June 17/Drug Week -- "Absorbed glucose and fructose differ in that glucose largely escapes first-pass removal by the liver, whereas fructose does not, resulting in different metabolic effects of these two monosaccharides. In short-term controlled feeding studies, dietary fructose significantly increases postprandial triglyceride (TG) levels and has little effect on serum glucose concentrations, whereas dietary glucose has the opposite effects," investigators in the U.S. report.
"When dietary glucose and fructose have been directly compared at similar to 20-25% of energy over a 4-6-week period, dietary fructose caused significant increases in fasting TG and LDL cholesterol concentrations, whereas dietary glucose did not, but dietary glucose did increase serum glucose and insulin concentrations in the postprandial state whereas dietary fructose did not. When fructose at 30-60g (similar to 4-12% of energy) was added to the diet in the free-living state, there were no significant effects on lipid or glucose biomarkers.