So, I am in the middle of a learning process.
Learning things I thought I knew.
There is a chance I may be revising my stance on High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
I’m currently reading this article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition : Straight Talk About High-Fructose Corn Syrup: What it is and what it ain't
This does not mean that I am going to just start buying products with HFCS – I think there’s still some research that needs to be done. Plus, I have not finished the article, so I am reserving final judgment for a while longer. This does mean, however, that I am going to let the scientific facts speak for themselves. What I like about this is that it’s a scholarly journal, not media hype, which may prove to be the source of a lot of the confusion over this issue.
I'll let ya know what I think! In the meantime, let me know your thoughts! But please have a scientific reason to support your argument either way. These are the kind of facts we need to reach clarity on this controversy :)
Thanks for putting up with my nerd post :)
The End.
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2 comments:
Okay, so I read the article and have a few comments. (Good article with some good points, by the way).
I haven't researched HFCS enough to comment specifically on whether it is linked to obesity or not, but here's the main problem I have with it.
Fructose is found in all sweet fruit and is a healthy, natural sweetener in fruit. But raw fruits also contain enzymes that help your body understand fructose. Because fructose has such a low glycemic index, your body doesn't always get the signal to stop eating. With normal sugar, if you eat too much, you feel that sugar-sick feeling which causes you to stop eating. Raw fruit gives you this same "stop eating" signal, thanks to those enzymes.
But fructose sweetened stuff that's been processed doesn't have said enzymes, so your body never gets the trigger signal to stop. This is part of the reason why even fruit juice (even 100%) isn't very healthy. Juice is processed with heat, which destroyed those enzymes.
So...again, I don't know whether it actually causes obesity, but without that trigger to stop eating, it's easy to see how it could contribute.
Wow...that's a long comment. Sorry 'bout that. ;-)
Ryan,
True - and I definitely still have problems with it, but I guess what I'm saying is I'm not convinced it's any worse than table sugar (still deciding though.) Because the chemical composition for both is still half fructose, half glucose. And did you read that part about the soda made with sucrose - if it sits on the shelf long enough, the acids will hydrologically separate the glucose and fructose, making it almost exactly like HFCS!
I totally agree about raw fruit (and other raw foods) - God designed them with specific enzymes to help us get the most out of the nutrients.
I think what was helpful for his argument, was he said that HFCS was not UNIQUELY contributing to obesity. Yes, it contributes, but not any more than sucrose,which is essentially the same in chemical structure. I'm curious to know, since in sucrose the fructose/glucose are chemically bonded,and in HFCS they are not, whether that plays any role. I don't know. Essentially our bodies break it down to those components anyways, so does it make a difference if it's done prior to entering the body? I don't know. And my degree is not in chemistry or nutrition, so there's prob a lot I'm not understanding correctly :) It's just an interesting article, and I appreciate it because I think he addresses the scientific issues separate from the media hype, which has caused most of the confusion with empty claims and false info.
anywho.....i think i beat you with the length of my comment ;) thanks for your thoughts!
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