By
Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege
You may already be familiar with the dangers
of fructose that I’ve warned about in the past, but what
you may not know is that high-fructose corn sweeteners that have
been used to sweeten soft drinks and food since the 1970s are major
contributors to the obesity
epidemic in the United States.
The lead article of the April
2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition features this issue
and the researchers say consumption of high-fructose corn sweeteners
increased more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding
changes in intake of any other food or food group.
Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners
from sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup in the 1970s when they
discovered that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was not only cheaper
to make, it was also much sweeter (processed fructose is nearly
20 times sweeter than table sugar), and this switch has drastically
altered the American diet.
In 1966, sucrose made up 86 percent of sweeteners. Today, 55 percent
of sweeteners used are made from corn. And while people ate no high-fructose
corn syrup in 1966, they ate close to 63 pounds each in 2001.
HFCS, which is made from cornstarch, is now used to sweeten:
- Soft drinks
- Fruit juices
- Baked goods
- Canned fruits
- Dairy products
- Cookies
- Gum
- Jams and jellies
It contains similar amounts of both fructose and glucose, whereas
sucrose is a larger sugar molecule that is metabolized in the intestine
into glucose and fructose.
HFCS is the only caloric sweetener in U.S. soft drinks and over
60 percent of the calories in apple juice, which is used as a base
for many fruit drinks, come from fructose. The primary source of
HFCS in the American diet is soda and juice--about two-thirds of
all fructose consumed in the United States is in beverages.
Researchers estimated that Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS while
the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300. And some,
they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS.
So what makes corn syrup such an unhealthy, fat-promoting product?
Fructose is Metabolized to Fat
The digestive and absorptive processes for glucose and fructose
are different. Unlike glucose, which the body uses, when one consumes
large amounts of fructose it is a relatively unregulated source
of fuel for the liver to convert to fat and cholesterol. Fructose
converts to fat more than any other sugar. It is also known to raise
triglycerides significantly.
Most Fructose is Consumed as a Liquid
The fact that most fructose is consumed in a liquid form significantly
magnifies its negative metabolic effects. The devastation it has
on our biology would be significantly lessened if it were consumed
in solid food, but as I mentioned above, most fructose is consumed
in soft drinks and fruit juices.
Fructose Does Not Stimulate Insulin Secretion
In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin
secretion or enhance leptin, a hormone thought to be involved in
appetite regulation, production. Because insulin and leptin act
as key signals in regulating how much food you eat and body weight,
this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased
food intake and weight gain.
Fructose Has no Enzymes, Vitamins or Minerals
Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins or minerals so it takes micronutrients
from the body while it assimilates itself for use. However, eating
a small piece of whole fruit, which contains natural fructose, is
not likely to be a problem for most people because fresh fruits
contain the enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are needed for the
fructose to assimilate in the body.
Corn is a Grain, Not a Vegetable
Contrary to common belief, corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and
is definitely not fit as a dietary staple and mainstay, primarily
because it contains high amounts of sugar.
When early Native Americans changed their diet to one based mostly
on corn, they had increased rates of the following:
- Anemia
- Dental cavities
- Osteoarthritis
- Bone infections and other bone problems
Corn is Everywhere in the American Diet
Corn, and usually highly processed corn, has become a staple ingredient
of the American diet. Cheap corn is truly the building block of
the ''fast-food nation," as Michael Pollan writes in a New
York Times article.
Not only is it in HFCS, but animals raised for meat are often fed
corn and other grains. Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed
animals. On the contrary, grain-free
meats not only provide a better balance of omega fats, but also
the animals are healthier and more humanely raised, and the risk
of acquiring an infection from a healthy animal is very remote.
What You Can Do
Genetic factors clearly play an important role in the development
of obesity. However, the rapidity with which the current epidemic
of obesity has hit the United States and the rest of the world makes
diet and lifestyle a more likely explanation.
So the answer is plain and simple. If you want to lose weight stop
drinking soda and processed fruit juices that are sweetened with
about eight teaspoons of fructose per serving. I have made many
difficult recommendations to patients in their quest to achieve
health, but one of the simplest is to stop drinking soda. There
is never any reason to drink it and it is one of the easiest foods
to give up. Switch to pure water
as your beverage of choice and you will be well on your way to better
health.
Related Articles:
Fructose Raises Triglyceride
Levels
The Real Dangers of Soda
to You and Your Children
Fructose is No Answer For
a Sweetener
More Problems With Fructose
All Hail the Corn! Or Should
We?
Killer
Sugar! Suicide With A Spoon
