Saturday, January 24, 2009

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Back in November I mentioned that watching television before the age of two is linked to autism spectrum disorder. Time for another lesson about why kids are in trouble from what scientists know but the media is quiet about. Thanks go to my wife for finding good links.

High fructose corn syrup is evil. (And most kids consume a lot of it.)

Some nutritionists and cooks are trying to get the word out. Here is the more technical explanation.

To start with, it does not cause you to feel full compared to other sweeteners. The science talk is that there is less leptin secretion than otherwise.

It also is turned into fat instead of sugar by your metabolism. The science talk is that it causes lipogenesis instead of glucose release.

High fructose corn syrup also requires more insulin to metabolize than other sweeteners. Over time this can cause insulin resistance: requiring more and more insulin to do the same job.

To summarize, kids who eat too a lot of high fructose corn syrup are eating too much because they are not feeling full, from this food gaining extra body fat (instead of energy), and on their way to developing type 2 diabetes.

No comments: