Dear Aunt,
Your concerns about high fructose corn syrup are completely understandable. There are so many conflicting statements and ideas on the subject; it is no wonder that such controversy surrounds it. In order to fully understand the effects that high fructose corn syrup has on the body, we should start with what HFCS really is.
The sweeteners that we all know and love, such as table sugar and honey, are made up of two simple sugars: glucose and fructose. Simple sugars, also known as monosaccharides, serve as fuel for the cellular functions of our bodies and provide us with the energy we need to go about our daily lives (Phelan, 2013, p. 52-53). HFCS is a liquid sweetener that, like sucrose (table sugar), is broken down into simple sugars …show more content…
There is certainly a correlation between the two events, but this does not indicate that HFCS is the cause of the obesity epidemic. When it comes to correlative studies, it is important to take into account other factors that might influence the results. Lifestyle changes, dietary habits, and other circumstances can also have an effect on the number of obese people in a country. For example, obesity rose in the early to mid 60s, then formed somewhat of a plateau until 1980 despite the fact that intake of HFCS had been increasing the entire time. In the 80s, video games and personal computers were starting to emerge as household items. Technologies such as these often lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, and if people are not getting enough exercise, they will gain weight. This is evidence that the rise in obesity may be caused by a number of things, not simply HFCS …show more content…
According to a study done by addiction expert, Dr. Francesco Lori (2014), HFCS may be addictive. In his experiment, lab rats were able to pull a level in order to receive a dose of HFCS. He concluded that the rats were willing to work harder if the concentration of the dose was higher. However, a similar experiment has not been done with table sugar, so it is possible that sucrose is just as addictive. There are also concerns that HFCS has negative effects on the liver that are great than those of sucrose. It does appear that consumption of fructose leads to an accumulation of fat in the liver and abdomen, but volunteers who consumed the same amount of glucose in a 2009 study gained an equal amount of weight in other areas of the body (Beil 2014). However, this study was does not condemn HFCS because both fructose and glucose are found in table sugar as well. The scientific community can agree that too much HFCS can be dangerous, but they have yet to reach a complete consensus on whether or not it is more dangerous than sucrose. Most experts, however, agree that the effects of sucrose and the effects of HFCS have little to no difference. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, believes that presenting sucrose as healthier than HFCS is simply a marketing ploy used to convince consumer to pay more for products that
Your concerns about high fructose corn syrup are completely understandable. There are so many conflicting statements and ideas on the subject; it is no wonder that such controversy surrounds it. In order to fully understand the effects that high fructose corn syrup has on the body, we should start with what HFCS really is.
The sweeteners that we all know and love, such as table sugar and honey, are made up of two simple sugars: glucose and fructose. Simple sugars, also known as monosaccharides, serve as fuel for the cellular functions of our bodies and provide us with the energy we need to go about our daily lives (Phelan, 2013, p. 52-53). HFCS is a liquid sweetener that, like sucrose (table sugar), is broken down into simple sugars …show more content…
There is certainly a correlation between the two events, but this does not indicate that HFCS is the cause of the obesity epidemic. When it comes to correlative studies, it is important to take into account other factors that might influence the results. Lifestyle changes, dietary habits, and other circumstances can also have an effect on the number of obese people in a country. For example, obesity rose in the early to mid 60s, then formed somewhat of a plateau until 1980 despite the fact that intake of HFCS had been increasing the entire time. In the 80s, video games and personal computers were starting to emerge as household items. Technologies such as these often lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, and if people are not getting enough exercise, they will gain weight. This is evidence that the rise in obesity may be caused by a number of things, not simply HFCS …show more content…
According to a study done by addiction expert, Dr. Francesco Lori (2014), HFCS may be addictive. In his experiment, lab rats were able to pull a level in order to receive a dose of HFCS. He concluded that the rats were willing to work harder if the concentration of the dose was higher. However, a similar experiment has not been done with table sugar, so it is possible that sucrose is just as addictive. There are also concerns that HFCS has negative effects on the liver that are great than those of sucrose. It does appear that consumption of fructose leads to an accumulation of fat in the liver and abdomen, but volunteers who consumed the same amount of glucose in a 2009 study gained an equal amount of weight in other areas of the body (Beil 2014). However, this study was does not condemn HFCS because both fructose and glucose are found in table sugar as well. The scientific community can agree that too much HFCS can be dangerous, but they have yet to reach a complete consensus on whether or not it is more dangerous than sucrose. Most experts, however, agree that the effects of sucrose and the effects of HFCS have little to no difference. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, believes that presenting sucrose as healthier than HFCS is simply a marketing ploy used to convince consumer to pay more for products that