RN here, it’s because your body has a more difficult time accessing the sugars in fruit form. They are wrapped up in multiple types of fiber which add bulk to your digestive system and serve as kind of a shield for your body to less easily access the sugar. The juice is essentially just the sugar with all the fiber strained out, has others have said this causes a situation where you can drink the calories from like 18 oranges in 45 seconds, and your body can access it immediately and easily. This is also why whole fruit is actually a good thing for diabetics because the glycemic index is actually pretty low.
Flavonoids and polyphenols. Cleveland Health has articles on both.
Some years ago some medication I was on put me at risk for diabetes (not an issue now), and my Dr. at the time mentioned the benefit of fruit, however I never really asked them to elaborate.
Thanks for that explanation, it makes a lot of sense the way you’ve described the function. You learn something new everyday!
Sugar: THE BITTER TRUTH
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Recorded on 05/26/2009.
There is sugar, absolutely. And that’s probably where most of the calories come from. But there is also water, cellulose (fiber), and vitamins/minerals - doesn’t have much non-sugar caloric value to change that balance, but it’s still important. And nobody serious is suggesting you eat only fruit, so you can get non-sugar calories from other sources and it can be balanced in the big picture.
It’s kind of like an appropriate amount of dressing on a salad, the good outweighs the bad and makes you more likely to actually eat that nutrition-positive food.
Source: I’m some guy on the Internet. You can trust me.
nobody serious is suggesting you eat only fruit
Notorious for having lived a long life…
Ideally focus on grapes fermented into beautiful wine and eat the rest in moderation.
