Of all the different sugars our foods are sweetened with, there seems to be a difference between glucose, sucrose and fructose. University of California Davis reporters have discovered that our bodies process these sugars differently and fructose is markedly more dangerous to our system than the other two sugars, actually increasing the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes:
The fructose-drinking volunteers also were not as sensitive to insulin, the hormone released by the pancreas to capture and break down glucose in the blood and store it as fat. Insulin insensitivity is one of the first signs of diabetes. These subjects also gained more visceral fat, the dangerous kind that embeds itself between tissues in organs such as the heart and liver and secretes hormones and other chemicals that throw off the body’s normal metabolism, setting the stage for atherosclerosis and heart attack. [Yahoo News]
But even though we can see how much better glucose is than fructose, the article explains why we cannot really expect too many glucose-sweetened products (as opposed to the existing ones sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup). This is because glucose is not really as sweet as fructose. This is unfortunately setting us up for more weight gain because the high consumption of sugary sodas in the country:
Dr. Walter Willett, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, notes that studies have shown that long-term consumption of sugared drinks can double the risk of diabetes, with half of that risk due to the excess weight brought on by the calories, and the other half due to the beverages’ high sugar content - mostly fructose. [Yahoo News]
The real issue is that Americans on average consume about 16% of their daily calorie needs with sugared drinks! This particular study really caught my attention because it deals with a fundamental thought i have been having for a long time and it has to do simply with the level of sweetness we have become accustomed to. At every turn, Americans have simply become accustomed to having everything artificially high in sweetness leading to a lack of appreciation of the natural sweetness in several raw foods.
When I stopped adding sugar to my coffee/tea, it sure felt weird for a week. Like something was missing. But once I got used it, guess what started to feel weird? Yes, added sugar! The beverage feels artificially too sweet - like something was added! Dr. Willet is suggesting something drastic to get us to appreciate natural sweetness too:
His Department of Nutrition is urging manufacturers to produce a line of beverages containing only 1 gm of sugar per ounce, a 70% reduction in sugar content. It’s all part of a campaign to re-train the American sweet tooth. “If children grow up with everything tasting super sweet, then it’s hard for them to appreciate the gentle sweetness of a fresh carrot or an apple,”[...] [Yahoo News]
I’ll drink (sugar-free) to that!
[Via Erica S]
