Unhealthy Fear Factor Sugar Usurper: Beware High Fructose Corn Syrup

 

Do you know how much HFCS you ate today?

Sugar is a name for all types of monosaccharides and disaccharides found in nature that includes sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose (dairy products), and foods such as honey, agave, molasses, maple syrup and even some vegetables like sugar beets.

Sugar is produced through the plants’ photosynthesis that turns sunlight into food energy.

Common table sugar called sucrose consists of 50% fructose and 50% glucose. A typical sugar molecule is composed of 12 atoms Carbon, 22 atoms Hydrogen and 11 atoms Oxygen (C12 H22 O11).

In small amounts, sugar is typically harmless as a carbohydrate that supplies the energy needed for your daily activities based on your cells metabolizing glucose. But at the same time, sugar is also calorie-rich with 16 calories in 1 teaspoon where excess consumption can inevitably result in negative health effects.

More and more studies now conclude that many of today’s obesity and diabetes related diseases — including cancer, gout, hypertension and possibly Alzheimer’s — have a common existance because of the widespread adoption of a high sugar diet.

So, how in the world, did the world’s food supply become so sugar saturated, so manipulated with a sugar usurper called High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) with chemical structure of roughly 45C 6H 12O6 + 55C6H12O6?

First, consider that our evolutionary history doesn’t support a high-carb diet, yet the majority of foods we eat have evolved to process loads of added sugar. On average, Americans consume about 23 teaspoons of sugar per day. American Heart Association limits diet to 9 tsp a day for men and 6 tsp for women.

Second, awareness is key in preventing unnecessary disease worldwide as a result of excess sugar. The better we understand what happens inside our minds and bodies when we eat too much sugar, the sooner we can start making healthier choices to live a longer and fuller life.

Who would knowingly consume processed foods that can lead to insulin resistance, drive inflammation as part of the metabolic syndrome which has been linked to many diseases including heart disease and certain cancers; and yet, offers no essential nutrients only empty calories?

Quick Review

The body largely breaks down sucrose as a larger sugar molecule that is metabolized into glucose and fructose in your intestine where it is absorbed to be send out to the body’s cells for energy.

The chemical structure of the glucose compound triggers the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that allows cells to use glucose for energy.

The more glucose in your blood, the more insulin is released. What’s important to realize is that while insulin is dealing with all the glucose, it tells your fat cells to hold onto fat and, as a result, your fat-burning processes actually shut down.

Then comes the invention of High Fructose Corn Syrup as a different formula used to manufacture processed foods such as candy, baked goods, cereals and sodas in particular…in fact, so many processed foods contain HFCS that most people cannot estimate how much fructose they actually consume.

Fructose is a relatively unregulated source of fuel that your liver converts to fat and cholesterol.

HFCS is a highly processed product that contains similar amounts of unbound fructose and glucose.

The main clear difference is how fructose is metabolized by the body creating pre-type 2 diabetes and visceral fat.

Fructose is Metabolized Differently by Your Body

Fructose, the simple sugar that is part of table sugar, has particularly pernicious effects. Your body actually processes fructose in the same way it processes alcohol, rapidly turning it into fat. This fat remains in your liver, increasing your risk of insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and diabetes.

Once this fat is released into your bloodstream as triglycerides, it increases your risk for weight gain, blocked arteries and heart disease.

Fructose activates the enzyme fructokinase, which in turn activates another enzyme that causes cells to accumulate fat. Your body also has a hard time burning this fat off when it’s metabolizing excess sugar.

Fructose does not trigger insulin release or the release of hormones, such as leptin, which tells the brain that a person is full. It also does not inhibit hormones that tell an individual’s body that they are hungry. As a result, fructose may lead to weight gain because of lack of appetite regulation.

Now, there is research that shows how high fructose intake may trigger fatty liver disease by damaging the intestinal barrier.

What in the world is High Fructose Corn Syrup HFCS?

— made from cornstarch first discovered in 1965 now widely used as a far cheaper and sweeter replacement for sucrose. Global market is projected to grow to 7.6 billion in 2024.

— soft drink makers such as Coca Cola and Pepsi transitioned to HFCS in 1984.

— used to make all kinds of processed foods, sauces, pastries, cookies, breakfast cereals and soft drinks.

— FDA stated earlier (2014) that there was a lack of evidence showing that HFCS is less safe than traditional sweeteners but with such expansion there are more studies that link excessive consumption of HFCS and other added sugars to health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Studies suggest that high fructose intake may increase the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), in which too much fat is stored in liver cells. This can lead to liver inflammation and liver damage, resulting in a more aggressive disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), and liver cancer and failure.

Interesting New Mice Study in 2020

A research team at the University of California, funded by NIH, worked with random mice assigned with two different diets … either a high-fructose diet or a control diet with the equivalent calories from cornstarch that quickly breaks down into glucose.

Within a few months, mice on the high-fructose diet developed fatty inflamed livers and had greater rates of liver tumors than mice on the control diet. These mice showed deterioration of their intestinal barrier. They also had higher circulating levels of endotoxins — toxins released from certain bacteria when they die.

Experiments in human liver cells showed that similar cellular processes were at work in both species.

A study suggested that consuming high amounts of fructose may promote non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by damaging the intestinal barrier….The findings could lead to new treatment and prevention strategies for fatty liver disease and future therapyto restore gut barrier .

This is not the first study showing that fructose harms your body in ways glucose does not. Two years ago, another study concluded that drinking high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — the main ingredient in most soft drinks throughout the world — increases your triglyceride levels and your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Just like this latest study, these harmful effects only occurred in the participants who drank fructose — not glucose.

There are 7 to 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce can of soda that also contains high levels of phosphate. Consuming more phosphate than calcium can have a deleterious effect on bone health especially during childhood when bones are being build.

How Much Fructose are You Consuming?

Today, the number one source of calories in America is soda sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup. 55% of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn used in every type of processed, pre-packaged food you can think of.

In fact, the use of HFCS in the U.S. diet increased a staggering 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005, according to a recent report by the USDA.

Most money is spend on consuming processed food estimated to be for an average person as yearly sugar consumption of around 142 pounds a year versus a recommended 5 pounds.

What is the Stop Sugar High Solution?

First, it stops with personal awareness and choices in the supermarket and dinner table that thwarts corporate advertising. You can have a bowl of cereal for breakfast or eggs.

Second, perhaps some governmental mandate can apply a soda tax to deter purchase and consumption as a strategy to prevent lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes and reduce health care costs. Expect a public outcry of conflict of interest.

Questions and comments are always welcome. What are your sugar likes and dislikes?

Mary (Annemarie) Berukoff

250 304 9710 PST

info@newbetterchoices.com

PS: What did you have for breakfast this morning?

…compare to 2 egg omelet with broccoli, mushrooms, tomato, old cheddar cheese, small toast with butter with orange slices … enough nutrition to last until supper time with no snacks.