EditorialSucrose, fructose, glucose, and their link to metabolic syndrome and cancer
Section snippets
Brief introduction to sugars
Sugars are widespread in nature and are the building blocks of carbohydrates—monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The monosaccharides, which include glucose, fructose, and galactose, are composed of just one sugar molecule and hence, are called simple sugars. Glucose and fructose are abundant in fruits, honey, and processed foods. Galactose is found only in milk.
Disaccharides are formed from two simple sugars and include sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Sucrose comes from sugar
Sucrose
Sucrose is a sugar that is commonly called table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar or, most often, just “sugar.” Sucrose is a white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste and is best known for its role in food. It is a disaccharide composed of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose with the molecular formula C12 H22 O11. It is estimated that in 2013 about 175 million metric tons of table sugar was produced worldwide [3]. Sucrose has nine stereocenters and many sites that are or can be
Fructose
Fructose is a monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion. Pure, dry fructose is a very sweet, white, odorless, crystalline solid and is the most water soluble of all the sugars [4]. Fructose is found in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries, and most root vegetables.
Commercially, fructose is frequently derived from sugar cane, sugar beets, and maize. Crystalline
Conclusions
Based on the preceding discussion, it is evident that fructose intake is associated with increased risk for cancer by producing a significant increase in the activities of the enzymes glucose-6-phosphatase, 6-phosphoglucose dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphoglucose isomerase, aldolase, α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde dehydrogenase, 3-phosphoglycerate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase [35]; enhancing c-myc expression [36], augmenting
References (87)
- et al.
Sources of food group intakes among the US population, 2001 to 2002
J Am Diet Assoc
(2008) - et al.
Complementarity in the regulation of phosphoglucomutase, phosphofructokinase and hexokinase; the role of glucose 1,6-bisphosphate
Biochim Biophys Acta
(1975) - et al.
Interaction of inhibitors with muscle phosphofructokinase
J Biol Chem
(1975) - et al.
Dietary sugars stimulate fatty acid synthesis in adults
J Nutr
(2008) - et al.
Mechanisms for the acute effect of fructose on postprandial lipemia
Am J Clin Nutr
(2007) - et al.
Development of hepatocellular carcinoma in a murine model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis induced by use of a high-fat/fructose diet and sedentary lifestyle
Am J Pathol
(2014) - et al.
A pharmacologic map of the PI3-K family defines a role for p110 alpha in insulin signaling
Cell
(2006) - et al.
Signaling through phosphoinositide 3-kinases: the lipids take centre stage
Current Opinion Cell Biol
(1999) - et al.
Divergent regulation of hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism by phosphoinositide 3-kinase via Akt and PKClambda/zeta
Cell Metab
(2006) - et al.
Increased concentrations of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate contribute to the Warburg effect in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-deficient cells
J Biol Chem
(2013)