Over the past 20 years, there has been a large increase of obesity rates in America. There have been multiple studies connecting this increase in childhood obesity to the overconsumption of sugar sweetened beverages. HFCS, otherwise known as High Fructose Corn Syrup, and sucrose, otherwise known as raw sugar or table sugar, are what has scientists and dieticians worried about the increase of childhood obesity rates in the U.S,. These sugars come from near the equator, and also all over the tropical world. Both HFCS and sucrose are made of glucose and fructose molecules, which they both have in roughly equal amounts. HFCS and sucrose are virtually chemically equivalent. Dr. Robert Lustig, well known for a speech given on the evils of fructose,
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Kimber Stanhope, PhD, and Peter Havel, DVM, PhD, have found that people who consume more fructose have an increased amount of triglycerides and a decreased insulin sensitivity. They have also found that the overconsumption of fructose can also lead to the production of visceral fat, the kind of fat linked with metabolic syndrome. In addition, according to an article titled The Truth About Sugar, “Rates of obesity have dramatically increased in the US over the past 20 years, and studies have linked drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages to increased risk of obesity.” This fact also supports the idea that there are links between juice consumption and obesity, because fruit juices are loaded with fructose. Furthermore, it has been shown that the way our body metabolizes fructose is very harmful. Because our bodies naturally choose glucose as an energy producer, the fructose molecule is separated from the glucose molecule and transported straight to the liver where it is treated like a toxin. Since this is a hard process for the liver, it is dangerous to consume too much fructose, as it can wear down the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the blood. In addition, it has been proven that when animals consume a large amount of fructose, they have higher amounts of triglycerides in their blood, weight gain, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Although this may …show more content…
The experimental design of the study is valid based on the scientific method because the researches have a hypothesis they are trying to prove by doing experiments. While this study’s design is valid, it is flawed. For instance, it only focuses on middle-aged people, who have most likely been consuming soft drinks since they were young. Furthermore, it does not take into account socioeconomic factors, or factors like ethnicity, health history, etcetera. Because of this, the study may not be broad enough to determine the long term effects of fructose consumption on multiple types of people. The researchers using this study as proof of their claims actually did the research. This matters because when scientists do their own research, it allows them to have a more in-depth understanding of the data collected from the experiment. In this study, human subjects were used. According to an article about the study, the sample size was 9000 people. While that is a large number, it may not be enough to accurately determine the effects of the consumption of soft drinks on all different types of people. There was no placebo use. The study collected data in two ways: through a physician-administered questionnaire, and through a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Data from the
Kimber Stanhope, PhD, and Peter Havel, DVM, PhD, have found that people who consume more fructose have an increased amount of triglycerides and a decreased insulin sensitivity. They have also found that the overconsumption of fructose can also lead to the production of visceral fat, the kind of fat linked with metabolic syndrome. In addition, according to an article titled The Truth About Sugar, “Rates of obesity have dramatically increased in the US over the past 20 years, and studies have linked drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages to increased risk of obesity.” This fact also supports the idea that there are links between juice consumption and obesity, because fruit juices are loaded with fructose. Furthermore, it has been shown that the way our body metabolizes fructose is very harmful. Because our bodies naturally choose glucose as an energy producer, the fructose molecule is separated from the glucose molecule and transported straight to the liver where it is treated like a toxin. Since this is a hard process for the liver, it is dangerous to consume too much fructose, as it can wear down the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the blood. In addition, it has been proven that when animals consume a large amount of fructose, they have higher amounts of triglycerides in their blood, weight gain, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Although this may …show more content…
The experimental design of the study is valid based on the scientific method because the researches have a hypothesis they are trying to prove by doing experiments. While this study’s design is valid, it is flawed. For instance, it only focuses on middle-aged people, who have most likely been consuming soft drinks since they were young. Furthermore, it does not take into account socioeconomic factors, or factors like ethnicity, health history, etcetera. Because of this, the study may not be broad enough to determine the long term effects of fructose consumption on multiple types of people. The researchers using this study as proof of their claims actually did the research. This matters because when scientists do their own research, it allows them to have a more in-depth understanding of the data collected from the experiment. In this study, human subjects were used. According to an article about the study, the sample size was 9000 people. While that is a large number, it may not be enough to accurately determine the effects of the consumption of soft drinks on all different types of people. There was no placebo use. The study collected data in two ways: through a physician-administered questionnaire, and through a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Data from the