I’m a diabetic (adult onset). Why is fructose better for me than regular table sugar?
A. Crystalline fructose is a refined and simple sugar. It will not raise blood sugars as high as table sugar (sucrose), but it will still raise blood sugars. Sucrose will break down into glucose and fructose, and actually affects blood sugar levels less than starch, which is broken down quickly into pure glucose (“New Sugar Guidelines” in DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT, July/Aug 94). This is why the glycemic index of a potato is so high compared to ice cream. Ice cream has fat and protein combined with the sugar which slows down the absorption, causing a lesser affect on blood sugar levels. If you want to avoid refined sweeteners, don’t let the healthy-sounding name and its ubiquitous presence in the health food store fool you! It’s true that fructose is the chief sugar found in fruit (along with sucrose and glucose). It is also one of the sugars found in honey (again, along with glucose and sucrose). However, it is a very highly processed sugar and is, believe it or not, more frequently der