Thursday, January 8, 2015

High Fructose Corn Syrup: How sugar, or worse?

Woman holding soda and sugar For decades, high fructose corn syrup has been used as a sweetener in processed foods.

Supposedly rich in fructose [1] , has been heavily criticized for its negative effects on health.

Many people claim that it is more harmful than other sugar-based sweeteners.

But as corn syrup, high fructose really compare regular sugar? Is it bad?

Let us take a look ...

What is high fructose corn syrup?

Corn syrup, high fructose (HFCS) is a derivative of the sweetener corn syrup, which is obtained from corn.

It is used to sweeten processed foods [2] and refreshments, especially in the United States.

Than ordinary table sugar (sucrose), consisting of glucose and fructose.

It has become a popular sweetener in the late 1970s, when the price of domestic sugar was high, while corn prices were low due to government subsidies.

However, the use of high fructose corn syrup, with the growing popularity of light began to decline, in accordance artificial sweeteners [3] .

The graph shows the evolution of the sweetener consumption in the United States in the years 1966-2009 ( 1 )

Calorie sweetener consumption, USDA

The blue line shows the consumption of table sugar, and the red line shows the consumption of corn syrup, high-fructose increased from 1975 to 1985.

Conclusion: High fructose corn syrup is a sugar-based sweetener in processed foods and beverages in the United States used. As regular sugar glucose and fructose simple sugars.

Such as high fructose corn syrup is made?

Corn

Fructose Corn Syrup is prepared from corn (maize), usually GM [4] .

The first corn is ground to produce corn starch [5] .

Then, corn starch is further processed to produce corn syrup [6] ( 2 ).

Corn syrup consists mainly of glucose. To make it softer and closer to the taste of table sugar (sucrose), but glucose is converted to fructose using enzymes.

Different types of corn syrup, high fructose are available with different proportions of fructose. For example, the concentrated form contains 90% fructose, and HFCS 90 is called.

The type most commonly used is the HFC 55 (55% fructose, 42% glucose).

HFCS 55 is very similar to sucrose (ordinary table sugar), 50% fructose and 50% glucose.

Conclusion: made ​​corn syrup, high fructose corn (maize), which is further developed to produce syrup. The type that is most commonly used, is very similar to sugar.

High Fructose Corn Syrup against regular sugar

Glass filled with sugar cubes

There are only minor differences between the most common form of corn syrup, high fructose (HFCS 55) and table sugar.

First, corn syrup, high fructose liquid, contains 24% water, while a dry table sugar and granulated.

In terms of chemical structure, glucose-fructose syrup, and high fructose corn are independently as granulated sugar (sucrose).

Instead, "float" side by side separately.

These differences do not affect the properties or the nutritional value of health in any way.

In our digestive system sugar is broken down into fructose and glucose, so that the corn syrup and sugar end up looking exactly the same.

Gram for gram, HFCS 55 is slightly higher in fructose than regular sugar. The difference is very small and not particularly relevant from the standpoint of health.

Of course, if we compare regular sugar HFCS 90 (90% fructose) and regular sugar would be much more desirable that excessive consumption of fructose can be very harmful.

(However, HFCS 90 and is rarely only by its extreme softness used in small quantities 3 ).

Conclusion: corn syrup, high fructose, and glucose are almost identical. The main difference is that the sugar molecules of fructose and glucose are glued together.

Studies comparing sugar and corn syrup, high fructose

The main reason why sugar sweeteners are unhealthy, is due to the large amount of fructose, which provide.

The liver is the only organ that can metabolize fructose in large quantities. When the liver is overloaded (converts fructose in fat 4 ).

A portion of this fat can on the liver, contributing to foie gras. High consumption of fructose is also insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes, to name just a few ( 5 , 6 , 7 ).

Enter all the negative effects of excess fructose that the scope of this article, but you can read about them here [7] .

Young Serve Coke

Corn syrup, high fructose regular sugar have a very similar mixture of fructose and glucose (50:50), so expect health effects which may be the same in essence.

In fact, this has been confirmed many times.

Research has shown that there is no difference in the corn syrup with high fructose same doses and table sugar (see 8 , 9 , 10 ).

Also, there is no difference in the satiety response or insulin are given as similar doses, and no difference in leptin [8] levels or effects on body weight ( 11 , 12 ).

Thus, according to the best available data, sugar and corn syrup, high fructose are exactly the same.

Conclusion: Many studies have shown that sugar and corn syrup, high fructose content in their effects on health and metabolism are identical. Both are seriously harmful when more is consumed.

No added sugar is bad, the result is not

Apple

It is important to note that none of these "fructose is bad" talk applies to whole fruits [9] .

The fruits are complete foods with lots of fiber [10] , nutrients and antioxidants [11] . It is very difficult to eat too much fructose is only when the whole fruit produced.

This only applies to sugar when it is consumed in large quantities, in connection with a high -calorie , Western diet.
[12]

Message Home

Corn syrup, high fructose frequently used (HFCS 55) is virtually identical to the common table sugar.

Currently, there is no evidence that a poorer than the other.

In other words, both are equally bad.

Credentials

  1. ^ fructose (authoritynutrition.com)
  2. ^ processed foods (authoritynutrition.com)
  3. ^ artificial sweeteners (authoritynutrition.com)
  4. ^ GM (en.wikipedia.org)
  5. ^ cornstarch (en.wikipedia.org)
  6. ^ syrup (en.wikipedia.org)
  7. ^ read about it here (authoritynutrition.com)
  8. ^ leptin (authoritynutrition.com)
  9. ^ whole fruit (authoritynutrition.com)
  10. ^ fibers (authoritynutrition.com)
  11. ^ antioxidants (authoritynutrition.com)
  12. ^ calories (authoritynutrition.com)

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