Fructose is a hexose sugar. It is present in a simple form in foods such as honey and figs, and in combination with glucose in the disaccharide sucrose.
It is a ready source of energy that is liberated by the glycolytic pathway.
Fructose metabolism is not dependent on insulin levels and as such, it forms an important component of diabetic diets. However, as fructose metabolism bypasses the enzyme 6-phosphofructokinase which determines the rate of provision of pyruvate via glycolysis, a diet with excessive fructose can lead to excessive acetyl CoA production. Lipogenesis may result.
There are a number of inherited metabolic defects of fructose metabolism.
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