Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, was known for his fruit-based diet, believing that it cleansed his body of harmful toxins. On the other hand, actor Ashton Kutcher accepted Jobs's fruit-based diet until he ended up in the hospital with pancreatic problems.
So, is it good for us to eat a lot of fruit?
"The main concern with excessive fruit intake is the natural sugar. While fruit generally contains a lot of sugar, research consistently links the consumption of whole fruit with a reduced risk of developing obesity and other metabolic diseases," points out Dr. Robert Lustig, author of the nutrition book "Fat Chance ".
Fruit also contains other ingredients that reduce the risk of sugar, writes Time.
As the expert explains, it contains soluble and insoluble fiber. Together, these two types of fibers form a sort of "lattice" on the inside of the duodenum in the small intestine. The "grid" prevents a significant portion of the fruit's sugar from being absorbed earlier during the digestion process.
"Like stopping a tsunami, creating an underwater wall, this barrier limits the absorption of sugar so it doesn't stress the liver," explains Lustig.
In addition to helping control the absorption of sugar from the fruit, the combination of soluble and insoluble fiber from the whole fruit also aids digestion.
"Your gut signals to your brain that you're full when what you've eaten fills your third part of the small intestine - the ileum. Then the fiber helps the food molecules fill the ileum faster, making you feel full faster than if you ate food without fiber ."
However, excessive fruit consumption has its downsides. Excessive intake of fresh fruit can cause diarrhea.
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