HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND OBESITY

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Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Several recent studies show that drinking large amounts of carbonated beverage is associated with increased risk for obesity and that the extra gain in weight is not due just to the calories in the soft drinks (1,2).

Evidently something in soft drinks makes people eat more food than they would otherwise. High fructose corn syrup may be that factor. High fructose corn syrup is the leading swetener in the United States today with 4.5 billion dollars worth sold each year. High-fructose corn syrup first appeared in the American market in 1966, and now the average American takes in 62.6 pounds per year.

Several recent studies have shown that fructose is processed differently in the body than the far more common sugar, glucose (3,4). Glucose causes the pancreas to release insulin which drives sugar from the bloodstream into cells. Glucose causes fat cells to release leptin that makes you feel full so you eat less. Glucose prevents the stomach from releasing ghrelin that makes you hungry. On the other hand, fructose does not cause fat cells to release leptin and does not suppress ghrelin. This means that fructose increases hunger to make you eat more. Furthermore, the liver converts fructose far more readily to a body fat called triglyceride, than it does with glucose. High triglyceride levels raise blood levels of the bad LDL cholesterol and lower blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol, which increases heart attack risk.

Recent data shows that large amounts of fructose cause insulin resistance, impair glucose tolerance, produce high levels of insulin, raise triglycerides, and cause high blood pressure in animals. Not all this data have been replicated in humans, but there is every reason to believe that large amounts of fructose will have the same adverse effects. High-fructose corn syrup is found in almost all soft drinks and fruit beverages and a wide variety of processed foods; check the list of ingredients in the foods you buy. More

1)Lancet 2001;357:505-08.

2) European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 1999, Vol 8, Iss 4, pp 289-295.

3) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 76, No. 5, 911-922, November 2002.

4) Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes 2002 Thema: Poster Diabetes, Metabolism and Gastrointestinal Hormones. p184.

5) American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November, 2002.

Checked 8/9/05