BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Fresh pineapple, chilled watermelon, and an icy cold soft drink on a hot summer's day. What do
these things have in common? They all taste so good because of the sweetness the sugar in them
provides. When you think of sugar, you probably picture the white granules you put in cookies, that
your parents put in their coffee, or that you put on your cereal. Actually, this is just one kind of sugar,
called sucrose, shown in Figure 1 on the right, which is extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets.
Technically, sugar is a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in every fruit and vegetable. It is the major
product of photosynthesis, the process by which plants transform the Sun's energy into food.

Glucose is another type of sugar and is a very important biochemical. For one thing, glucose is the
only fuel used by brain cells. Glucose is also an important source of energy for muscles and other
tissues in the body.

The glucose in your blood comes from the food you eat. Complex carbohydrates, found in pasta or
cereal, for example, are long chains of sugar molecules that are broken down by enzymes to simple
sugars, such as glucose. Sucrose, or table sugar, is also broken down to form glucose. Because
carbohydrates and sucrose in food are broken down to form glucose, the level of glucose in your
blood goes up after you eat.

Like most of the chemicals in your blood, the level of glucose must be tightly controlled. The level of
glucose in your blood is controlled by insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. People
with diabetes, a serious and health problem in the United States, have bodies which are unable to
regulate blood sugar levels either because their bodies do not make insulin (type 1 diabetes) or their
bodies do not respond to insulin (type 2 diabetes). Too little glucose, and your brain and other organs
will not have the energy they need to function. Too much glucose over a long period of time damages
blood vessels carrying blood to major organs and can lead to heart disease and strokes along with
kidney, nerve, and vision damage. To avoid those problems, diabetics carefully monitor their blood
glucose level and make adjustments to insulin or diet, as needed, to maintain a healthy blood glucose
level.

In this science fair project, you will investigate the concentration of glucose in common fruits and
juices. In order to measure the glucose concentration, you will use glucose test strips. These strips
were developed to help people with diabetes maintain a healthy level of blood glucose. When you dip
the test strip into a liquid, such as orange juice, it changes colour if glucose is present. The degree of
colour change depends on the concentration of glucose.

Although there is no clear cause of type 2 diabetes, risk factors include being overweight, having a
family history of diabetes, or having prediabetes. Fruit does contain sugar, but it is unlikely to be
harmful to health as part of a balanced diet this article, we look at what diabetes is, whether eating
too much fruit can cause it, and the medical guidelines for how much fruit to eat. Excess fruit and
diabetes risk. Woman eats fruit salad Fruit is safe for people with diabetes to eat in moderation.
Eating too much sugar can contribute to weight gain, which may lead to higher blood sugar levels
and prediabetes. These are both risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Fruit contains many vitamins,
minerals, and fibre, but they also have a high natural sugar content. However, this makes them great
as a replacement for artificial sweeteners and table sugar as a supplement for sweetness. Generally,
eating fruit as part of a healthful diet should not increase the risk of diabetes. A diet that is high in
sugar, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats is likely to be more of a risk. However, consuming
more than the recommended daily allowance of fruit may add too much sugar to the diet. Choosing
fresh fruit rather than dried fruit and limiting the intake of fruit juice or smoothies can help reduce a
person's overall sugar intake. Fruit guidelines for people with diabetes the right amount of fruit
depend on a person's age, sex and how much exercise they do. For people who do less than 30
minutes of moderate exercise per day, the United States Department of Agriculture

You’ve cut out the good stuff (e.g., sweets and ice cream), but your weight’s staying constant. The
culprit could be something you always thought was healthy: fruit. The sugar content in fruit varies
depending on the type you choose and how it’s processed. Drying, for instance, ups the sugar
content in fruit to extreme levels while eating it raw will help you cut back on unnecessary calories
and sugar.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re not telling you to avoid fruit. That would be crazy! Fruit is packed with
healthy nutrients and disease-fighting antioxidants. It’s chock-full of fiber, contains a lot of water and
helps keep you satiated. The benefits of fruit far outweigh the downsides. That said, if you have
diabetes or prediabetes or are on a mission to lose weight, you need to be careful about fruits you
consume

Which Fruits Are High in Sugar?

Anything dried boasts the highest sugar content in fruit, especially cranberries, raisins, dates, and
figs, says Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN, CPT.

Compare the dried version to a raw fruit and you’ll be amazed by the difference in sugar content.
Dried pears, for instance, contain a whopping 112 g of sugar in one cup. The same amount of raw
Bartlett pears contains a fraction of that—14g. One cup of packed golden raisins has 108 g of sugar,
while the same amount of red or green grapes contain 23 g of sugar.

DIABETICS BEWARE

“Diabetics need to count their carbohydrate content at each meal and know the amount of sugar
and carbs in the fruits they consume,” says Laura Hartung, MA, RD, LDN, CPT. “Women diabetics
need to limit their carbohydrate intake to 30 to 45g of carbs per meal. Male diabetics need to limit
their carb intake to 45 to 60 g of carbs per meal.” One cup of mashed banana contains 51 g of carbs,
for instance, while a cup of red or green grapes has 27 g.

“Tropical fruits [like] pineapple, bananas, and pomegranates also contain higher amounts of sugar,”
Hartung says. One cup of pineapple, for instance, contains 16 g of sugar while the same amount of
banana contains almost 28g. Other foods that top the highest-sugar-conten-in-fruit list: cherries (18
g/cup), grapes (23 g/cup), mangoes (23 g/cup), lychees (29 g/cup) and passion fruit (26 g/cup).
Which Fruits Have the Least Sugar?

These tasty options offer the benefits of eating fruit without the hefty sugar content.

Avocados. One cup of pureed California avocados boasts a mere 0.69 g of sugar.

Limes. One fruit has just over a gram of sugar.

Berries. Raspberries (5 g/cup), blackberries (7 g/cup), and strawberries (7 g/cup) are low in sugar.
Another bonus: They’re “loaded with antioxidants—cancer-fighting plant chemicals,” says Hartung.

Plantains. One cup of fried plantains contain 4 g of sugar. If you boil them, it drops to 3g.

Clementines. One fruit has 7 g of sugar.

Lemons. One cup has just 5 g.

Pears. One small Asian pear has 9 g of sugar.

Watermelon. One cup of watermelon balls has 10 g of sugar.

Apples. One cup of Granny Smith apples contains just over 10g of sugar.

Which Fruits Are Not Good for Diabetics?

Dried fruits are probably the worst type for diabetics. The reason? The sugar content in fruits like
these is concentrated. Consuming even a small amount could put a diabetic way over on his or her
carbohydrate and sugar goals. “People with diabetes need to eat a heart-healthy, carbohydrate-
controlled meal plan,” Hartung says. “Fruits are a part of that heart healthy eating because they are
full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.” When choosing a fruit, diabetics should opt for
those with low to moderate amounts of sugar.

Are Sugars in Fruits Bad for You?

No, says Hartung. “Most fruits have a low glycemic index due to the amount of fiber they contain,
and their sugar is mostly fructose.” That means they’re less likely to wreak havoc on your blood
sugar than, say, a bag of gummy worms. Most fruit is also filled with fiber, which helps you to feel
fuller for longer—it could help prevent you from overeating.

Another bonus: Fruits are filled with disease-fighting antioxidants, water, vitamins, and nutrients,
“which make them a much healthier choice than any candy bar, cookie, or processed snack,”
Hartung adds. As with everything, though, fruit should be enjoyed in moderation.
Sugar Content in Fruit: Chart Summary

Below are some of the most common fruits and their associated sugar contents. Notice how the type
of fruit and the way in which it is processed (i.e., dried vs. raw) affects the overall sugar content in
fruit.