High Fructose Corn Syrup is not an item you can just purchase on a shelf in a grocery store. It’s usually an ingredient found in many common commercially packaged products like beverages, baked goods, yogurts, condiments, etc. It’s derived from corn, but it’s different from corn syrup. Corn syrup is 100% glucose, whereas high fructose corn syrup has a higher amount of fructose than glucose.
High fructose corn syrup was introduced in the 1970’s, and it was thought at the time to be a better sweetener alternative because it was low on the glycemic index, but how the body processes fructose is what has caused so many problems. There are many reasons to avoid high fructose corn syrup, but let’s focus on three major issues.
Fructose does not stimulate the brain to control appetite to the same extent that glucose does. Studies have shown that people who drank a high fructose sweetened drink craved a high calorie food reward over a monetary reward. When your body isn’t in control of your appetite, you will not think you’re full and will crave more.
It’s a vicious cycle when it comes to consuming products with high fructose corn syrup. It’s typically a cheap ingredient to produce, and food manufacturers are looking to make as much of a profit as they can. Consumers continue to eat and drink all kinds of products with high fructose corn syrup, and they just keep craving more leading to weight gain and eventual obesity.
The liver is the main organ to metabolize fructose, but too much fructose in a short amount of time can cause the liver to be damaged, and it turns the fructose into fat.
The fat in the liver can accumulate over time and cause fatty liver disease, which leads to problems like inflammation, severe liver damage, liver failure, and even liver cancer.
Another common issue with too much high fructose corn syrup over time is that the body can become insulin resistant, which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes.
Researchers even found that countries using high amounts of high fructose corn syrup had a rate of 8% of the population having Type 2 Diabetes as opposed to 6.7% in countries that do not use high fructose corn syrup.
Type 2 Diabetes can lead to things like heart disease, nerve damage, eye damage, kidney disease, etc.
At Wake Up and Read the Labels, we preach the importance of reading ingredients. Products that are made with real ingredients are in your grocery store. They may be lower on the shelf due to not being able to compete with the marketing of the big name products, but they exist!
Read your labels, and avoid foods made with high fructose corn syrup. It’s an unnecessary added sweetener that is not serving your body well.
To learn more about the effects of sweeteners, listen to the Wake UP Podcast episode, The Real Secret to Staying Sugar Proof with Dr. Michael Goran.