There is no consensus on the cause of metabolic syndrome (which is responsible for great amounts of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline), but some experts like UCSF professor Robert Lustig, MD, believe that the main cause is fructose in the diet. Table sugar is half fructose and about half of the carbs in most fruits and vegetables is also fructose (with apples and pears being about 70% fructose and cherries being about 30%).
Cultures that have traditionally relied heavily on carbs, e.g., East Asia, traditionally get almost all of their carbs from starchy food that contain zero fructose. Also, fructose is about 7 times worse than glucose at producing advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
There is no consensus on the cause of metabolic syndrome (which is responsible for great amounts of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline), but some experts like UCSF professor Robert Lustig, MD, believe that the main cause is fructose in the diet. Table sugar is half fructose and about half of the carbs in most fruits and vegetables is also fructose (with apples and pears being about 70% fructose and cherries being about 30%).
Cultures that have traditionally relied heavily on carbs, e.g., East Asia, traditionally get almost all of their carbs from starchy food that contain zero fructose. Also, fructose is about 7 times worse than glucose at producing advanced glycation end products (AGEs).