Is Sugar as Toxic to the Liver as Alcohol?

Humans are genetically programmed to seek energy-dense foods, which served us thousands of years ago when food was scarce. However, this is not needed  in today's environment where we have  readily available cheap, high-calorie and  nutritionally bankrupt foods.

You may be surprised to learn that fructose is, in many ways, very similar to alcohol in the damage that it can do to your body.

So while you may already be exercising caution by not overconsuming alcoholic beverages, it may be time to take a closer look at the equally potentially damaging effects associated with your intake of sodas, fruit juice and other fructose-sweetened foods and drinks as well.

If you want to shed excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight long-term, and radically reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, then restrict your consumption of fructose to no more than 25 grams per day. If you're already overweight, or have any of these diseases or are at high risk of any of them, then you're probably better off cutting that down to 10-15 grams per day.

Fructose is a staple ingredient in the vast majority of sweetened beverages and processed foods of all kinds, from pre-packaged meals to baked goods and condiments. So the easiest way to keep tabs on your fructose consumption is to ditch processed foods from your diet whenever possible. In the event you want an occasional sweetener, do not resort to artificial sweeteners.

Instead, I recommend using:

The herb stevia (my favorites are the liquid forms that come in flavors like French Vanilla and English Toffee)
Dextrose (pure glucose)
And remember, switching to the following "natural" sweeteners will NOT eliminate any of the risks of fructose consumption, as they all contain HIGH amounts of fructose:

AVOID or limit

Cane sugar                             Honey                                Date sugar               Coconut sugar
Brown rice syrup                       Fruit juice                         Molasses                        Maple syrup
Sucanat Sorghum                      Turbinado                         Agave syrup                 Beet sugar
In a 2009 study, A panel of people were fed  high levels of fructose. Ten weeks later, the volunteers had produced new fat cells around their hearts, livers and other digestive organs. In addition, their insulin levels increased and insulin sensitivity decreased, which suggests a link to diabetes.  Fructose is also a likely culprit behind the millions of U.S. children struggling with non-alcoholic liver disease, which is caused by a pathological build-up of fat within liver cells.  Soda, which is loaded with sugar primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Around 100 years ago, the average American consumed a mere 15 grams of fructose a day, primarily in the form of fruit. One hundred years later, one-fourth of Americans are consuming more than 135 grams per day, largely in the form of soda.

When you compare the health outcomes of fructose versus alcohol consumption, you end up seeing a very familiar pattern – the diseases they cause are virtually identical!

Chronic Ethanol Consumption                                   Chronic Fructose Consumption
Hypertension                                                                     Hypertension
Cardiomyopathy                                                              Myocardial infarction
Dyslipidemia                                                                      Dyslipidemia
Pancreatitis                                                                        Pancreatitis
Obesity                                                                                 Obesity
Hepatic dysfunction                                                       Hepatic dysfunction
Fetal alcohol syndrome                                                Fetal insulin resistance
Addiction                                                                            Habituation, if not addiction

Source

Mercola.com