Fructose -- often called the fruit sugar -- is a type of naturally occurring sugar found in many fruits (berries, melons, apples), vegetables (beets, sweet potatoes, onions) and honey. Fructose is nearly twice as sweet as sucrose (table sugar) and can give a similar rise in blood sugar as sucrose.
Fructose is commonly used in processed foods partly because it is less expensive to produce than sucrose and it takes less of it to produce the same level of sweetness. Fructose is often consumed in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is fructose that has been combined with corn syrup and chemically treated to increase the concentration and sweetness of the fructose. High fructose corn syrup is found in thousands of food and beverage products in the United States.
Researchers have found some evidence that indicates the consumption of fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup contributes significantly to weight gain and possible insulin resistance.
Source:
Elliott, Sharon, et al. Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 76, No. 5, pages 911-922, November 2002. Accessed April 15, 2009. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/76/5/911
