High-Fructose Corn Syrup Upsetting the Appetite Applecart The introduction of highly glycemic high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the 1970s has, in my opinion, a direct corollary in the rise in obesity in both children and adults. Prior to the 1970s, popular soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi were made with pure cane sugar. The average bottle of soda was 6 ounces (175 ml). In the ensuing decades as we and our meals have become supersized, an average can or bottle of soda holds 12 ounces (375 ml) and a large soda can contain 32 ounces (1 L) or more.
The April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that the consumption of HFCS increased 1,000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. HFCS now represents 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. Sweetened beverages (and they are ubiquitous even in the health food store) set us up for calorie overconsumption.
According to the Alternative Medicine Review December 2005 issue, fructose promotes the formation of toxic advanced glycation end-products (this is the glycation I often write about that degrades the collagen in our skin, resulting in deep wrinkles, and that is implicated in the complications of diabetes and in the development of atherosclerosis). In addition, excessive fructose consumption may be responsible in part for the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
When we consume simple sugars such as HFCS, we are causing an immediate pro-inflammatory spike in our blood sugar. Unlike glucose, however, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production key hormones that regulate the appetite. Because insulin and leptin act as signals to the brain for the regulation of food intake and body weight, the ability of fructose to bypass these mechanisms may contribute to overeating. In short, the body’s natural checks and balances are thrown out of balance. Fructose bypasses the natural mechanisms that prevent overeating and actually makes the body think it is still hungry even after eating a large meal.
This is because the digestive and absorptive processes for glucose and fructose are different. Also, when we consume large amounts of fructose, which is basically an unregulated source of fuel for the liver, it is converted to both fat and cholesterol. Fructose also significantly raises triglyceride levels. As Perricone readers know, I am no advocate of sugar—in fact sugar is toxic. But the effects of fructose, particularly in the form of HFCS, are an even more significant cause for alarm. (I am not talking about the naturally occurring fructose found in fresh fruit.)
Thus, the increase in consumption of HFCS is directly related to the epidemic of obesity: As the consumption of HFCS has increased around the world, so has the incidence of obesity. However, that is not the only negative effect of HFCS and corn syrup. According to Michael Pollen, writing in the New York Times (June 4, 2006), 70 percent of America’s corn fields are treated with the powerful herbicide atrazine. He states that traces of the chemical routinely turn up in American streams and wells and even in the rain; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also finds residues of atrazine in our food. This herbicide was recently banned by the European Union and is a suspected carcinogen and endocrine disruptor in humans. Use of these types of toxins pose a potentially devastating threat to the environment and everything in it—including humans.
The April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that the consumption of HFCS increased 1,000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. HFCS now represents 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. Sweetened beverages (and they are ubiquitous even in the health food store) set us up for calorie overconsumption.
According to the Alternative Medicine Review December 2005 issue, fructose promotes the formation of toxic advanced glycation end-products (this is the glycation I often write about that degrades the collagen in our skin, resulting in deep wrinkles, and that is implicated in the complications of diabetes and in the development of atherosclerosis). In addition, excessive fructose consumption may be responsible in part for the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
When we consume simple sugars such as HFCS, we are causing an immediate pro-inflammatory spike in our blood sugar. Unlike glucose, however, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production key hormones that regulate the appetite. Because insulin and leptin act as signals to the brain for the regulation of food intake and body weight, the ability of fructose to bypass these mechanisms may contribute to overeating. In short, the body’s natural checks and balances are thrown out of balance. Fructose bypasses the natural mechanisms that prevent overeating and actually makes the body think it is still hungry even after eating a large meal.
This is because the digestive and absorptive processes for glucose and fructose are different. Also, when we consume large amounts of fructose, which is basically an unregulated source of fuel for the liver, it is converted to both fat and cholesterol. Fructose also significantly raises triglyceride levels. As Perricone readers know, I am no advocate of sugar—in fact sugar is toxic. But the effects of fructose, particularly in the form of HFCS, are an even more significant cause for alarm. (I am not talking about the naturally occurring fructose found in fresh fruit.)
Thus, the increase in consumption of HFCS is directly related to the epidemic of obesity: As the consumption of HFCS has increased around the world, so has the incidence of obesity. However, that is not the only negative effect of HFCS and corn syrup. According to Michael Pollen, writing in the New York Times (June 4, 2006), 70 percent of America’s corn fields are treated with the powerful herbicide atrazine. He states that traces of the chemical routinely turn up in American streams and wells and even in the rain; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also finds residues of atrazine in our food. This herbicide was recently banned by the European Union and is a suspected carcinogen and endocrine disruptor in humans. Use of these types of toxins pose a potentially devastating threat to the environment and everything in it—including humans.
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