HEALTH NEWS: Fructose, Sweet and Deadly.

You eat much more high-fructose in the form of corn syrup than you can possibly estimate and every year the use increases.

A white paper release by Nancy Appleton summarizes: “The consumption of fructose (corn syrup) has risen considerably in the general population within recent years. In 1980 the average person ate 39 pounds of fructose and 84 pounds of sucrose. In 1994 the average person ate 66 pounds of sucrose and 83 pounds of fructose. This 149 pounds is approximately 19% of the average person's diet.

“This increase is due to several factors. There was a decreased use of cane and beet sugar (sucrose) in processed foods and a wide spread use of corn syrup due to economics. Corn is much cheaper and twice as sweet as table sugar. It is absorbed only 40% as quickly as glucose and causes only a modest rise in blood sugar.

“A few years ago the medical community revealed that there was good news for diabetics. Many people had previously known that table sugar (sucrose) was not a healthy food for diabetics because it raised their blood sugar levels above normal.

“Since diabetics have a hard time maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, doctors counseled diabetics not to eat sugar. The new revelation was that diabetics could eat fructose because fructose did not raise their blood sugar level extremely high. So far so good, but there is more.

“Many doctors were recommending fructose instead of glucose. Today fructose is not only being used by some diabetics but it is used for a variety of foods, drinks and confectionery around the world. It is used for candies for diabetics, desserts for weight watchers, drinks for the sportsman and jelly for the health conscious.”

Long-term use in huge abundance can cause health problems. A key issue of concern is the findings that the fructose is not metabolized by the body and that the liver actually removes fructose, treating it as a toxin. The results can be a fatty liver and long-term use can result in the kind of damage you expect to see in drugs or alcoholics.

"…Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins, and minerals and robs the body of its micronutrient treasures…”

“…Fructose is not metabolized the same as other sugars. Instead of being converted to glucose which the body uses, it is removed by the liver…”

“…Because it is metabolized by the liver, fructose does not cause the body to release insulin the way it normally does. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. This may by one of the reasons Americans continue to get fatter…"

I advise reading labels carefully for mention of high fructose, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and HFSC and avoid these foods.

The answer to problems such as these is to eat less refined food, like pasta and bread and cereals, and eat more “real” food such as salads, vegetables and proteins. Even if you eat out a lot, order the salads, your meat cuts without heavy, refined sauces and skip dessert!

If you believe you may have consumed an unsafe amount of corn syrup talk to us on your next visit about supplements that will assist liver function to counteract some of the harm. Meanwhile, eat more salads and vegetables!