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The Dirt on High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
“Sweet but Not So Innocent? High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Act More Like Fat Than Sugar in the Body” by Sally Squires, Washington Post Staff Writer, March 11, 2003
“According to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), consumption of various sweeteners, often in calorie-dense foods and drinks, has risen in the United States from an estimated 113 pounds per person in 1966 to 147 pounds in 2001... Today, sweeteners made from corn are the leader, racking up $4.5 billion in annual sales and accounting for 55 percent of the sweetener market. That switch largely reflects the steady growth of high-fructose corn syrup, which climbed from zero consumption in 1966 to 62.6 pounds per person in 2001… Fructose is a different story. It ‘appears to behave more like fat with respect to the hormones involved in body weight regulation,’ explains Peter Havel, associate professor of nutrition at the University of California, Davis. ‘Fructose doesn’t stimulate insulin secretion. It doesn’t increase leptin production or suppress production of ghrelin. That suggests that consuming a lot of fructose, like too much fat, could contribute to weight gain….Another concern is the action of fructose in the liver, where it is converted into the chemical backbone of trigylcerides more efficiently than glucose. Like low-density lipoprotein—the most damaging form of cholesterol—elevated levels of trigylcerides are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. A University of Minnesota study…concluded that ‘diets high in added fructose may be undesirable, particularly for men.’ Other recent research suggests that fructose may alter the magnesium balance in the body. That could, in turn, accelerate bone loss, according to a USDA study published in 2000 in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition…. © 2003 The Washington Post Company http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A8003-2003Mar10?language=printer
“A rise in uric acid in the bloodstream occurs after fructose is consumed, Johnson said. That temporary spike blocks the action of insulin, which typically regulates how body cells use and store sugar and other food nutrients for energy. If uric acid levels are frequently elevated, over time features of metabolic syndrome may develop, including high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood cholesterol levels.” http://news.ufl.edu/2005/12/06/fructose/
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