High Fructose Corn Syrup

The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup have recently produced a series of commercials defending their "natural" product. This widely used sweetener is being linked with obesity and is used by manufacturers simply because it's cheap.



Here is a little information they didn't give in their commercial. Let's say you made some iced tea at home with table sugar. What happens next is your body will convert the sugar to glucose, which will cause the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin enables the sugar in the blood to be taken to cells where it is used for energy. This is accompanied by an increase in the production of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and fat storage. Another reaction to glucose(table sugar) is the reduction of ghrelin a hormone that signals hunger.



Now if you would have had a drink made with HFCS none of these actions would have taken place. Instead fructose is removed and metabolized by the liver and does not cause the release of insulin. The fructose converts to fat. The body doesn't release the hormones leptin and glucose to signal your body that you are full. In the book "Master Your Metabolism" Jillian Michaels wrote about a study done at the University of Pennsylvania that found that women who ate fructose instead of glucose had higher ghrelin levels for up to 24 hours. So you will continue to eat more calories 24 hours later than if you had just table sugar.



Moderation is key. Too much sugar is not good period. My nutritionist suggests a max of 2 tablespoons a day added to your drinks. One thing that I have noticed is that when I cleaned up my diet my craving for sugar has decreased.

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