Fructose is a simple sugar present in honey and fruits, but can also exist as a polymer
(fructans) in pasture grasses. Mammals are unable to metabolize fructans, but certain gram-
positive bacteria contain fructanases and can convert fructans to fructose in the gut. Recent
studies suggest that fructose generated from bacteria or directly obtained from the diet can
induce both increased intestinal permeability and features of metabolic syndrome,
especially the development of insulin resistance. The development of insulin resistance is …