Fructose

Hereditary fructose intolerance was first noticed and reported in an adult woman in 1956 by Chambers and Pratt (HFI). Chambers and Pratt observed that the woman started having faintness, nausea and abdominal pain after consuming fructose and sugar (HFI). However, those symptoms disappeared when the woman ate glucose instead (HFI). After a series of testings with different sugars, Chambers and Pratt believed that this woman was “idiosyncrasy to fructose”, but they never thought it would be hypoglycemia caused by fructose (HFI). Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is an autosomal recessive disorder, so carriers probably do not even notice this disorder until they have an affected baby with another carrier (biochemistry basis). The frequency…

1. Select a sweetener – Fructose 2. Explore the history of the sweetener (when it was developed, its composition). In our book fructose is described as “sweetest natural sugar; a monosaccharide that occurs in fruits and vegetables” (p.882). It is also called levulose or fruit sugar. Fructose is a simple sugar that occurs naturally in foods. The composition of fructose consists of six carbon atoms, twelve hydrogen atoms, and six oxygen atoms. Fructose was discovered by French chemist…

The Impact of High-Fructose Corn Syrup on Health: Exorbitant Consumption Perhaps the most polarizing issue regarding high-fructose corn syrup is its impacts on human health. I believe that health is truly the greatest wealth and that it is in the best interests of an individual to carefully make decisions regarding what one should eat. Therefore, it is necessary for me to understand the underlying health risks associated with high-fructose corn syrup consumption. The consumption of…

High fructose corn syrup is a simple carbohydrate also known as a monosaccharide. Sweet corn kernels are harvested and converted into starch by using caustic soda. Typically, cornstarch is 93% to 96% glucose. Because pure corn syrup is not sweet enough for food manufacturing, food processors add Enzymes to convert glucose into fructose, which changes the molecular structure. The exact ratio of glucose to fructose depends on the manufacturing process. Researchers from Princeton University…

Scicurious, High Fructose Corn Syrup: Much Maligned? Or the Devil’s Food Cake?, August 23, 2011, Fructose is a yellowish white crystallized, water soluble ketonic monosaccharide sugar found in many plants, C6H12O6. It is sweeter than sucrose and often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. Triglyceride is a type of fat (lipid) found in the blood. When we eat, our body convert any calories that doesn’t need to use right away into triglycerides. Triglycerides are stored in the fat…

HFCS, aka high fructose corn syrup, poses as either the savior or the destroyer here and it’s because of it’s properties. High debates have been buzzing in the air for a while to whether or not HFCS should be either banned from our food supplies or leave it and just keep it. Well, where does HFCS come from anyway? HFCS originally comes from corn starch. When starch is broken down into its individual pieces (molecules), the result becomes corn syrup glucose (that’s 100% glucose). From there,…

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…

The government states there is nothing wrong with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.) then , what was wrong with me? Oh yes, how did I get on a healthier path when I eliminated it from my diet? I believe that high fructose corn syrup should be banned. I diagnosed with a nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) and was on the border of becoming a diabetic. That was two years ago. I went on a strict regimen of no high fructose. I do not mean just giving…

However, since the article by Dr. Bray was posted, the scientific community sought to find the truth as to whether high fructose corn syrup could really be responsible for this dramatic spike in obesity. Dr. John White is a leading opponent of Brady's hypothesis linking HFCS with obesity. Since the HFCS-obesity hypothesis was introduced by Dr. Bray in 2004, as White (2008) put it: ...it quickly took on a life of its own. This once mundane ingredient [high fructose corn syrup] became vilified in…

In 1957, biochemists Richard Marshall and Earl Kooi developed the chemical process for making high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is an alternative sweetener to sucrose originally derived from corn. Through a chemical and enzymatic process, corn is broken down through the molecular levels until the monosaccharide fructose is produced (Parker et al, 2010). The product was adopted by the food and beverage industry in the 1970’s. Due to it’s diversability and cost effectiveness, it was embraced…