High Fructose Corn Syrup!!!
First of all, what exactly is it? We all know that it makes an appearance in all of our food. According to the USDA, high fructose corn syrup is 3% water, 42% glucose, and 55% fructose. This particular mix is used in the soft drinks that most of us consume on a daily basis. High fructose corn syrup has replaced our table sugars as the sweetener in most of our meals. The main reason for this is because it is easier and cheaper to make. So, needless to say, since high fructose corn syrup is everywhere, do we have to worry about what it does inside our body?
Take a min to watch this SNL skit.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/223360/saturday-night-live-corn-syrup-commercial
Although humorous, the video does bring up valid points about the public being uninformed on the side effects of high fructose corn syrup, as well as the idea of moderation.
Related to the paper we just read, I found another paper that suggests that high fructose corn syrup reduces the amount of leptin and insulin in our blood stream. This is bad news for us, because leptin is what regulates our hunger, and our body’s ability to increase energy production. Without leptin, we will always be hungry. That will lead to caloric intake, and from there, to obesity!
Here is a neat graphic depicting the effects of leptin signaling from adipose tissue.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v395/n6704/fig_tab/395763a0_F3.html
As you can see, increase in leptin, comes from weight gain, and this signals our body to stop eating. However, if our leptin is decreased, it will lead to hunger and caloric intake. The reason for this decrease in signaling, is that fructose doesn’t trigger the leptin signaling pathway. So, we just eat and eat and eat and nobody tells us to stop.
However, I’m still unsure on what exactly this means for our intake of high fructose corn syrup. Should I be eating it? Should I be eating only some of it? How much can really affect my body weight? These are a few questions I would like to explore further.
Extra Sugar
