Qualifies as "Overweight".
Posted on 08/03/2005 6:38:34 AM PDT by truthandlife
A sweetener commonly used in soft drinks and other foods may lead to more body fat than drinks sweetened with plain sugar.
A new study suggests that fructose may alter the body's metabolism in a way that prompts it to store body fat.
Researchers say the findings may help explain the recently established link between rising soft drink popularity and obesity rates in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
"Our study shows how fat mass increases as a direct consequence of soft drink consumption," says researcher Matthias Tschöp, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, in a news release.
Fructose is a sweetener found naturally in fruits and honey and is widely used as a sweetener in soft drinks, fruit juices, and cereal. In soft drinks, fructose is usually found in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, which contains 55% fructose.
Fructose: Stealth Fat Builder? In the study, researchers compared the effects of feeding mice fructose-sweetened water, a soft drink sweetened with sucrose (table sugar), a diet soft drink, or water. The mice were allowed to drink as much as they wanted of their designated beverage.
The mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water gained significantly more body fat than the others, even though they decreased the amount of calories they ate from solid food.
"We were surprised to see that mice actually ate less when exposed to fructose-sweetened beverages, and therefore didn't consume more overall calories," says Tschöp. "Nevertheless, they gained significantly more body fat within a few weeks."
More Weight, More Body Fat All of the mice weighed about 39 grams at the start of the study. Those that drank the fructose-sweetened water gained an average of 8 grams during the course of the study compared with average weight gains of less than 5 grams among the others.
The fructose-drinking mice also gained more body fat. Body fat increased by nearly 11% in the fructose group of mice -- significantly more than the 5% increase in the water group. Body fat increased by 7% to 8% in the soft drink and diet soft drink groups.
Researchers say the results suggest that the body metabolizes fructose differently than other sweeteners or carbohydrates and in a way that favors fat storage.
Their findings appear in the current issue of Obesity Research.
A 2004 report showed that Americans eat 132 calories each day of high-fructose corn syrup and that the figure is closer to 300 calories for the top 20% of Americans.
WebMD spoke to study researcher George A. Bray when that study was released. Bray said between 1970 and 1990, high-fructose corn syrup consumption increased by more than 1,000%, largely because the nation's soft drink manufacturers switched from sucrose to high-fructose corn syrup.
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SOURCES: Jurgens, H. Obesity Research, July 2005; vol 13: 1146-1156. News release, University of Cincinnati
I am sooooo with you!!! I haven't like the taste of diet soda since they took them out! Cancer, schmancer.
I drink this diet rite pop.
I wonder if it has fructose. I try to limit my consumption to two cans a day despite it being "diet" pop.
interesting....can you get Mexican coke online?
Probably has nutrasweet or splenda........
It very well could be the hormones. I grew up with grass fed hormone free beef thanks to my grandfather. :) However, it is very difficult to find hormone free meat here. I probably would have to go to Houston to find it.
I focus on all the good foods I can have. There's a lot to choose from still. I eat chicken, turkey, lean pork, seafood, veggies, most grains in moderation, beans, legumes, nuts, fruit. I am a good cook so that helps. I use various ethnic dishes to keep things varied and different.
Yep, but I don't see how Coke or Pepsi will switch to sugar anytime soon. Even if sugar is much cheaper.
Qualifies as "Overweight".
I'm with you. I started doing the same awhile back. Sometimes I leave the grocery store having never been down 95% of the middle aisles (where all the processed, boxed and canned food is, along with the various bottled juices and other drinks).
Carolyn
Yes, yes, Carolyn. I have been reading much in low carb cook books and also in diabetic cook books which warn anything ending in "...ose" is a SUGAR and hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids) are serious health no-nos for everyone.
I'm learning to make alternatives that are really good. It's easier without kids in the house wanting that stuff though. My weakness is chips. I make my own using carb chopper tortillas that satisfies that craving.
I buy Terra chips whenever I get a craving. They are high in sodium, though.
http://www.terrachips.com/products/tcm.php
Those look good. I will see if I can find them here, unfortunately there aren't too many options locally.
I find them in the health or speciality foods sections of the grocery store, rather than the regular snack food aisle.
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