Quitting Juice
What if I told you the most detrimental food to your health was juice….and maybe also soda? Would you believe me? I focus on juice because most consider this harmless or even nutritious. We are raising our children on liquid sugar to become overweight and laden with diabetes by the time they are 20. Something needs to change - right now - and it could be as simple as not buying orange juice the next time you go to the grocery.
Why am I ganging up on juice? Let me tell you…
The simplest forms of sugar metabolized in the body are glucose, galactose, and fructose. These sugars are metabolized using different pathways in the body with the same end goal of creating our body’s unit of energy, or ATP. Overconsumption of fructose is very dangerous to our health, and the differences in these pathways make fructose so damaging.
Glucose and galactose metabolism have rate-limiting enzymes that switch off the process when too much energy is available. Excess glucose and galactose are stored as glycogen in the muscles or liver and are metabolized when needed.
Fructose, on the other hand, does not have a rate-limiting enzyme. Metabolism continues as long as fructose is present. Fructose metabolism results in a net loss of ATP, which seems counterintuitive if the goal is to create energy. But the process uses more energy than it produces, resulting in a net loss of energy leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and extreme fatigue.
In addition, uric acid is produced as a byproduct of fructose (and also alcohol) metabolism. What is uric acid? Stay with me here!
Uric acid is thought of as a waste indicator by Western medicine as it’s a byproduct of fructose and purine metabolism. But in reality, it is a powerful indicator useful in tackling metabolic issues. Scientists have discovered that high uric acid levels are indicated in metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. The current understanding relates back to our ancestors.
Two enzymes very involved with weight and fat storage are AMPK and AMPD2. AMPK, activated by fasting, exercise, and certain foods, serves as cellular housecleaning and revs metabolism. AMPD2 reduces metabolism and increases fat storage. When AMPK is activated, AMPD2 is switched off and vice versa. These are the same enzymes present in animals that hibernate. Activating AMPD2 helps animals prepare for hibernation. The same thought applies to our ancestors who consumed high amounts of fruit, essentially switching on AMPD2 to add fat and prepare for winter when food was more scarce. It is a survival tool hardwired in our DNA.
Overconsumption of fructose depletes our body of energy and turns on fat storage, slowing metabolism by producing large amounts of uric acid. So it is no surprise that excess fructose consumption is associated with insulin resistance, increased blood lipids, hypertension and obesity.
Fructose comes mainly from fruit, honey, and high fructose corn syrup in sodas, pastries, and desserts. When you drink juice or a soda, you give your body an extreme dose of fructose in a super short period. The Average American consumes seventeen teaspoons of added sugar every day (not natural sugar from fruit), which equals fifty-seven pounds of added sugar, much of it derived from fructose.
To be clear, I am not recommending a ban on fruit and honey. Fruit and honey contain small amounts of fructose, and the fiber in these foods slows absorption. Fruit and honey contain numerous health benefits from phytonutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Honey contains probiotics beneficial for gut health and also many well-documented medicinal properties. So, please keep eating your fruit and add some local honey in your tea!
What I am suggesting is that we pause on America’s favorite breakfast staple. The primary component of fruit juice, apart from water, is free sugar. Fruit juices contain approximately 100-120 g/L of sugar, comparable to high fructose corn syrup sweetened beverages like soda! So hold the juice, friends. We will all be healthier for it.
References:
Hudoyo, A. W., Hirase, T., Tandelillin, A., Honda, M., Shirai, M., Cheng, J., Morisaki, H., & Morisaki, T. (2017). Role of AMPD2 in impaired glucose tolerance induced by high fructose diet. Molecular genetics and metabolism reports, 13, 23–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymgmr.2017.07.006
Caliceti, C., Calabria, D., Roda, A., & Cicero, A. (2017). Fructose Intake, Serum Uric Acid, and Cardiometabolic Disorders: A Critical Review. Nutrients, 9(4), 395. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9040395
Johnson, R. J., Sánchez-Lozada, L. G., Andrews, P., & Lanaspa, M. A. (2017). Perspective: A Historical and Scientific Perspective of Sugar and Its Relation with Obesity and Diabetes. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 8(3), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.116.014654
Pepin, A., Stanhope, K. L., & Imbeault, P. (2019). Are Fruit Juices Healthier Than Sugar-Sweetened Beverages? A Review. Nutrients, 11(5), 1006. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11051006
Perlmutter, D. (2022). Drop acid. HodderStoughton.
Sanchez-Lozada, L. G., Rodriguez-Iturbe, B., Kelley, E. E., Nakagawa, T., Madero, M., Feig, D. I., Borghi, C., Piani, F., Cara-Fuentes, G., Bjornstad, P., Lanaspa, M. A., & Johnson, R. J. (2020). Uric Acid and Hypertension: An Update With Recommendations. American journal of hypertension, 33(7), 583–594. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajh/hpaa044