Is all sugar really the same?
Have you seen the television ads from The Corn Refiner’s Association?
Don’t Be Taken In!
They have an attractive, healthy looking young woman telling us high fructose corn syrup and sugar are metabolized the same in our bodies — that sugar is sugar and your body can’t tell the difference.
Well, that’s not exactly true!
The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup is called high fructose for a reason. It is higher in fructose than table sugar. Table sugar is composed of half fructose and half glucose.
The general formula for HFCS: 55% fructose, 42% glucose and 3% higher saccharides.
Their formula, which is bad enough, is different from what researchers found. A study conducted at the University of Southern California tested many popular beverages, 23 to be exact, for their HFCS content.
Some came in as high as 65% fructose, with the mean composition coming in at 59% fructose!
Here’s the fun part!
The way HFCS is processed causes the fructose to be metabolized differently than the fructose in table sugar.
Scientific Studies
Princeton University conducted two (2) studies comparing rats that ate the same amount of HFCS to those that ate the same amount of table sugar.
The results?
The HFCS rats had:
- higher triglycerides, the fat in our bloodstream
- more accumulated body fat around the stomach
Even though HFCS is technically from corn, touted as a natural grain by the Corn Refiner’s Association, HFCS is extremely processed.
What else is wrong with HFCS?
The majority of the corn used, if not all of it, is genetically modified.
I’m not saying high fructose corn syrup is evil, however, maybe the marketing of it is! Whether products are made with HFCS or sugar they are probably foods best left for consumption on rare occasions anyway.
Clearly though, if you are concerned about fat and your health, sugar is a better option.