high fructose corn syrup.

In 2003, I read an article that was titled "High Fructose Corn Syrup, the Devil's Candy."  After reading this, I made a pact to myself to completely avoid high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as much as possible.  And, over the last 9 years I have kept my word by reviewing every single ingredient in a product.  But, with the recent commercials advertising that HFCS is the same as table sugar (thanks to the Corn Refiners Association), I figured it was time to more thoroughly research this issue.

Unfortunately, I hit a dead end when I reviewed the literature on this subject.  Research was contradictory and inconclusive,  which forced me to break down the biochemistry of HFCS to figure this all out.

HFCS, also known as corn sugar, is an inexpensive sweetener that has basically replaced table sugar (sucrose) in processed foods and beverages.  While the Corn Refiner's Association preaches HCFS is natural,  it is not.  Although it comes from a natural source (corn), the chemical bonds have been altered.  HFCS is a combo of 55% fructose and 45% glucose (sucrose is 50%-50%) ...and that is precisely where the problem begins.

Although both fructose and glucose are simple sugars (monosaccarides) that are calorically identical, they are metabolized very differently.  Fructose is absorbed further down the GI tract, it does not require insulin for cellular transport, and enters the carbohydrate metabolism pathway (glycolysis) much later then glucose.

So what's the problem?  All of those factors can contribute to weight gain.  When fructose is consumed in large amounts, it provides the carbon necessary to produce fat, where as glucose will be used for instant energy.  Also, since fructose does not cause insulin secretion it can mean that we will continue eating.   This is because an increase in insulin (say from glucose) results in an increase in leptin, a satiety hormone that tells our brain we are no longer hungry.

Sooo... here is my conclusion from all this: sugar and HFCS are different.  Although they are both a source of nutrient-less calories and should be minimized as much as possible,  HFCS provides more fructose.  More fructose = increased fat production = higher obesity rates.  The answer to this problem is simple to me - getting back to our roots and consuming less processed foods. Throughout history, humans only consumed 15-30 grams of fructose (from fruits and vegetable sources), but now, thanks to HFCS, most humans consume over 80 grams per day.  It needs to stop.  Start reading product labels and choose to get your fructose from real food.