New Research Explains Link Between High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes
For some time, doctors have known that consuming high fructose corn syrup can lead to diabetes. But a recent study on animals discovered details as to how. And it’s not pretty.
Diets rich in fructose have been linked to insulin resistance which has been identified as a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. The study, reported in the Cell Metabolism Journal, has singled out a specific gene, PGC-1 beta, that seems to respond to fructose by developing insulin resistance.
The researchers used rats in the study and found blocking that gene’s activity in rats that consumed high levels of fructose protected them from insulin resistance.
High-fructose corn syrup has been getting a bad rap lately thanks to studies linking the chemical to soaring obesity rates. The corn sweetener was virtually nonexistent 30 years ago. But since the 80s, it’s quickly become an ingredient in everything from sodas to cereals and is also used as a preservative.
A University of California study last year found that high fructose consumption leads to increased fat around the organs, which causes a pot-belly, as well as greater risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high levels of fatty triglycerides (a form of fat in the blood associated with heart disease). While glucose causes an equivalent weight gain, it does did not produce the same effects.
The hope is that this new research opens the door to new ways of treating several conditions brought on by too much fructose consumption, including insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and high triglycerides.
Technically, those ads by the Corn Refiners Association are right: High fructose corn syrup is chemically much like sugar, or sucrose. HFCS works like this. The body breaks it down into fructose and glucose. Table sugar, or sucrose, also breaks down into the same two sugars, but slightly lower fructose to glucose ratio.
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This article should put one on the defensive regarding consumption of fructose et al. With the connection to diabetes and other conditions, it is a wake-up call for many. so we hope. Some do not have the discipline and self-control required so it is good for companies to make changes to their products like Pepsi did.
Evelyn Guzman
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Actually, since both sucrose and HFCS contain substantial amounts of fructose, it would be much better if manufacturers would start using glucose as the sweetener instead of "natural sugar" or sucrose. It would be more expensive, but not as expensive as the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes is to the country.
I'm not aware of what form pure glucose would take. Would you be able to fill me in on this?
I do know, however, that consumers also have to be wary of glucose because of the dramatic spikes it causes in blood sugar levels, and in turn, energy levels. Its for this reason that agave nectar (which is quite yummy in an iced coffee, by the way) has taken off as an alternative sweeter. It has a higher fructose to glucose ratio, which causes less dramatic changes in the blood, and its significantly sweeter than table sugar, so you don't need as much.
Corn in its normal form is 100% glucose
Sucrose from sugar cane is 50% glucose and 50% fructose (Called Sucrose)
High Fructose corn syrup is 45% glucose and 55% fructose.
It is a common mistake to think that high fructose corn syrup is literally high is fructose. It is only high in fructose in relation to corn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/business/yourmoney/02syrup.html?pagewa...
One of the underlying reasons for the heavy increase in the amounts of HFCS in our foods (and even in pet foods, which is ridiculous)is the government corn subsidies. Since the 1990s, the government has paid more than $40 billion to corn growers. That's a lot of money (even if it doesn't seem like such a big number in this age of bailouts) and an even larger amount of corn being processed into HFCS. A subsidy for one product (as well as tariffs and quotas on importers) can discourage a farmer from planting anything else.
Here's a thorough primer on HFCS and the details surrounding how it's processed in the body in comparison to other sugars:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fructose_corn_syrup
Medical doctor Dana Flavin is head of the Foundation for Collaborative Medicine and Research. She worked in the foods division at the FDA when corn syrup was just becoming popular. She wasn't concerned about it until she was doing research for an article in Life Extension magazine, "The Metabolic Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup."
As someone who habitually read scientific literature, Flavin said she was shocked. "I was floored because I didn't want to believe it. And I'm a toxicologist from FDA and a physician. And I'm thinking, 'Oh, this is ridiculous, this is just corn syrup. I wish it were just corn syrup and were just that simple, but it's much more complicated."
To read more:
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/533279.aspx
Great articles. This is a very important issue, and it's time we used science to stop the excessive use of high fructose corn syrup. Diabetes is such a huge problem with Americans. Thanks very much.
Lance Winslow
Hi, my name is Liz and I work for the Corn Refiner’s Association. I wanted to share some information about High Fructose Corn Syrup.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that high fructose corn syrup is responsible for diabetes. All caloric sweeteners trigger an insulin response in the body. In fact, table sugar, honey and high fructose corn syrup trigger about the same insulin release, because they contain nearly equal amounts of fructose and glucose. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently concluded that “…high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners…”
For the most part, you'll find high fructose corn syrup in the same kinds of products in which you would find sugar or other sweeteners. At the same time, corn sweeteners offer some unique functional benefits that help companies offer more choices in food products.
There’s a lot of solid research and information at www.SweetSurprise.com and www.HFCSFacts.com. Or if you'd like a third party refernce, check out this article from the New York Times: Sweetener with a Bad Rap: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/business/yourmoney/02syrup.html?_r=1&o...
Thank you for your consideration.
Hi Liz,
My name is Ken.
HFCS nearly killed me. I don't want to go into the details because I hate typing, the short of it is my liver was nearly destroyed and I now have Diabetes.. Since removing HFCS from my diet, I've lost 89 lbs, I am 6'5" my weight is now around 200 lbs.. I enjoy a soda a few times a week, Jones cola, with Sugar and Mexican Coke. The odd thing is, if I drink a Sugar soda, my sugar goes up as you'd expect it to then it comes promptly back down. when I drink a soda with HFCS, my sugars are out of whack for days.
You can take your propaganda and stuff it. HFCS is toxic. It is an artificial sweetener and should be removed from the market.
Thanks so much for the comment. I didn't personally feel the need to reply to Liz because I understand what she does and what she represents. The Corn Refiners Association have big money and resources on their side, and much of what they say is true. But it's only half the story.
Thanks for filling us in on the other half with your story. Drinking soda with regular sugar SHOULD cause those spikes in blood sugar levels. I would even venture to say that this may be our bodies' way of telling us to regulate consumption. Heavily processed foods often leave us, as you said, "out of whack" and unable to determine what's going on with our bodies. It's a shame that consumers have to go out of their way, and often pay more money, to access real food.
I'm glad to hear you're in good shape!
Hi Liz,
The CRA can't hide the math! Take the variant HFCS-55. Although its
composition (55%fructose:45%glucose) appears to be 5% different than
sucrose 50:50), when you do the math a significant difference emerges.
55/45=1.22. That means that everytime you drink a soda with HFCS-55 your
liver is receiving, compared to glucose, 22% extra fructose. Metabolic
dangers of excess fructose have been well documented as commented by DianeP. Ditch HFCS, especially HFCS-55 which is used to sweeten many
beverages. StopHFCS.com has an extensive list of HFCS-free foods and beverages. To your health.