Manufacturers began sweetening food and beverages with HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup) in the 1970’s. HFCS is less expensive than sugar, has a shorter shelf life than sugar, and is slightly sweeter. There are three levels of sweetness available for HFCS: HFCS 55, HFCS 42 and HFCS90. HFCS-42 means that the syrup contains 42% fructose, 58% glucose, and HFCS-55 contains 55% fructose. HFCS-55 contains 55% fructose, and 45% glucose. HFCS 90, which is 90% fructose, is not used in food but is used to convert HFGS-42 into HFCS-55. HFCS is made from corn. It starts as pure glucose, and then enzymes are used to convert some of the glucose to fructose.
Sucrose
Sugar beets or cane are used to make sucrose (table sugar). It also contains glucose and fructose. The problem is that sucrose has different bonds to glucose and fructose than HFCS. The body produces a special enzyme called surase, whose primary function is to break down sucrose into glucose or fructose. Syrups for canned fruits, desserts and bread, as well as salad dressings, jams and sauces, breakfast meats, lunch meats (yogas, soups), baked goods, ice cream, and baby foods, typically use the HFCS 42 version.
Carbonated beverages are usually sweetened using the 55% HFCS version. HFCS is used in approximately 55% of sweeteners that are added to foods and drinks during their manufacture. Mexico and other countries use sugar in soft drink. Low fat foods are often made with HFCS to make up the loss of fat. Foods need to be sweetened or have fat in order to taste good. One article suggested that HRCS was the top source of calories in the U.S. It is also very different from fructose found in food. The fructose content in fruits, such as apples, grapes and berries, as well as sweeteners such as honey and molasses, is less than 10%. HFCS has even been used in the American farming industry. HFCS is being used by beekeepers to feed their honeybees instead of sucrose, which was what they were fed in the past.
Research
A 2012 study (Chensheng Lu and al. The HFCS can cause the death of honeybees when heated up. This was confirmed by a 2012 study (Chensheng Lu et al. Research by many other experts is now questioning the use of HFCS for our food. Robert H. Lustig M.D. HFCS and other sugars, and found that fructose can be absorbed from the G.I. Fructose is 100% metabolized in the liver, and then enters the pathways which produce triglycerides. Triglycerides, blood lipids, aid in the transfer of adipose and blood glucose from liver. His research also revealed that glucose is burned by every cell of your body, while HFCS is converted into free fatty acids, VLDL (the harmful form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which are stored as fat.
The fructose-metabolized fatty acids build up in your liver and skeletal muscles tissues, leading to insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Fructose, which is more lipophilic than glucose, is converted to activated glycerol (3-p), which then converts free fatty acids to triglycerides. The more g-3 p you have, you will store more fat. This is not the case with glucose. Insulin resistance can lead to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Your liver’s metabolism of fructose creates many waste products and toxic substances, including a lot of uric acid. This can lead to high blood pressure and gout. Your body will store less than 1 calorie of glucose per day if you eat 120 calories. Your body will store 40 calories as fat if you eat 120 calories of fructose. Additionally, after eating glucose-containing meals, the hunger hormone Ghrelin is suppressed, and the appetite suppressing hormone Leptin is stimulated.
Consuming fructose does not affect ghrelin. It also interferes with the brain’s communication to leptin. This can lead to overeating. The Journal of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior published two studies online on February 26, 2012. They found that rats become obese when they drink HFCS at half strength, but not when they consume sugar sweetened soft drinks with full sugar concentrations. The second study found that rats who were fed both HFCS or rat chow over 6 months developed metabolic syndrome, while rats who were fed only rat chow did so. HFCS has other concerns, including the fact that all the corn used in the creation of HFCS was genetically modified.
Fructose
Crystalline fructose, a stronger version of HFCS that is being used in food and beverages, may contain arsenic and lead, as well as chloride and other heavy metals. Environmental Health (2009) published a study that found mercury in nine of twenty commercial HFCS samples. This resulted in an average daily intake of 28 micrograms. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is a non-profit watchdog that tested 55 HFCS-containing products and found mercury in one of them. A bill was introduced in 2007 (S.HFCS using mercury cells as of Jan 1, 2012). The bill was defeated and it is not clear if its status will change.
According to current regulations, manufacturers who produce HFCS are not required to disclose to food manufacturers whether they use mercury cell technology. If you must have a sweetener, the best choices are stevia, which is made from a herb and marketed as Truvia), organic sugar in small quantities, organic honey (also in very limited amounts), and avoid agave syrup, which is 100% fructose, as well as all artificial sweeteners and fruit juices, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks. Still water is the best choice. Plain coffee or tea is the second choice. We could stop buying products containing HFCS and force manufacturers to stop using it. This would end the obesity epidemic in America.