The Story of

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• The Story of
• High Fructose Corn Syrup

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Sugar is everywhere!
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• Ancestral human sugar consumption low
• Annual sugar consumption for adults 158 lbs.
• Amount has increased every year
• Sugar consumed in soda, candy, corn syrup,
  high-fructose corn syrup, and corn sugar

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Sugars

• Monosaccharides - single sugars like glucose,
  fructose
• Disaccharides - double sugars
• Sucrose (1 glucose 1 fructose) through
  photosynthesis, plants combine CO2 H2O suns
  En use sucrose as transport sugar (sugar cane,
  beets our table sugar)
• Lactose (1 galactose 1 glucose) milk sugar
  (only animal-derived sugar)
• Fructose fruit sugar (e.g. grapes, pears, and
  peaches have relatively high levels)

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Excess glucose and fat storage

• Excess glucose stored into body fat after liver
  muscles are full of glycogen
• The liver breaks apart the glucose molecules and
  puts them back together as fats
• Fat cells have a great ability to expand

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Background

• 1970s corn overproduction due to governmental
  subsidies
• Farmers losing money to overseas imports
• Demand to keep grocery prices affordable.

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Background

• Japanese researchers developed a reliable way to
  turn cornstarch into syrup sweet enough to
  compete with liquid sugar.
• Formula was 55 fructose/45 glucose (since human
  taste buds recognize only fructose, this mix
  tastes sweeter than natural 11 mix from sucrose)
• Produced very cheaply, so most companies switched
  from sugar in the 1980s.

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Why is it so heavily used?

• It mixes easily fruit juices
• Extends shelf life by 20 by inhibiting microbial
  spoilage- yogurt
• Tastes extra-sweet
• Helps prevent freezer burn- ice cream
• Helps bread brown and keep it soft- hot dog buns
  and English muffins
• Results in soft textures- chewy cookies and
  protein bars

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Problems with High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Primary sweetener in soft drinks link to
  childhood obesity. Presence of soda machines in
  schools.
• Consumption of milk down 36 in 30 years, soda
  consumption up 200

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Problems with High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Because it is metabolized by the liver, fructose
  does not cause the pancreas to release insulin
  the way it normally does, but converts it to fat.
  
• Fructose does not enhance production of hormone
  leptin that signals satiety.
• Sugar uptake transporter in human gut transports
  1 glucose 1 fructose 30 of US population
  suffer from fructose mal-absorption (when extra
  fructose present) and resulting diarrhea.
• .

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Problems with High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Fructose is more readily converted to fat in the
  liver, increases levels of fat in the bloodstream
  in the form of triglycerides
• May contribute to diabetic complications more
  readily than glucose
• Livers of test animals developed fatty deposits
  and cirrhosis

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Problems with High Fructose Corn Syrup

• Interactions with oral contraceptive efficacy.
• Mineral losses iron and magnesium (adolescents)
  
• Colorectal cancer (?)