Obesity is Fructose The Cause?

The Glycemic Index gives an exciting, and scientifically valid, way of assessing the types of carbohydrates we consume. It measures and rates the way these carbohydrates enter the bloodstream. And in doing so offers a way of approaching a meal so that it may be both nutritionally valid, and keep hunger cravings at bay. This option is one way of preventing overeating. And its a great way for parents to try and control their children's yearning to eat unhealthy food between meals.

The Glycemic Index rates carbohydrates as possessing either a high, low or medium glycemic index. The theory is to eat more foods that possess either a low or moderate glycemic index, and a reduced amount with a high glycemic index. Foods that are low on the glycemic index Foods considered low on the glycemic index enter the bloodstream more slowly, and so don't raise blood sugar levels like high glycemic index foods.

What is a carbohydrate? All sugars, or foods that are broken down into sugar, are carbohydrates. This includes regular sugar, glucose (often used in sports drinks), fructose, (in fruit), lactose, (found in milk and similar products like yoghurt), maltose, (found in malt which is often used to flavor cereals), all types of starches, from potatoes to noodles and pasta, and legumes, such as lentils and peas (though these also contain some protein).

As a rule fruits are normally considered to include a low GI (not fruit juice though).Curiously though, recent study has shown what they consider is a connection between fructose and obesity. In spite of this the different varieties of fructose studied was in corn syrup, which is a refined and concentrated form of fructose. It is also missing most of the beneficial fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants that fruit contains. This was also preliminary study done in an animal model, so it may not be applicable for humans. Researchers from the University of Florida have shown that people may find themselves feeling than they ordinarily would due to the fructose they have eaten. And when these researchers interrupted the way fructose was metabolized, the rats they were working with did not put on weight, even though they still ate fructose.
This isn't the first study that has revealed a higher possibility of weight gain consuming fructose than other types of foods. A investigation at the University of Cincinnati found that eating fructose (high fructose corn syrup), led to larger fat storage. They say that the body processes fructose in a different way to other varieties of sugars, though again, it is just not clear if this is mitigated by perhaps the poorer concentration of fructose in fruit as compared to the corn syrup used in the research.

The study from the University of Florida established that there were increased levels of uric acid in the bloodstream after Consuming fructose. This increase in uric acid affects insulin, by blocking it. Insulin regulates the way our cells store and use fat. If uric acid levels are elevated a lot, then symptoms of metabolic syndrome can be developed. These symptoms include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, as well as gaining a lot of weightIf uric acid levels are greatly increased, this can cause symptoms of metabolic syndrome. These symptoms can comprise of high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, as well as higher weight gain. What is of possible concern to people is that fructose is used in a lot of soda drinks, so if you drink a lot of soda it is going to be quite easy to frequently spike uric acid levels in the blood. It has also been shown that metabolic syndrome is a precursor of type 2 diabetes.
Some of the signs of metabolic syndrome are incresed fat around the stomach and hips. There tend to be decreased amounts of the good types of cholesterol in the blood, and high levels of triglycerides which make the blood 'sticky'. Metabolic syndrome is connected with the way the body responds to insulin, so that there are incresed levels of glucose in the blood. All this can be tested by our physicians.

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