Sugars are not all sweet stuff – Part 2

Sweet fruits like the most sought-after durian in Malaysia, the Black Thorn, are irresistible.

It is curious that although glucose, fructose and galactose have identical chemical compositions, they are processed very differently by the human body, going down quite significantly different metabolic pathways controlled by different enzymes.

Glucose is metabolised via glycolysis, a pretty complex 10-step enzymatic process that involves the decomposition of glucose into pyruvate which is then oxidised by the cells for energy and ending up later mostly as CO2 and water. Glycolysis occurs constantly throughout the body and provides the main source of energy for the whole organism.