Introduction
The story of the Siamese twins (written by Mark Twain) Eng and Chang Bunker has always fascinated me, as it is a tale of a bond shared by family in life, love and death. If they were born in today's world, then with the help of modern surgery, they would be free to go their separate ways.
But what makes this tale weirdly gleeful (in terms of the physical bond that they shared) was when Eng drank his whiskey, Chang (who was strongly opposed to all forms of 'intemperance', got drunk too, and that without touching a single drop of the scourge that the Indians called 'firewater'.
In this tale, Mark Twain talks of the similarities and differences between these Siam twins, which were not necessarily obvious to people who weren't too close to them, and the same of is true of glucose and fructose, that could be classified in as 'identical twins' as well.
When the phrase 'There's more than meets the eye' was coined, one will find that it applies to anyone or thing, and even though twins seem identical in nature, one can always find differences on closer inspection, but let's look at the similarities of these two first.
Glucose & Fructose: Similarities
1) Similar molecular structure which is C6H12O6
2) Both of them are simple sugars required for human consumption
3) Since they are sugars, they're both sweet.
4) Both of them are classified as monosaccharides, which means that they only contain one type of carbohydrate.
5) Since they are both carbohydrates, they act as fuel for the body on consumption.
6) Both of them are found in combination, in almost every food that is sweet.
7) Both these sugars normally bond together to create di-saccharides and polysaccharides such as sucrose etc.
8) Both these sugars when consumed are processed in the liver.
Glucose & Fructose: Differences
1) Firstly, glucose is considered a better source of energy for the body as compared to fructose.
2) Glucose is far more 'popular' [read: agreeable] with the body than fructose.
3) Fructose is much more sweeter than Glucose.
4) Glucose requires insulin in the metabolism process while fructose doesn't, and hence the latter is considered a better option for diabetics.
5) Glucose is formed when starch in the body breaks down, but that does not happen with fructose.
6) An excess intake of glucose and fructose will cause you to gain weight but the latter [read: Eng Bulker] also causes unhealthy side effects with it.
7) Even though their molecular structure is the same, the arrangement of the atoms and their corresponding bonds cause them to form different substances when placed in a similar reaction.
8) Glucose, literally speaking, is one of the key substances used for metabolism and is present everywhere whereas fructose exists in fruits, vegetables and honey.
In Closing
And much like the legend of the Siamese twins (who were joined at the hip) became a household name to describe anything related to twins, glucose and fructose when combined together gave us the most common sweetener known to mankind (not necessarily known as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'), called 'table sugar'… which has become an integral part of our diet ever since wild honey was replaced by it.
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