Fructose

Effects of fructose on health

Fructose is an excellent carbohydrate, especially useful for athletes who train or compete in predominantly glycolytic sports, where carbohydrate and electrolyte drinks are needed to maintain athletic performance.

• Eating foods that contain fructose results in a smaller rise in blood glucose than eating foods containing sucrose or glucose*.
• Carbohydrates help maintain normal brain function. *The beneficial effect is achieved with a daily intake of 130 g of carbohydrates from all sources.
• Carbohydrates contribute to the recovery of normal muscle function (contraction) after high-intensity or long-duration physical exercise, which leads to muscle fatigue and the depletion of glycogen stored in skeletal muscles. *The beneficial effect is achieved by consuming carbohydrates from all sources in a total intake of 4 g per kg of body weight, in doses taken before four hours (or, at most, six hours) after high-intensity or long-duration physical exercise that leads to muscle fatigue and the depletion of glycogen stored in skeletal muscles.

 *For a product to make these claims, it must be a sweetened food or drink in which glucose and/or sucrose have been replaced with fructose so that the reduction of glucose and/or sucrose in the food or drink is at least 30%.