Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Making You Fat
Simple Sugars Found to Add Fat to Liver and Increase Insulin
Mar 25, 2009
High fructose corn syrup was added to many foods including soda pop starting in the 1970s, replacing white sugar and other sugars. Food manufacturers found this simple sugar tasted good and was a lot cheaper to use than other sweeteners, and soon high fructose corn syrup was added to everything, including bread and many processed foods. Perhaps by coincidence, perhaps not, the rate of obesity began steadily increasing after high fructose corn syrup made its appearance on the supermarket shelves as a hidden ingredient in foods. Many nutritionists blame it for the spike in weight gain following the low-fat craze of the 1980s, since greater amounts of high fructose corn syrup were added to products such as low fat cookies to make up for the taste lost by reducing the fat.
Although for many years the food industry has denied claims that high fructose corn syrup makes people fat, many who have gained weight believe that corn syrup is to blame. New research recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism indicates high fructose corn syrup as the culprit in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that leads to slow metabolism, weight gain, and more seriously, Type II diabetes.
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain
There are many reasons why high fructose corn syrup is bad for health and especially bad for people trying to lose weight. According to medical doctor and noted health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola, high fructose corn syrup is the sweetener most easily metabolized by the body directly into fat. Drinking one can of soda pop puts 40 grams of high fructose corn syrup into the body, which is more than the American Medical Association's recommended daily allowance for all sweeteners. Drinking a can of pop along with eating a sandwich on white bread with high fructose corn sweetened-grape jelly and peanut butter can put your consumption sky-high.
Within the body, high fructose corn sweetener is processed very differently from natural sugars found in fruits and other food sources. Dr. Elizabeth Parks, writing in the Journal of Nutrition in 2008, states that high fructose corn syrup is quickly converted by the liver directly into fats, which are then stored. Some are stored directly at the liver. These can lead to raised cholesterol levels as well as create conditions ripe for insulin resistance, a precursor to Type II (adult-onset) diabetes.
For some people, high fructose corn syrup is also what is called a trigger food. For these individuals, ingesting even a tiny amount of high fructose corn syrup sets up a craving in the body akin to an alcoholic's craving for more booze once he takes a single sip. Binge eating almost certainly leads to weight gain.
How to Avoid High Fructose Sugar and Experience Natural Weight Loss
Natural weight loss is possible once you eliminate high fructose corn syrup from the diet. The first step is to eliminate obvious sources. Soda pop is the most obvious choice. Diet sodas contain many chemicals, including artificial sweeteners that bring with them their own health concerns, so it's best to switch from soft drinks to plain water. Even fruit juices can contain large amounts of high fructose corn syrup, so unless the label states that the product is 100% fruit juice, or doesn't list high fructose corn syrup among the ingredients, skip it and opt for plain water. Other healthy beverages include tea of all sorts. The health benefits of tea are legendary and research continues to unearth more. Whether you opt for green tea, black tea, or herbal teas, unsweetened tea is a wonderful beverage to consume.
Read labels carefully on all processed products. Breads, cookies, crackers, boxed and frozen dinners, ice cream and frozen desserts all contain great amounts of high fructose corn syrup. Making your own desserts ensures that all the ingredients are high fructose corn syrup free. Cooking from scratch using only unprocessed ingredients takes only a little bit more time and helps you avoid excess corn syrup, salt, and chemicals.
People who are more serious about eating for health may choose to add green smoothies to their diet, or change to an entirely raw food diet. Changing to a raw food diet may seem drastic, but it avoids all the problems associated with the modern Western diet. Fortunately, most people can sidestep the negative aspects of processed foods by simply preparing meals at home using simple, fresh, wholesome ingredients.
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