High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Sweet Facts

Over the last 30 years there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of obesity in the United States and around the world. Check this site out to see the trends of obesity from 1985 -2006 in the United States.The causes of obesity are complex and likely multifold. It would be easier if we could just point the finger at increasing portion sizes, consuming too much fast food, too much fat, or our inactive lifestyles. Those are culprits, but they aren't the only ones.
 

In the United States this increase in obesity also has paralleled a shift away from the use of sucrose (table sugar) toward the use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) as the consumption had increased>1000% from1970 to 1990 and continues to increase today. Why the increase in consumption, is it healthier? No, HFCS is more sweet, prolongs shelf life and is cheaper to produce when compared to sucrose (table sugar), making it a good choice for food and beverage manufacturers. This association led to a hypothesis that an increase in fructose intake from HFCS is a causative factor for obesity. HFCS is substantially higher in fructose content than sucrose; HFCS bypasses physiological processes that regulate satiety (decrease in hunger). Soft drinks are sweetened with HFCS; Soft drink consumption has increased.

 

Did you know?

  • “The United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. The per-person consumption of soft drinks is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week.”James A Howenstine M.D.
• The United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, is the largest soda consumer and accounted for one third of total soda consumption in 1999. The 58 billion liters sold there (2000) generated $48 billion dollars in revenue for the soda industry.
• “The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.”
• “Adolescents who consume soft drinks display a risk of bone fractures three to four-fold higher than those who do not.”
• “Sugar and acid in soft drinks easily dissolve tooth enamel.”
• “Americans drink 13.15 billion gallons of carbonated drinks every year.”
 

Fructose- and it's "steroid" version known as high-fructose corn syrup- have become "ubiqui-foods". They're everywhere, we consume them in insanely high amounts, and the health costs are just beginning to be recognized. New research points to some of the possible consequences.

In one study, overweight and obese adults were instructed to eat their usual diet along with sugar sweetened beverages. One group was asked to consume 25% of the day's calorie requirement as a specially made beverage sweetened with glucose. The other group was given an identical beverage sweetened with fructose. Both groups were allowed to eat as little or as much of their usual diet as they wanted, but were required to drink the sugar beverages.

Not surprisingly, all subjects gained weight. But the fructose-consuming subjects gained intra-abdominal fat, whereas the glucose subjects did not.

Why does this matter? Because intra-abdominal fat- the kind that makes you more of an apple than a pear- is the most dangerous kind of fat to carry around. It puts you at greater risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or a constellation of symptoms called Metabolic Syndrome. The fructose-consuming subjects also had increases in fasting insulin and in fasting glucose, both of which are associated with a greater risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Consider that In 2006 five different publications came out showing that adolescents, college students and adults under 50 were consuming as much as 15-20 percent of calories just from sugar sweetened beverages- and that doesn't include the sugar calories from cakes and desserts. Most of this sugar comes from high-fructose corn syrup.

Parting thoughts:

If it is packaged and has a paragraph of ingredients that you cannot pronounce, most likely it is not good for you. I have never seen a list of ingredients on a fresh fruit or vegetable. My rule of thumb is “Eat and Drink close to nature and YOU will take care of you, Consume Man-made and man must take care of you!” Which do you prefer?

Here's a partial list of foods to be wary of: 

• Most sweetened sodas and other soft drinks
• Most fruit juice drinks (i.e., fruit juice "cocktails") Be careful Fruit juices may say 100% natural, it must say 100% juice to be devoid of bad chemicals. I really get a laugh when I read on the label “contains no real juice” that alone should make you think twice.
• Bottled pasta sauce
• Ketchup and barbecue sauce
• Cereals
• Canned soup
• Canned fruit in syrup
• Frozen entrées

As always, read food labels and find out, in addition to carb and fat grams, what kinds of ingredients are in your food. Try to choose foods that are as unrefined as possible, as often as possible (85% of the time). Your body will thank you.
If you or somebody you know is ready to become healthy and change his/her life but needs guidance we are here to serve just call.

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Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well

Yours in Optimal Health,
Dr. Ryan E. Bentley