Mercola Natural Health Blog

Fructose is perceived as an “acceptable” form of sugar, especially with the rise in consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in sugar-smitten America. Little do you know, however, that it isn’t really the safe and healthy sweetener it is painted to be.

Top natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola says that the “delusion” about fructose “is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles,” confirming that both fructose and your everyday table sugar cause a variety of health problems.

“Nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, contributing to the most chronic illnesses,” Dr. Mercola says.

Nancy Appleton, PH D, nutrition expert and author of Suicide by Sugar, provides a rundown of what happens to the body when it consumes fructose. Among these factors are as follows:

1. Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins and minerals. “It robs the body its micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use,” says Dr. Appleton. It also brown food more readily – it’s called the Maillard reaction – than glucose, resulting in decrease and toxicity of protein in the body.

2. A study shows that the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) increased “without an apparent change” in high density lipoproteins (HDL). “The VLDL and the LDL should be as low as possible and the HDL should be as high as possible,” she adds.

3. Fructose intake results in blood lactic acid. This is especially harmful for patients with acidotic conditions such as diabetes, uremia, or post-operative stress.

4. Fructose interacts with oral contraceptives. It elevates insulin levels in women taking pills.

5. Uric acid concentration significantly increases with amount of fructose digested. An increase in uric acid could indicate heart disease.

6. Fructose is not metabolized the same as other sugars. It is removed by the liver instead of being converted to glucose.

7. It inhibits copper metabolism. This deficiency may lead to anemia, bone fragility, infertility, high cholesterol levels, and heart attacks.

8. Fructose-fed subjects lose minerals. Compared to those fed with sucrose, these subjects had higher fecal excretions of iron and magnesium.

9. A study shows that fructose caused a general increase in total serum cholesterol and in the low density lipoproteins (LDL). “This puts a person at risk for heart disease,” Dr. Appleton warns.

10. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. Dr. Appleton laments that this “may be one of the reasons Americans continue to get fatter.”

Dr. Mercola finds it an imperative to limit fructose in one’s diet, mainly through eliminating soda and fruit juices, which have about eight teaspoons of fructose per serving.

“Soda should almost be illegal to give to children,” Dr. Mercola says. “I can’t think of any reason or justification to continue such a disease-promoting practice.”



Related links:
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health
Debate about Danger of High-Fructose Corn Syrup
More Problems with Fructose

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Planning a romantic evening with your significant other this February 14? Studies show that having good sex life can help you stay happy and healthy.

Research shows that sex can actually reduce your chances of catching a cold. A study found that couples who make love weekly increase their production of immunoglobulin A – an antibody that fights infection – by 30 percent. Sex can also help women have a more predictable period, as they are exposed to male pheromones.

The latest study on the effects of sex to men’s health published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that men who had sex just once a month of less increased their risk of cardiovascular disease than those who have sex twice a week or more.

The study also suggests that sexually active men likely have libido and the capacity for physical activity, and that the ability to have sex might be a marker for overall health; and men who have regular sexual activity might be more likely to be in a supportive intimate relationship with a regular partner, which might improve health through stress reduction and social support.

Osteopathic physician and natural health expert Joseph Mercola agrees that regular sexual activity can provide health benefits, including those for your heart. But you know very well that having a healthy heart requires more than having a healthy sex life. 


Heart disease is a killer in America but fortunately, it is also one of the easiest diseases to prevent. Here are Dr. Mercola’s simple steps for a healthy heart:

1.    Eat a healthy diet – A heart-healthy diet is one based on your unique Nutritional Type and includes a lot of whole, fresh, organic foods, at least one-third of which should be eaten raw, Dr. Mercola says. Get plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats like krill oil. Optimizing your vitamin D levels by getting enough sun exposure or taking a vitamin D3 supplement will also help boost your cardiovascular health. Studies show that that people who do had low levels of vitamin D have a 378 percent greater risk of dying from a heart problem.

2.    Exercise – Regular exercise will help you reduce inflammation in your body and trim dangerous visceral fat (also known as abdominal/belly fat), which is linked to heart disease. You can be skinny and underweight but still have visceral fat around your organs. For men, a waist circumference of between 37 and 40 inches is overweight and more than 40 inches is obese while 31.5-34.6 inches is overweight and more than 34.6 inches is obese for women.

3.    Stress management – Use tools such as the Meridian Tapping Technique to deal with unresolved emotional stress, which is a common contributing factor to heart disease. Stress can be in the form of anger, guilt, sadness and anything that makes you feel bad. Your cortisol levels also rise when your body is under the stress response. Elevated cortisol increases your tendency to gain weight – in the form of visceral fat – around your midsection, which further increases your heart disease risk, Mercola explains.

4.    Normalize your blood pressure – Hypertension or high blood pressure can cause heart disease and increase your risk of a stroke. Thankfully, you have control over some of the main causes of hypertension, which are related to your insulin levels. You should eliminate or severely reduce your grain and sugar consumption and back it up with regular exercise.

5.    Monitor your iron levels – Excess iron in your system can be a very potent oxidative stress that can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of heart disease. Make sure that your ferritin levels are not above 80 ng/ml. Donating blood is the easiest way to lower your ferritin levels but you can also go for therapeutic phlebotomy.

6.    Quit smoking – There’s no question that smoking is bad for your heart. In Dr. Mercola’s experience, most smokers tend to reward themselves with sugar when they quit the stick, increasing their insulin levels and their risk of heart disease. That is why it is absolutely crucial for smokers to get start eating healthy first before they deal with their cigarette addiction. Good nutrition also helps minimize feelings of depression smokers may encounter when they quit.

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