Figure 7. Illustration of the Roles of Intestine and Liver in Fructose Metabolism.

(A) It is commonly assumed that the small intestine passively transports fructose to portal circulation and the liver is a major organ for fructose metabolism.

(B) We show that low-dose dietary fructose is cleared by the small intestine, which converts it into glucose and organic acids. High fructose doses overwhelm the intestinal capacity for fructose metabolism and extra fructose spills over to the liver.