Elsevier

Nutrition

Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 249-257
Nutrition

Editorial
Sucrose, fructose, glucose, and their link to metabolic syndrome and cancer

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.05.015Get rights and content

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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

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