Mylegsbig said:
Just do a google search man, you will find like 20... i've seen quite a few studies saying that all things being equal, eating plain sugar is NOT just as bad as consuming an equal amount of high fructose corn syrup...
Well since you fail to offer valid sources for your information, I'll begin.
First, from everyone's favorite online encyclopedia, take these snippets at face value since wikipedia did not publish these studies, nor is it a reliable scientific or medical journal.
HFCS on Wikipedia
Quoting now, from Wikipedia:
"Studies that have compared HFCS to sucrose (as opposed to pure fructose) find that they have essentially identical physiological effects. For instance, Melanson et al (2006), studied the effects of HFCS and sucrose sweetened drinks on blood glucose, insulin, leptin, and ghrelin levels. They found no significant differences in any of these parameters."
"Perrigue et al (2006) compared the effects of isocaloric servings of colas sweetened HFCS 45, HFCS 55, sucrose, and aspartame on satiety and subsequent energy intake. They found that all of the drinks with caloric sweeteners produced similar satiety responses, and had the same effects on subsequent energy intake. Taken together with Melanson et al (2006), this study shows that there is little or no evidence for the hypothesis that HFCS is different from sucrose in its effects on appetite or on metabolic processes involved in fat storage. "
Information on Fructose from Wikipedia
Again, quoting Wikipedia:
"Fructose (or levulose) is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) found in many foods and is one of the three most important blood sugars along with glucose and galactose"
"Often, fructose is consumed as high fructose corn syrup, which is corn syrup (glucose) that has been enzymatically treated by the enzyme glucose isomerase. This enzyme converts a portion of the glucose into fructose thus making it sweeter. This is done to such a degree as to yield corn syrup with an equivalent sweetness to sucrose by weight. While most carbohydrates have around the same amount of calories, fructose is sweeter and manufacturers can use less of it to get the same result."
From the following publisher:
The FASEB Journal, Vol 4, 2652-2660, Copyright © 1990 by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Quoting:
"Because of the introduction of high fructose corn sweeteners in 1967, the amount of free fructose in the diet of Americans has increased substantially in the last 20 years. Fructose is sweeter, more soluble, and less glucogenic than glucose or sucrose, so it has been recommended as a replacement for these sugars in the diets of diabetic and obese people."
How the body uses Glucose and Fructose
So, here's the breakdown for anyone that doesn't particularly feel like reading through the scholarly journals section of Google:
Sucrose is the most common natural sugar, and is what we know as white sugar, table sugar, or granulated sugar. Sucrose is made up of glucose and fructose, 1 molecule of each. Glucose, when ingested, is absorbed directly into our bloodstreams for immediate use by our bodies. Glucose is the simplest form of sugar, and it is the energy that allows every one of the billions of cells that make up our bodies work. When glucose is ingested and the bloodstream is already full of glucose, it goes into temporary storage as glycogen. Glycogen exists in our organs and muscle tissues throughout or body. It is there so that when our supply of glucose is depleted, it is immediately broken back down into glucose for immediate use. Fructose, on the other hand, must be metabolized by our livers to be usable. So for fructose to be broken down into usable glucose, it is first metabolized by you liver, then stored as glycogen (short-term storage). If your body is low on glucose, then it will break down the glycogen metabolized from fructose and be used by your body. However, this is rarely the case in our society. For us, it is more normal for fructose to be metabolized by our livers, and when it is about to be stored as glycogen, lo and behold, our bodies are already full on their stores of glycogen. So what becomes of it? You guessed it. It is stored as fat.
Now the question still needs to be answered, is fructose bad for you? NO! It's broken down into usable parts just like everything else we consume. It's is not the fault of the ingredient, or the manufacturers, if WE consume too much sugar in our diets and become fat as a result.
For those who really don't even want to read all that I've written and researched, here's the nitty-gritty:
If there is too much sugar in your diet, you will get fat.
If there's a proper amount of sugar in your diet, you will not get fat.
If you eat too many HFCS-rich foods you will get fat.
If you eat a healthy and BALANCED diet, you will not get fat.
So in conclusion, yes, all the commotion surrounding the ill-effects of HFCS is pure crap. It's simply people pointing fingers because they don't have enough self-control or will power to monitor and/or control their own eating habits. If you're fat, it's your fault. (Except genetic obesity) Don't blame manufacturers.
