Fructose Linked to High Blood Pressure

The truth would be more helpful....DOCTORS!

here's a truth. Glucose is broken down into fructose during glycolysis. So we all should be hypertensive if there was a direct link between fructose and hypertension.

So they are right, there must be another process that is causing an increase in hypertension other than the fructose itself.

Lets see if I can take a stab at this, people who consume that many sweetened beverages, probably don't watch what they eat either. People who don't watch what they eat, are more likely to have high sodium diets. The increase in sodium, increases the body's need to create more blood volume to dilute that sodium. That increase leads to increased thirst in an individual, that individual reaches for more sweetened beverages. Creating a cycle.

Because the body can no longer control extra sodium by drinking liquid the hypothalamus increase the blood pressure (aka compensated hypertension) to try to get the kidneys to excrete the excess sodium. Thus, you have high blood pressure.

but ya know, thats just my "guess," lol!

BUZZZZZZIP! your wrong....an opinion, a belief responsible for disease and death.

wrong about what? Is fructose not created in glycolysis? So if everything you eat is broken down into fructose biphosphate in order to create pyruvate for the TCA cycle, then why are we ALL not hypertensive?

That article you linked is stupid. They don't even understand that glucose becomes fructose. They act like its two completely different animals.

Glucose enters the body then is phosphorylated and then isomerized to create fructose. Fructose enters the liver directly and starts at "step 3" instead of "step two".

Lastly the vast majority of your energy production IS done in the liver regardless of what metabolite you start with. Your liver is your buffer for your fats, carbs, and proteins.

So for them to pretend that fructose is special because of the liver, is pretty damn ignorant when it comes to anyone who understand basic biochemistry.

I agree with Dr. Weil main points, but I want to clarify some points that I believe that maybe be misinterpreted.

The body doesn't handle large amounts of fructose well.

He is insinuating that the body can handle large amounts of something else well, which isn't the case. The body doesn't handle large amounts of anything well. It doesn't matter if its water, oxygen and yes even glucose.

You can maintain life with intravenous glucose, but not with intravenous fructose; severe derangement of liver function results

That is because the liver is your main buffer. Fructose's (as well as other essential metabolites we won't get into) functional enzymes are located in the liver. It gets over worked if you over load the body with just fructose.

What gets lost in translation here is the fact that IV glucose can be handled up to a point. That is because unlike fructose, other organs can break down glucose to relieve some of the work load off of the liver.

In the hospital, glucose IV must be monitored CAREFULLY, because of the harmful side effects of becoming hyperglycemic. Too much fructose will mess up you liver, but too much glucose will mess up your liver, your central and peripheral nervous system, your muscles, your kidney, your eyes, your blood etc. That stuff deposits everywhere and clogs up functions if it is in excess. If you don't believe me, talk to someone with uncontrolled diabetes. Its not fructose causing their sequelae, its glucose.

I never use fructose in my home.

Then Weil doesn't eat fruits or vegetables, never uses table sugar, honey or syrup, baked goods etc. Fructose is in many foods and it is usually combined with glucose as sucrose.

While its hard to maintain this diet, it isn't impossible. Well follows the same diet that is recommended for a patient with Hereditary fructose intolerance.

http://www.destination-healthy-foods.com/Hereditary-Fructose-Intolerance.html

The problem with giving up fructose ( esp. when you don't need to) is you deprive your body of important antioxidants, vitamins, and cofactors, you probably will have to take supplements to make sure that you are getting adequate nutrition.

Natural fructose from healthy sources are great, HFCS (which is a misnomer because it is fructose (~55%) mixed with glucose (~45%) and laced with crap) is not.