Avoid Fructose And Weight Gain May Be A Distant Memory

Are you getting too much fructose in your diet? Fructose is found in fruit, vegetables and grains, but also is the sweetener of choice in prepared foods including and perhaps especially in soft drinks where it appears as high fructose corn syrup. The soft drink industry likes it because it is inexpensive, and consumers like it because it makes food taste good. Unfortunately, it also contributes to weight gain, insulin resistance and high blood pressure. The rise in obesity in the US and elsewhere corresponds almost exactly to the introduction of high fructose corn syrup.

Fructose and Your Brain

Your brain responds differently to fructose than it does to glucose according to scientists from the Oregon Health and Science Center who recently (March,2011) published a study in the journal "Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism." The researchers viewed brain scans of nine subjects after infusion of fructose, glucose and saline. The results showed that glucose activated a part of the brain that controls eating while fructose did not. In other words, you're more likely to eat too much if your food is sweetened with fructose.

Fructose and Fat

When you ingest the sweetener glucose your body may burn some and convert some to fat. When fructose enters the picture studies show it is all stored as fat. For example, in a study reported in 2008 in the "Journal of Nutrition" scientists considered whether fructose stimulates lipogenesis, the process whereby carbohydrates are converted to fat in your body. Subjects had a breakfast which was either 100%, 50% or 25% glucose with the balance being fructose. A few hours later, measures of triglycerides showed lipogenesis after ingestion of fructose was double that of the plain glucose drink. This pattern continued later in the day when those who drank fructose for breakfast were more likely to convert their lunch calories into body fat.

Fructose and Hypertension

Several studies connect fructose with increased blood pressure which, like obesity, has also increased along with greater consumption of high fructose corn syrup. The July 2010 edition of the online journal ScienceNews cited both animal and human studies which supported this association. In the human study the researchers focused on ingestion of excess fructose which they defined as more than the amount in 2.5 soft drinks per day. They concluded that ingestion of this much fructose increases the risk of hypertension.

Fructose and Fat Regulating Hormones

There are several hormones involved with regulating energy use and consumption in your body. These include insulin which assists your cells to receive the nutrition they need from blood sugar, and helps regulate leptin which lets your brain know when you are full and can stop eating. The job of yet another hormone, ghrelin, stimulates appetite. When these hormones work well together you are healthier and thinner than when they are out of whack. Unfortunately, studies show that fructose does not stimulate the secretion of insulin, which in turn means leptin is not available to advise you when to stop eating. At the same time, fructose seems to be associated with higher levels of the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin. In short, if weight loss is your goal, avoiding fructose is a great plan. Start by avoiding sugary drinks including most fruit juices.

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