This is contained in a study published in the ‘Journal of Herpetology’. In its pure form, fructose has been used as a sweetener dingsince the mid-1850s and has advantages for certain groups, including people with diabetes and those trying to control their weight. Of course, fructose has been consumed for centuries in foods.
It is known as a simple sugar because it is a single sweetening molecule. Major sources of dietary fructose among children and adolescents are soda and other sweetened beverages.
Nearly 90 per cent reported drinking sodas and soft drinks one or more times a week. Almost 95 per cent of patients regularly consumed morning and afternoon snacks consisting of crackers, pizza and salty food, biscuits, yogurt, or other snacks.
High amounts of fructose in modern diets have been associated with a wide range of ailments, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Recent research suggests that dietary fructose intake may increase the amount of uric acid in the blood — which is associated with painful gout — and that both uric acid and fructose consumption may be elevated in individuals with NAFLD.
NAFLD, the accumulation of extra fat in liver cells in people who drink little or no alcohol, is recognised as the fastest growing cause of liver disease in both Western and developing countries.
It is estimated to affect up to 30 per cent of the general population in Western countries and up to 9.6 per cent of all children and 38 per cent of obese children.
NAFLD is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and may respond to treatments originally developed for other insulin-resistant states (e.g. diabetes mellitus type 2) such as weight loss, metformin, and thiazolidinediones. Up to 80 per cent of obese people have the disease.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD, and is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.
Most people have a good outcome if the condition is caught in its early stages ‘NewmaxHealth’ reported that a team of Italian and British researchers studied obese children and adolescents with NAFLD.
All underwent liver biopsy and all completed a food frequency questionnaire, indicating when specific foods were consumed (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, etc.), how often (every day of the week, sometimes, or never), and portion size.
