Fructose, used to sweeten fizzy drinks, cakes and chocolate, is ‘the deadliest sugar’ scientists warn
Fructose is found in fruit but its effects are naturally counteracted
A SWEETENER used in fizzy drinks, biscuits, cakes and ice cream is the deadliest sugar you can eat, say scientists.
Fructose increases bad cholesterol and the risk of developing diabetes which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
It is found in fruit, where its effects are naturally counteracted.
But when it is added to sweeten products it is worse for you than glucose, experts warn.
Rats given fructose water for two months put on more weight than those given water spiked with glucose.
They also had higher levels of harmful fats in their bloodstream and unhealthy arteries.
Food expert Professor Marta Alegret, of the University of Barcelona, advised people to avoid products with added fructose.
She explained: "The amount of fructose ingested with natural fruits is usually lower than that consumed in sweetened beverages."
She said it is the kind of sugar consumed, not just the quantity, that can cause killer metabolic and vascular diseases.
Prof Alegret and colleagues also discovered fructose had an effect on how the body's main artery, the aorta, works.
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She said: "Fructose produces a negative effect, since it complicates the aorta's right relaxation.
"However, the effect of glucose turns out to be beneficial."
The rats given fructose also showed changes in their liver and gained weight quicker.
Prof Alegret said this could cause serious problems in the future, meaning it is fructose we should mainly cut down on.
The World Health Organisation claims eating a small amount of sugar a day is fine but most adults and children in the UK eat too much.
Experts say the sugary foods we should cut down on are sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and fizzy drinks, many of which contain fructose.
Prof Alegret added: "It is not shocking to discover the effects of fructose are seen in other similar sugars.
"They show there are factors other than calorie intake, that can be associated with body weight gain.
"Weight gain in the liver seen in rats treated with fructose, not glucose, could affect body weight."
