Fructose is metabolized through the liver where it gets converted to glucose and other molecules. I assume it would put more stress in the body to metabolize a large amount of fructose, compared to glucose.
But regular sugar contains fructose in almost the same proportion as high-fructose corn syrup, so it's not a much better or worse alternative.
Edited to add: Fructose also has ten times higher glycation activity than glucose, which is the process by which sugar binds to (and destroys) proteins and lipids in the body.