The sea of, often conflicting, information about sugar in our diets can be baffling. But this new study puts an end to the fructose-makes-you-fat fiasco.

UC Adjunct Professional Associate and senior author of the report Dr Kerry Mills said the study examined comparative data on the impact of sucrose, fructose and glucose on our bodies to find fructose was not the enemy.

"The dogma up to this point was there was something special about fructose, that was particularly bad for your health," she said. "People thought fructose in itself was worse than other types of sugar like sucrose or glucose. But we found that wasn't the case."

Hype about high-fructose corn syrup being added to food had led to fructose getting a bad wrap too.

The study was a meta-analysis which compared the results of hundreds of studies where sugar concentrations were controlled and sugar type was the variable.

"It turned out that fructose is no worse for you than other sugars and in fact in terms of your blood glucose after eating, which is what particularly diabetics are concerned about, it is actually quite benefiicial."

This is because fructose needs to be converted by the liver first which creates a time lag before it can affect glucose concentrations in the blood.

Misconceptions about fructose were worrying as they could lead to avoidance of whole foods, honey, fruits and vegetables which are the basis of a healthy diet and provide essential vitamins, fibre and minerals.

Dr Mills said meta-analyses were a valuable rudder to navigate and make sense of the seemingly endless stream of health studies as they compared the breadth of available data to determine the most consistent evidence.

While the study, published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was rigorous Dr Mills said high-sugar intake was proven to lead to health problems.

And fructose was "not some kind of health food".

"What I really want to emphasise is nobody should change their diet based on something they read on the internet," she said.

"Our study is extremely robust but it is how you take the findings of the study and apply them to your own life that should be done in consultation with an expert."