The liver metabolism of fructose is not COMPLETELY different from glucose

At 30:58 minute of the video you could hear Dr Lustig saying that the metabolism of glucose and fructose are COMPLETELY different, although the slide does not suggest the word COMPLETELY. Since then I have read other people on social media repeating this statement. 

While I agree that fructose is not exactly like glucose, and their initial metabolism IS different, the fact is that from a certain point in their breakdown process they share the same metabolic pathways because their metabolites are identical. Fructose can even be converted to glucose. I have discussed these similarities in one of my other blogs and also in this blog. 

I agree with many aspects of fructose metabolism presented by Dr Lustig before and that in excess it can be harmful to humans. But I cannot agree with this one-sided view that fructose is the main villain in the currently prevalent metabolic diseases because the wider picture of the whole diet in the western countries does not support this thesis.

I also do not agree that fructose tricks human brain into eating more. Yes, some studies have shown this effect, but others did not and I plan to look closer to several of them and to write an exhaustive article about this and also about other metabolic effects of fructose.

For now I would like you to note that when you say that fructose does not mediate satiety because it does not rise insulin to the same extent as glucose does, which was concluded that fructose makes people eating more, you could as well say that about fats, which do not even rise blood glucose and insulin to the level of fructose. Have you heard anybody pointing this out? NO. Yet the typical western diet is so rich in fats nowadays and this is constantly ignored, while a permanent focus on fructose has been constantly promoted to you. 

The behavioral studies have shown that mice and people ate more of those foods which had the sugar and fat combined, aka cheese cake. When there was a lot of fat or a lot of sugar on their own, they did not consume as much. This is a hint to understand how our physiology works.