By
Nutrition Experts
Saturday, February 23, 2013.
It may very well be that enjoying a rice-based dish may be more beneficial
for weight loss than chowing down on fruit.
That is because grains are filled with the sugar
glucose, while fruit and vegetables are more closely associated with fructose.
Research published in the January 2nd issue of
JAMA revealed that fructose may be behind spiralling obesity rates.
According to the study carried out at Yale
University School of Medicine, fructose seems to promote hunger, while glucose
helps with feelings of fullness.
Some 20 healthy adults were enlisted in the
research, which featured two magnetic resonance imaging sessions to determine
the effects of glucose and fructose on the brain.
It was discovered that glucose reduced activity in
the hypothalamic region of brain that is responsible for regulating appetite,
motivation and reward-processing.
Background information included in the article
also explained that fructose has been linked to food-seeking behaviour and
increases in food intake, suggesting this sugar promotes over-eating.
So while glucose may cause one to feel less
hungry, fructose may very well make them think they are hungrier than they
really are.
The study authors wrote: "Increases in
fructose consumption have paralleled the increasing prevalence of obesity, and
high-fructose diets are thought to promote weight gain and insulin resistance."
Eating a diet rich in complex carbohydrates like
brown rice has been linked to better weight management as the digestive process
involves a slower release of energy.
This slow release of energy allows individuals to
feel fuller for longer so that they are less likely to overeat.
And as glucose also appears to help regulate
appetite, it appears there is even more reason to choose a balanced diet rich
in a variety of grains and cereals, although the sugar is also found in fruit
and vegetables.
Rather than veering away from fruit for fear of
fructose however, it is best to avoid artificially sweetened products that
contain this sugar as fruit remains integral to a nutritious diet.