Especially at the beginning of the year, many people want to eat healthier. Many people swear by fruits and vegetables and replace entire meals with smoothies and fruit juices. But too much fructose can promote fatty liver disease.
Too much fructose goes from the small intestine directly to the liver. The result can be fatty liver disease. According to the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS), current studies also prove this.
“All types of sugar end up in the liver when overconsumed and can therefore contribute to fatty liver disease, but fructose increases the formation of new fat to a certain extent – 15 times more than glucose,” the German trade association quotes Ali Canbay, clinical director of the medical association. clinic of the University Hospital of the Ruhr University Bochum.
The negative effect is likely due to the fact that the liver plays an important role in the processing of fructose and, under certain disease conditions, produces increased enzymes that break down fructose and produce fat.
The increased fat production in the liver can not only lead to fat storage there, but can also hinder other metabolic processes such as beta cell function, insulin production and insulin sensitivity.
Fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease that can lead to chronic inflammation of the organ. If left untreated, liver disease can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
In Germany, probably one in three people has fatty liver disease
“Complaints in the form of pain or yellowing of the eyes and skin usually only appear when the liver has already been seriously damaged,” says Heiner Wedemeyer, chairman of the DGVS from Hannover. About a third of the population in Germany probably has fatty liver disease, which is often accompanied by other diseases, for example obesity and sugar and metabolism disorders.
Recommendation: two servings of fruit per day
“If five oranges go into a freshly squeezed orange juice or smoothies consist of several hundred grams of fruit, you will quickly exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended amount of fructose of 25 grams per meal, up to a maximum of 80 grams per day,” says Birgit Terjung, medical director of the GFO Clinics Bonn. She recommends two servings of fruit per day, which should ideally be eaten unprocessed and chewed thoroughly.
Source: Krone
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