Archive for the "fructose" Tag

Let’s continue to explore the effects of high fructose corn syrup on the body by gaining an understanding of how the body metabolizes it and compare fructose metabolism with sucrose (table sugar) metabolism.

From a chemical standpoint high fructose corn syrup and sucrose are remarkably the same, each containing approximately 50% glucose and 50% fructose.

However there is a difference. To metabolize sucrose our bodies have to secrete an enzyme called sucrase that breaks the bond between the glucose and fructose before these individual molecules can be metabolized.

In high fructose corn syrup the glucose and fructose are … Read the rest

To better understand the effects of high fructose corn syrup on our bodies let’s take a look at how a whole food like corn becomes corn syrup.

Manufacturers developed the process for making corn syrup back in the 1960s. Basically soaking the corn kernels in warm water with sulfur dioxide softens them facilitating the process of separating the starch, hull, protein and oil. After removing the oil the resultant cornstarch is washed.

Cornstarch contains amylose which is simply a long chain of glucose molecules. By adding an enzyme called amylase these long chains are broken into glucose molecules. This process … Read the rest

Amazingly two researchers discovered that for each additional 12-oz serving of sugar-sweetened beverage per day the risk of developing diabetes increased 25%.

Researchers Malik and Hu collected 11 large studies of people who had diabetes or metabolic syndrome. They then analyzed the results based on whether these folks reported drinking no sugar-sweetened drinks or drinking more than one or two per day.

How many people do you see swigging on 32 ounce sodas every day? No wonder diabetes is so rampant!

That makes drinking sugar-sweetened beverages equivalent to smoking which increases the risk of developing diabetes 30-40%.

Here’s the perspective … Read the rest