Attach the word "fruit," and it is easy to assume something is healthy and nutritious. Unfortunately, researchers are learning fruit juice may have the same consequences on growing waistlines and chronic diseases as sugary soft drinks.

Their shared negative trait is a high concentration of fructose in liquid form. While sodas add processed sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), fruit juices get their sweetness from the natural fructose in fruit.

So what is the problem? Fructose in the form of whole fruit has a slower rate of digestion because whole fruit contains fiber. Juices that have had fiber stripped away during processing do not have this buffer, so the sugars digest quickly.

So while eating whole fruit provides the body a stable, less volatile release of energy, drinking juice creates large peaks and valleys, like white sugar or other refined carbohydrates.

Studies have also shown that crystallized fructose, they type often found in sugary beverages such as sodas and juices, can lead to great fat conversion and storage in the liver. Also, there has been evidence of increased triglyceride levels.

Researchers are starting to see that liquid forms of fructose overwhelm the liver and end up turning into fat buildup and weight gain. This could be the first step toward obesity, cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

But juices are more convenient than eating whole fruit. It is almost an anomaly to not have juice as part of breakfast or beverage option. They are a perfect example of an "added-value" product that the food industry loves because they sell better and have higher margins then selling fresh whole fruit.

Unfortunately, one cup of juice can have the sugar of four to six pieces of whole fruit, but none of the fiber. Next time, read the label on the juice bottle or carton. If it is 100-percent fruit juice, where did all the fiber go?

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