There is a natural sweetener out on the market, called 'HFCS' (High-Fructose Corn Syrup) which has been receiving a great deal of attention from the NON-mainstream market. There's a lot of fear being spread around.
Personally, I don't like HFCS. I think it tastes sticky. This is actually a 'feature' of the sweetener, per the manufacturers. It makes the products more moist and pliable (in their minds).
I still buy the Mexican Coca-Cola whenever I really want a Coke. It's got sucrose in it instead of HFCS. But this is a personal preference, not some kind of fear-induced behavior.
Let me explain why:
Sucrose is a molecule consisting of TWO basic sugar molecules: dextrose (glucose) and fructose.
Your body starts breaking that down into the 50/50 mix of these two constituent molecules almost immediately.
The glucose (blood sugar) is immediately available to the cells, and remains in circulation.
The fructose needs to be either broken down by the liver in the blood or by the flora and fauna in the colon. In any event, the breakdown product is ultimately glucose (the ONLY sugar directly usable by the body).
Now, the fact that HFCS is normally a 45/55 mix means there's SLIGHTLY more fructose than a normal dose of sugar would break down to.
If you read the fear-mongers, this is TERRIBLE!!! The liver has to work more than normal, and that (per their reading) causes a 'fatty liver' and increases your chances of cirrhosis.
So, if getting that extra little bit of fructose frightens you, you'd best steer clear of these DANGEROUS foods (numbers from the
USDA):
Apples
| Sugars, total | g | 18.91 |
| Sucrose | g | 3.77 |
| Glucose (dextrose) | g | 4.42 |
| Fructose | g | 10.74 |
Pears
| Sugars, total | g | 17.44 |
| Sucrose | g | 1.39 |
| Glucose (dextrose) | g | 4.91 |
| Fructose | g | 11.09 |
Stick to Oranges and stuff, they are at least *near* HFCS in fructose percentage:
| Sugars, total | g | 11.90 |
| Sucrose | g | 5.99 |
| Glucose (dextrose) | g | 2.76 |
| Fructose | g | 3.15 |
|
One has to wonder about those 'old wives' and their tales. Obviously, they don't keep up with current standards of worry about one's health, since their advice is not only to eat apples, but to DO IT EVERY DAY.
Thank god we have concerned bloggers like
JoLynn Braley to keep us abreast of what we should be scared of. I rarely run across such succinct statements, like:
HFCS inhibits the production of ghrelin (the hormone of hunger) and increases the production of leptin (the hormone of satisfaction).
You see, most people would think that decreasing a hunger hormone would make you less hungry, and increasing the satisfaction one would make you more satisfied, but that's MOST people (not the keen intellect of Ms. Braley).
Here's what she notes from that seemingly positive text:
HFCS contributes to weight gain since it stops our brain from getting the signal that we are full.
I kid you not. See the full article, or perhaps the one about being on a diet, or maybe the one about what is HFCS, and why is it so bad for you?
Honestly, if it weren't for concerned bloggers like her, we might ALL be eating apples, or pears, or (shades of horrors!) drinking CIDER!
If you'd like to find out more about HFCS, you can check out this site.
If you'd like to find out more about the 'dangers' of HFCS, just check your local morons. I'm sure you'll find some that don't have enough blood-sugar to think effectively milling about near the natural-foods stores.
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