctoral researcher who studies food practices in consumer homes. She loves walking, gardening and trying new recipes.
