"All of the soft drinks," the team reports, "with the exception of the Mexican Coca-Cola, are 58 percent fructose or above, and the three most popular soft drinks [Coke, Pepsi and Sprite] contained 64 to 65 percent fructose."
And that's disturbing, Goran says, because unlike glucose, fructose is primarily broken down in the liver, where it can become a feedstock for new fat synthesis. Indeed, the nutritional physiologist notes, fructose is suspected of contributing to a serious and widespread condition known as fatty-liver disease.
The bottom line, Underwood says, is that reducing fructose in the diet—especially its exaggerated use in soft drinks—could do a lot to limit a sweetened beverage's health risks.
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