Is fructose, particularly HFCS, your friend, fatty?
The obesity may be caused by what is in the foods, the artificially made sweeteners. It has to be, as there is no difference in a kid born in 1950 and today, except for what he eats and how he gains weight. en.wikipedia.org
Health effects
One study concluded that pure fructose "produced significantly higher fasting plasma triacylglycerol values than did the glucose diet in men" and "if plasma triacylglycerols are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, then diets high in fructose may be undesirable".[15] Bantle, et al. "noted the same effects in a study of 14 healthy volunteers who sequentially ate a high-fructose diet and one almost devoid of the sugar."[16] It should be noted, however that these studies were on the effects of pure fructose intakes in various solutions not of HFCS. According to research provided by Melanson et al, effects of HFCS to date mimic those of sucrose and not of pure fructose in certain individuals.
A study in mice suggests that fructose increases obesity.[17] However, this study looked at the effects of fructose alone. High fructose corn syrup comes in different ratios of fructose and glucose, which are roughly the same products produced by the breakdown of sucrose (cane/table sugar) in the body. Some say this tells us very little about the relative health effects of high fructose corn syrup as opposed to other sweeteners.
nutrition.about.com
lowcarbdiets.about.com
What happens when we get too much fructose?
Most of the carbohydrate we eat is made up of chains of glucose. When glucose enters the bloodstream, insulin release is stimulated, which is the key mechanism regulating glucose in the body. Fructose, on the other hand, is processed in the liver. To greatly simplify the situation: when too much fructose enters the liver, the liver can't process it all fast enough for the body to use as sugar. Instead, it starts making fats from the fructose, and sends them off into the bloodstream as triglycerides.
Why is this bad?
This is potentially bad for at least three reasons:
1. High blood triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease.
2. The fructose ends up circumventing the normal appetite signaling system. Instead of triggering hormones that regulate appetite (such as leptin, ghrelin, and insulin), this doesn't happen with fructose, so the calories from fructose don't make us feel satisfied. This is probably at least part of the reason why excess fructose consumption is associated with weight gain.
3. There is growing evidence that excess fructose consumption may facilitate insulin resistance, and eventually Type 2 diabetes. |
