The sweetener that most people use as taste-enhancer comes from different substances and sources. The most widely known sucrose is processed from sugar cane or sugar beets.
In some countries, particularly the United States, sugar can be derived from corn, which is processed to produce different kinds of sweetener. Fructose, dextrine, dextrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are sweeteners derived from the commonly grown grass crop. The high fructose corn syrup is perhaps the most known kind of sweetener from processed corn since 1970's. Because it is less expensive than sucrose, it is the popular ingredient in many soft drinks. Other processed food and beverages also contain this kind of sweetener.
Nutritionist experts and other medical scientists have warned about overindulgence of sugar in the human diet. Aside from being the leading cause of tooth decay, over consumption of starchy foods and sweets can lead to obesity and, perhaps the worst, type-2 diabetes mellitus and heart complications.
High fructose corn syrup, which is now commonly used as ingredient in different processed foods and beverages, has been a headline recently in health news. This kind of sweetener is being found out to have several health risks.
High fructose corn syrup has been processed to have 55% fructose and 45% glucose compared to sucrose, which has 50:50 of fructose and sucrose. The abundance of fructose and in the body has been associated with many undesirable effects. Glucose, though needed in the body, may also have adverse effects if the level of the substance is too much for the body's metabolism mechanism to handle.
Fructose is estimated to be two times sweeter than sucrose. Previous studies have shown that this substance is recommended for people with hypoglycemia or diabetes mellitus. The reason for this finding is that the substance has very low glycemic index. The absorption rate of this substance is slower. Hence, the insulin demand in the body is not sped up. However, its metabolism takes place in the liver.
Some experiments made on rats have shown that fructose has been linked to the occurrence of cirrhosis and fatty acids in the liver. However, other studies made have found out that it is not only in liver that fructose metabolism takes place. Other tissues also do the process for the sugar while sperm cell uses the substance as an energy source.
Though fructose has low glycemic index making it a probable factor for the slowing down of insulin release from the pancreas, the metabolism of fructose in the liver is the promotes the conversion of the substance into fats.
It has also been indicated that fructose robs off nutrients in the blood. The substance, based on research, has been known to interfere the blood's use of micronutrients such as copper, chromium, magnesium and zinc. The probable consequences for this include creation of blood clots and elevation of LDL cholesterol levels. Likewise, fructose has been discovered to inhibit the impulse of white blood cells likely leading to the impairment of the immune system.
Initially indicated for diabetes mellitus, fructose has been recently found to contribute readily to diabetic complications much more than glucose. The substance has also been studied to have a contribution in the process of glycation, which is the haphazard bonding of single sugar molecule to a lipid or protein molecule. This process is not controlled by enzyme molecules and has been linked to the impairment of molecular functioning of the body.
Excessive consumption of fructose may also lead to obesity, insulin resistance, and elevation of triglycerides and bad cholesterol. Too much consumption of the substance has also been linked to higher concentration of uric acid. Increase in this acid may lead to complication in the cardiovascular system. Metabolic acidosis may also result from excessive ingestion of the sugar promoting the elevation of blood lactic acid.
If you want to control the onset of many diseases that can be brought up by high fructose corn syrup, you must avoid food that contains the substance. However, if unavoidable, limit the consumption of sweets and products, which contain the genetically-modified substance. Read food labels carefully. Ask your doctor for the required amount of sugar level that you need.
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