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Fructose and Fructans: Opposite Effects on Health?

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Abstract

Fructans are fructose-based oligo-and polysaccharides of natural origin. Fructan and fructose species are sometimes confused by the great public, although they clearly have different biochemical and physiological properties. This review discusses aspects of the use of fructose and fructans in foods in the context of human health, with possible differential effects on cellular autophagy in cells of the human body. Although there are uncertainties on the daily levels of ingested fructose to be considered harmful to human health, there is an emerging consensus on the benefits of the use of fructans in functional foods, sustaining health via direct immunomodulatory and antioxidant effects or through indirect, prebiotic mechanisms.

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Abbreviations

AGEs:

Advanced glycation end products

ATP III:

Adult Treatment Panel III

ChREBP:

Carbohydrate-responsive element binding protein

CVD:

Cardiovascular diseases

DHAP:

Dihydroxyacetone phosphate

eNOS:

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase

ER:

Endoplasmic reticulum

FA:

Fatty acid

FOS:

Fructo-oligosaccharides

GGT:

Gamma glutamyl transferase

GI:

Glycemic index

GLUT:

Glucose transporter

Gr43a:

Gustatory receptor 43a

HFCS:

High-fructose corn syrup

IRS:

Insulin receptor substrate

JNK:

c-jun N-terminal kinase

NAFLD:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

PFK-1:

Phosphofructokinase 1

PKC:

Protein kinase C

RBP-4:

Retinol binding protein-4

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SCFAs:

Short chain fatty acids

SREBP-1:

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1

TG:

Triglyceride

VLDL:

Very-low-density lipoproteins

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Acknowledgments

Wim Van den Ende is supported by funding from FWO Vlaanderen. The authors thank Lukasz Pawel Tarkowski for his assistance in drawing figures.

Conflict of Interest

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 12/2, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Francesca Di Bartolomeo

  2. Lab of Molecular Plant Biology and L–FoRCe, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Wim Van den Ende

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Correspondence to Wim Van den Ende.

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Di Bartolomeo, F., Van den Ende, W. Fructose and Fructans: Opposite Effects on Health?. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 70, 227–237 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-015-0485-6

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