Fructose’s CLEAR link to disease

I just love when science gets all science-y over a very simple concept.

Case in point: A recent article suggests fructose causes more metabolic disease than sucrose when humans consume too much of it.

Well, DUH!

But let’s take a closer look…

Sinister sugar switch

Metabolic disease refers to a group of risk factors that wreak havoc on metabolism and raise one’s risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). That includes obesity, hypertension, impaired blood sugar, and more.

Americans consume an enormous amount of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as it’s included in many packaged items, especially soft drinks, as a cheaper alternative to sugar.

And, lo and behold, this sugar-switch happens to coincide with the increase in the prevalence of obesity.

So, really, it doesn’t take a genius to add metabolic disease to the list of medical problems directly related to Big Food’s concoctions. But—I guess we just have to let scientists do their thing.

Since there’s no definitive causal link between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and obesity, they’ll keep “studying” it… even though SSBs are known to raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cancer.

Not to mention, the relationship between SSB consumption and obesity can simply be linked to an increase in overall total caloric intake.

After all, these liquid calories don’t suppress one’s appetite. Quite the opposite, in fact, as they likely make us hungrier due to their effect on blood sugar.

There’s an old medical school saying: “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is likely a duck.” And, well…

History repeats itself

We have over 50 years’ worth of data on HFCS. So, one would think we could draw conclusions about its health impact.

But remember… Big Food doesn’t want that to happen. I mean, HFCS is a major contributor to the amount of mercury in our diet too, but do you ever hear rumblings of that?

My point is, I’m not at all surprised scientists are still “looking into” the effects of HFCS in our diet. Big Food is very powerful. Just look at the trans-fat dilemma…

It took decades for the World Health Organization (WHO) to call for a total ban on trans fats, and by that time, it was linked to 500 million premature deaths per year, worldwide! (We knew about the dangers in the 1970s, and the ban didn’t occur until 2018!)

It wasn’t easy to convince scientists and Big Food that trans fats were harmful to humans. (To this day, there are still people who believe the dogma that margarin is healthier than butter or lard… and that saturated fat causes heart disease. When, in reality, that has NEVER been true!)

But, back to HFCS…

It’s formed through an industrial process that chemically alters the fructose. (More chemicals in our food supply!) And it’s likely that to override the satiety pathway in our brains, leading to excess caloric intake.

I just hope scientists prove this so that, like trans fat, HFCS becomes banned and labeled a toxin in our food supply.

In the meantime, I encourage you to be mindful of what you’re eating and drinking. I avoid this stuff like the plague, and I hope you’ll start to do that, too.

Bottom line: Chemicals have no right being added to our food supply. Opt for healthy whole foods—and water, herbal tea, or black coffee—instead.

Source:

“Is Fructose to Blame for Obesity?” Medscape, 12/01/2023. (medscape.com/viewarticle/998632)