Check out this answer from Consensus:
The sugar in fruit, particularly in the form of whole fruits, is generally considered healthier than added sugars in SSBs due to the presence of fiber and other essential nutrients. However, fruit juice, despite being a natural source of sugar, can have similar adverse health effects as SSBs when consumed in large quantities. Therefore, moderation is key, and whole fruits should be preferred over fruit juices to maintain optimal health.
The health implications of sugar consumption have been a topic of extensive research and debate. While the adverse effects of added sugars, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), are well-documented, the health impact of naturally occurring sugars in fruit and fruit juices remains less clear. This article explores whether the sugar in fruit is healthy by examining the findings from various research studies.
Sugar in Fruit vs. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Similarities and Differences
Both fruit and sugar-sweetened beverages contain significant amounts of sugar. However, the type of sugar and the presence of other nutrients differ. SSBs typically contain added sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup, and lack essential nutrients. In contrast, fruits contain natural sugars along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which can mitigate some of the adverse effects of sugar consumption2 6.
Metabolic Effects
Research indicates that the metabolic response to sugar from fruit and SSBs can be similar. For instance, a study found that the biological response to the sugar in 100% fruit juice is essentially the same as that to added sugars in SSBs2. However, the presence of fiber in whole fruits can slow down sugar absorption, potentially reducing the risk of metabolic diseases6.
Health Outcomes
Type 2 Diabetes
Several studies have examined the relationship between fruit juice consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that while sugar-sweetened fruit juice was significantly associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, 100% fruit juice was not5. Another study concluded that habitual consumption of fruit juice is unlikely to be a healthy alternative to SSBs for preventing type 2 diabetes1.
Cardiovascular Health
The impact of fruit juice on cardiovascular health is also a subject of investigation. One study found that higher intakes of SSBs were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, but the evidence regarding fruit juices was less consistent2. Another study suggested that fruit juice consumption might not lead to the same adverse metabolic consequences as SSBs, but more research is needed to confirm this3.
Weight Gain and Obesity
The role of fruit juice in weight gain and obesity is controversial. Some studies suggest that the high sugar content in fruit juice can contribute to weight gain, similar to SSBs6. However, a randomized controlled trial found no significant differences in weight gain or other cardiometabolic risk factors between participants consuming natural sugars from fruit and those consuming added sugars from SSBs over a short period4.
Mental Health
Interestingly, a study examining the association between sugary beverage consumption and mental health found that while SSBs were significantly associated with poor mental health, 100% fruit juice was not10. This suggests that the type of sugar and the presence of other nutrients in fruit juice may play a role in mental health outcomes.
Public Perception and Policy Implications
Public perception often views fruit juice as a healthier option compared to SSBs. However, this perception can be misleading, as the sugar content in fruit juice is comparable to that in SSBs8. Public health guidelines generally recommend consuming fruit in its whole form rather than as juice to maximize nutrient intake and minimize sugar consumption9.
Is sugar in fruit healthy?
Cornelie Nienaber-Rousseau has answered Likely
An expert from North-West University in Nutrition
A serving of fruit (one small to medium fruit such as a small banana, an apple, or orange or half a cup of canned or fresh fruit or fruit juice or quarter cup of dried fruit) contains about 15 g of carbohydrate mostly as sugars (Whitney and Rolfes, 2018). These natural sugars found in fruit are mostly sucrose, fructose and glucose and makes them enjoyable as snacks or deserts. Fruits vary in water and fiber content and sugar concentrations and, therefore, also in their potential to raise the blood sugar/glucose levels (glycemic index (GI) effect) (SA food composition tables; Ahmad et al., 2009).
Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose and when digested breaks down into it’s to constituent parts (two monosaccharides). Glucose is the primary food molecule (obtained from carbohydrates found in bread/starches, fruit and vegetables) and this sugar can be used directly by the body’s cells as fuel. Fructose is the sweetest of the sugars and also known as fruit sugar or levulose. Fructose is composed of the same chemical molecules as glucose, but differ structurally from glucose. It is this structural difference that results in it tasting sweeter than glucose. Fructose must be converted by the liver into glucose before it can be used as energy. Because there is a limit as to how fast the liver can process fructose, fructose containing foods do not immediately raise blood glucose levels. When compared to white bread (containing mainly carbohydrate and often used as a physiological standard when calculating GI) the GI of fructose containing food is relatively low (Atkinson et al., 2008; Brouns et al., 2005). Muraki and co-researchers (2013) reported that the consumption of specific whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples with low GI’s, was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas greater consumption of fruit juice (with a higher GI) is associated with a higher risk.
When there is too much fructose the liver converts the fructose into fat instead of glucose. When there is too much of any of the energy providing nutrients it could lead to weight increases. In 2017 Auerbach and fellow researchers (2017) summarized the literature to determine whether consumption of fruit juice could lead to weight gain. They reported that the drinking 100% fruit juice is associated with a small clinically insignificant amount of weight gain in children aged 1 to 6 years and is not associated with weight gain in children aged 7 to 18 (Auerbach et al., 2017). More research on the contribution of juices to weight gain is needed, but it is recommended that fruit juice only provides half of the daily fruit servings. It is almost impossible to get too much sugar from fresh fruit, but this does not apply to fruit canned in syrup, fruit juice or dried fruit.
Fresh whole fruit satisfy the appetite better than juices or dried fruit, because fresh whole fruits have a lot of fiber and water that slow down your digestion and make you feel full. Apples and oranges are some of the most filling foods per kilojoule – higher than some protein containing food such as steak or eggs (Holt et al., 1995). Although a medium apple contains 19 g of natural sugar including 11 g of fructose, you will feel less hungry after eating an apple than if you had the same amount of sugar from a tablespoon of honey or a half a can of fizzy drink – the packaging makes a profound nutritional difference!
Fruits contribute folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber to the diet making them a healthy snack. Because they also contain cancer fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals a variety of fresh fruits should be consumed whereas canned or frozen fruit in syrup, juices, punches, and fruit drink or fried fruits should be limited. Note that only eating fruit – the so-called fruitarian diet is not considered to be healthy (Storti et al., 2020).
Is sugar in fruit healthy?
Tim Crowe has answered Near Certain
An expert from Thinking Nutrition in Nutrition
Fruit is a core part of dietary guidelines the world over. But with the rise in obesity rates and health problems and the greater scrutiny that sugar has received, especially with how much added sugar is in our food supply, fruit has sometimes been tainted because of its ‘high sugar content’. There have been some very loud voices warning people of the dangers of too much sugar with very little attention paid to the source of it, or the food matrix it is found in. And for this, recommendations on eating fruit have succumbed to friendly fire.
Whole fruit though is a very different food from refined sugar added to highly palatable energy-dense discretionary foods. Fruit is a good source of fibre, contains many important nutrients and because of its water content, is less energy dense than many high-sugar containing convenience foods.
If diets high in sugar are a driver of obesity and disease risk, is there any merit then to the line that whole fruit should also be limited or even avoided simply because of its sugar content? This question has been answered in a recent systematic review link to here
Involving 41 studies with a mixture of both randomised-controlled trials and observational studies where fruit consumption was tracked against body weight changes, a consistent outcome was seen. And here it is: increasing consumption of whole, fresh fruit did not increase body weight and likely even had a modest impact on weight loss – especially when you looked at the higher quality randomised-controlled trials that run for up to 6 months.
And agreeing with the effects of fruit on body weight that the review found, eating fruit also helped to reduce the total amount of food eaten either by displacing more energy dense foods or helping control appetite. So, it is pretty clear that fruit in its whole form rightly counts as a healthy part of any diet and concerns about weight gain from it are very misguided.
There are lots of reasons to eat fewer foods high in added in sugar, but when it comes to healthy fruit and its naturally present sugar, there is no need to be cutting back. Whole, fresh fruit is unlikely to add excess kilojoules to the diet or cause weight gain, and if anything may help protect against it. That makes for a good reason to continue to enjoy fruit every day.