Bounce Fructose from the Fat-Loss Party

Just say no
Originally uploaded by trevor am i

Have you seen the new TV spots by the Corn Refiners Associations touting the benefits of high-fructose corn syrup? According to the ad, HFCS is completely safe and natural. Is that true?

Sure, HFCS isn't dangerous--and it is made from a natural grain product. But that doesn’t mean it's good for you. And if you're trying to lose weight, it could be your worst enemy.
The main component of HFCS is fructose, a simple sugar naturally found in high levels in fruit. And according to Dr. Elizabeth Parks, an associate professor of clinical nutrition and lead author of a study appearing in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition, fructose is a type of sugar that can quickly be made into body fat.

Although fructose, glucose and sucrose are all forms of sugar, they are metabolized differently. And all three can be made into triglycerides, a form of body fat.

That's because triglycerides, which are formed in the liver, act as traffic cops to coordinate the use of dietary sugars. When the liver encounters glucose, it decides whether the body needs to store the glucose as glycogen, burn it for energy or turn it into fat.

Fructose, however, bypasses the traffic cops and floods the metabolic pathway. "It's basically sneaking into the rock concert through the fence," Parks explains.

"The message from this study is powerful because body fat synthesis was measured immediately after the sweet drinks were consumed," Parks said. "The carbohydrates came into the body as sugars, the liver took the molecules apart like tinker toys, and put them back together to build fats. All this happened within four hours after the fructose drink. As a result, when the next meal was eaten, the lunch fat was more likely to be stored than burned."

Why does this matter to you? Because no one yearns for body fat. If you're trying to lose weight, cut out processed foods that contain fructose and get your carbohydrates from sources like vegetables, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Remember, eating the right type of carbohydrates is just as important as the number of calories you eat.

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