In a newly researched discovery, scientists have found that a certain form of sugar can cause obesity. It can also hamper normal metabolism and cause diabetes in children. This sugar is used in many types of aerated drinks and food products these days.
This sugar is basically fructose. It is produced from corn. It can be a triggering factor in bringing about heart diseases and early stages of diabetes. It can also lead to an alarming increase of fat cells around the vital organs.
These days, fructose is used quite often as a substitute for more expensive forms of sugar in cereals, salad dressing, cakes and yoghurt. In fact lot of “healthy” fruit drinks can also contain a percentage of fructose.
It is believed by experts that fructose can be one of the key causes for the increasing rise of diabetes among children. In fact, scientific reports expect a further rise in number by 2015, where one in ten kids will be affected by obesity and diabetes because of high fructose consumption.
Serious health concerns have been revealed through a series of experiments conducted on humans.
Sixteen volunteers, put on a diet of high fructose content were examined for more than ten weeks. It was found that there was a production of new fat cells around the digestive organs, liver and heart. They also showed traces of other abnormalities that come with too much intake of processed food. These included heart disease and diabetes. Another batch of volunteers was put on a similar diet, but fructose was replaced with glucose sugar. These people did put on weight but, interestingly, they didn’t exhibit any of the other problems.
Basically fructose is not broken down by the digestive system, like the other forms of sugar. This is because it bypasses the digestive system. Therefore, it reaches the liver in an intact condition. Here it leads to a lot of abnormal reactions. This includes the disruption of normal body mechanisms. As a result, the body doesn’t know whether to store fat or burn it. Therefore the possibilities of getting heart diseases or diabetes are increased by a high intake of fructose. However, this is not the case with those who eat glucose.
Fructose is derived from fruits. It is basically five to ten percent of a fruit’s total weight. It is widely used in processed food. It is sweeter and cheaper than cane sugar.
Many drink and food products use glucose fructose syrup or high fructose corn syrup as an important ingredient. However, it can be quite difficult for consumers to find out ratio and quantity of fructose used.
There is still a lot of ongoing debate about the impact of fructose and whether it has any implications on the health. Scientific researches and studies are still on, and have not been totally conclusive. But, fructose can lead to a lot of weight accumulation and obesity. This in itself is cause for concern and gateway to a host of other health afflictions and diseases.
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