High-Fructose Corn Syrup May be Bad for Your Weight Loss Efforts

High-fructose corn syrup in present in many processed foods. Think of any sweet processed food, such as bakeries, juices, sauces, etc and you probably have High-fructose corn syrup among their food ingredients (check the food labels of them!!)

Recent research is suggesting that high-fructose corn syrup may bad for your weight loss efforts

High-fructose corn syrup was introduced in the Unites States during the 70s during a common sugar shortages and because its cheaper price. At that time obesity in the US population was approximately 15%. But today, obesity rates are around 30-40%. Average per capita consumption of high-fructose corn syrup is about 60 pounds per person per year. Would this sweetener be responsible for the increase of obesity in this country? Probably, although there may be other factors involved such as the decrease in exercise activity.

High-fructose corn syrup is made by processing starch. Starch is made of glucose bonded together forming a polymer. But by an appropriate biochemical process (involving sugar converting enzymes) it is possible to obtain fructose from any starchy raw material. High-fructose corn syrup is sweeter and cheaper than common sugar. It is easy to obtain and has many other qualities for the food processor besides its high sweetener power. However, high-fructose corn syrup has been associated with obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. The association seem to be backed by formal research.

Recently, research carried out at Princeton University showed that rats that ate high-fructose corn syrup gained more weight than the rats that took only common sugar in their diet. Also, in another experiment, researches gave rats high-fructose corn syrup for six months ans showed that these animals developed metabolic syndrome, elevated triglyceride levels, weight gain, and increased body fat.

These results, together with that of many other research studies, suggest that consuming high-fructose corn syrup may be bad for your weight loss efforts. Thus, it seem that a good strategy for weight loss would be to eliminate such food component for people who wish to lose weight. check food labels before making a purchase.

SOURCES:

A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain