Fructose. . . Is it as bad as they say?

++  High-fructose corn syrup - a bad guy?  You hear it all the time.  How much of it should you believe?
  Actually, high-fructose corn syrup is higher in fructose than "regular" corn syrup, but not much more than honey, which averages 38% fructose.  Sucrose (plain table sugar) is 50% fructose (chemically attached to glucose).  Fructose is about 1/4 more sweet than sucrose.  This refers to plain fructose, rather than as part of another compound.  This is part of the reason high-fructose corn syrup is used so much in food processing.  Other reasons relate to price, stability when stored, etc. 
 One reason fructose gets such a bad rap is that it is a relative new-comer to our diets.  We've been eating sugar (sucrose) for centuries, and honey since prehistoric times.  Another issue is that our intake of all "caloric sweeteners" is increasing.  These are the ones that add more than a very few calories to a serving of food.  This increased intake of sweets gets much of the blame for our "obesity epidemic" and the health problems that come from that.  Much of the increase is in the form of high-fructose corn syrup.  Besides that, many people over-look the fact the less exercise adds to the problem.  We see lots of ads for artificial non-caloric sweeteners; but, we seldom see an ad for artificial exercise.  We sometimes see ads for devices that supposedly jiggle fat away, but on the whole, exercise is seen as work and artificial sweeteners are seen as handy and easy. Why not go for "easy" when trying to lose weight?!! 
  There is a little research available on health effects from fructose itself, but not much, and not widely known.  For example, it appears that the bodies of a tiny percentage of people don't turn fructose into energy in the usual way.  Symptoms of this syndrome over-lap with symptoms of other digestive system disorders such as a gassy, bloated feeling and diarrhea.  Foods made with high-fructose corn syrup are not the only ones to cause this discomfort.  Others include many fruit juices and most foods high in sugar.   Fructose may also be a contributer to abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome (which is a warning sign that a person is at higher risk for diabetes and heart disease).
  Bottom line:  All foods can fit into a balanced diet, but some are harder to control than others.  Watch out for all of those sweets!