High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
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Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#2I don't understand the mechanism here. I thought sucrase, the enzyme that breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into 1 fructose and 1 glucose (same as HFCS), acted almost immediately -- at least on the timescale of nutrient absorption. Is it just short circuiting our sense of satiety? Maybe the raw fructose makes things sweeter and stimulates reward centers better?
I wonder where honey falls in all this since it has higher fructose than the most common 55% fructose HFCS blends.
We seem to know so little about all of this, but I think it's safe to say that both sugar and HFCS are bad in quantities that the common american is accustomed.
I find it's best to just avoid sweet foods all together, but if forced to choose I would take HFCS over artificial sweeteners any day of the week. Our bodies have been dealing with glucose and fructose for a very long time -- even on evolutionary time scales. The same can't be said for Sucralos, aspartame, or Acesulfame potassium.
Everything in the world is either overtly or subtly poisonous; the only question is, at what dose?
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#3Stop giving out corn welfare to corporations and problem solved.
It's the ONLY reason why it's so heavily used.
Corn syrup and ethanol - two massively damaging products of a completely corrupt system that everyone refuses to change because of massive profits off taxpayers.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#4Stop giving out corn welfare to corporations and problem solved. It's the ONLY reason why it's so heavily used. Corn syrup and ethanol - two massively damaging products of a completely corrupt system that everyone refuses to change because of massive profits off taxpayers.
It should be specified that what you say is true of ethanol in the US. In places like Brazil where they grow lots of sugar cane, it's a different story.
And in theory, if ethanol were widely adopted as a fuel source in the US, we could potentially move to production using GM algae or something similar that would actually be efficient.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#5I don't understand the mechanism here. I thought sucrase, the enzyme that breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into 1 fructose and 1 glucose (same as HFCS), acted almost immediately -- at least on the timescale of nutrient absorption. Is it just short circuiting our sense of satiety? Maybe the raw fructose makes things sweeter and stimulates reward centers better? I wonder where honey falls in all this since it has high…
You sound like you are a paid shill. I know that you aren't, which disappoints me further, because I'd like to think that people are capable of educating themselves instead of spreading misinformation.
On your first paragraph, pondering whether sucrose breaks down into fructose and glucose immediately: No, it doesn't. HFCS makes sugars available to the bloodstream sooner, causing larger swings in overall blood sugar levels. Additionally, this study covers rats which were given strict diets; the idea that HFCS made them fatter because they ate more food is not borne out based on the experiment's premises.
Second paragraph: Irrelevant. Honey is not being discussed here. Additionally, you contradict yourself by noting (correctly) that HFCS is not half-and-half fructose and glucose, like sucrose.
Third paragraph: Inverted appeal to authority. You dismiss the information that science makes available, and then put your own opinion up for offering as if it is informed and accurate. You further confuse the issue by putting a well-accepted opinion (the diets of the USA are overly rich in sugars) next to a dismissal of this study.
Fourth paragraph: A delightful strawman, substituting artificial sweeteners for table sugar.
Fifth: More ignorance of the general study of nutrition, with a sweeping statement that is obviously true and yet completely uninformative.
Please go read the article before commenting further.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#6I don't understand the mechanism here. I thought sucrase, the enzyme that breaks down sucrose (table sugar) into 1 fructose and 1 glucose (same as HFCS), acted almost immediately -- at least on the timescale of nutrient absorption. Is it just short circuiting our sense of satiety? Maybe the raw fructose makes things sweeter and stimulates reward centers better? I wonder where honey falls in all this since it has high…
You sound like you are a paid shill. I know that you aren't, which disappoints me further, because I'd like to think that people are capable of educating themselves instead of spreading misinformation. On your first paragraph, pondering whether sucrose breaks down into fructose and glucose immediately: No, it doesn't. HFCS makes sugars available to the bloodstream sooner, causing larger swings in overall blood sugar…
Yours has to be the most dickish comment on a comment I've ever read on HN. Congratulations.
What is it that you've added to the conversation again ? Nothing.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#7"The rats in the Princeton study became obese by drinking high-fructose corn syrup, but not by drinking sucrose. The critical differences in appetite, metabolism and gene expression that underlie this phenomenon are yet to be discovered"
The whole thing is one big correlation confirmation. I was hoping to find something substantial that would explain the underlying cause.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#8Stop giving out corn welfare to corporations and problem solved. It's the ONLY reason why it's so heavily used. Corn syrup and ethanol - two massively damaging products of a completely corrupt system that everyone refuses to change because of massive profits off taxpayers.
It should be specified that what you say is true of ethanol in the US. In places like Brazil where they grow lots of sugar cane, it's a different story. And in theory, if ethanol were widely adopted as a fuel source in the US, we could potentially move to production using GM algae or something similar that would actually be efficient.
Ethanol plays havoc with small engines. A couple of years ago I forgot to make sure the tank was empty and the fuel lines were cleared before winter. In the spring I had to take it to a lawn mower repair shop and plop down $50 just to clean out the gummed-up lines. It's even worse - and more expensive - for boat motors.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
You sound like you are a paid shill. I know that you aren't, which disappoints me further, because I'd like to think that people are capable of educating themselves instead of spreading misinformation. On your first paragraph, pondering whether sucrose breaks down into fructose and glucose immediately: No, it doesn't. HFCS makes sugars available to the bloodstream sooner, causing larger swings in overall blood sugar…
Yours has to be the most dickish comment on a comment I've ever read on HN. Congratulations. What is it that you've added to the conversation again ? Nothing.
As far as I can tell, everything he says is grounded in fact or is at least cogently supported. I intend to follow some of his pointers and read more.
On the other hand, your comment is strangely and unintentionally self referential.
Re: High-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain than sugar (2010)
#10Stop giving out corn welfare to corporations and problem solved. It's the ONLY reason why it's so heavily used. Corn syrup and ethanol - two massively damaging products of a completely corrupt system that everyone refuses to change because of massive profits off taxpayers.
Historically, there have been large sugar tariffs shielding the domestic sugar industry. There have been some recent changes, like raised tariff-free limits or NAFTA allowing free imports from Mexico, but the market is still used to corn syrup being the most economical choice.