Diabetes Ping List
FR mail me to add yourself!
Not a high-volume list
Thanks to traumer for the heads-up.
Posted on 08/28/2007 7:00:02 PM PDT by traumer
Researchers have found new evidence that soda pop sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children.
In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.
The syrup, commonly called HFCS, is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and easier to blend into beverages than table sugar.
Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.
In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found "astonishingly high" levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages.
These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are “bound” and chemically stable, the researcher notes.
Reactive carbonyls also are elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and linked to the complications of that disease. Based on the study data, Ho estimates that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls than the concentration found in the blood of an adult person with diabetes.
Ho and his associates also found that adding tea components to drinks containing HFCS might help lower the levels of reactive carbonyls.
The scientists found that adding epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound in tea, significantly reduced the levels of reactive carbonyl species in a dose-dependent manner when added to the carbonated soft drinks studied. In some cases, the levels of reactive carbonyls were reduced by half, the researchers say.
“People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country,” says Ho. “It’s in way too many food and drink products and there’s growing evidence that it’s bad for you.”
The tea-derived supplement provides a promising way to counter its potentially toxic effects, especially in children who consume a lot of carbonated beverages, he says.
But eliminating or reducing consumption of HFCS is preferable, the researchers note. They are currently exploring the chemical mechanisms by which tea appears to neutralize the reactivity of the syrup.
Ho’s group is also probing the mechanisms by which carbonation increases the amount of reactive carbonyls formed in sodas containing HFCS.
They note that non-carbonated fruit juices containing HFCS have one-third the amount of reactive carbonyl species found in carbonated sodas with HFCS, while non-carbonated tea beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup, which already contain EGCG, have only about one-sixth the levels of carbonyls found in regular soda.
In the future, food and drink manufacturers could reduce concerns about HFCS by adding more EGCG, using less HFCS, or replacing the syrup with alternatives such as regular table sugar, Ho and his associates say.
Don’t eat or drink anything, and you won’t get cancer.
Thanks Big Sugar!
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HFCS by it’s very nature, is bad for you. Sugar is natural, HFCS is not. Maybe the soda companies will get a clue and start using real sugar again.
Calling it a “sweetener” (i.e., like saccharine, aspartame, or sucralose) is pretty misleading. It’s SUGAR.
Thanks to traumer for the heads-up.
The process for making the sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) out of corn was developed in the 1970s. Use of HFCS grew rapidly, from less than three million short tons in 1980 to almost 8 million short tons in 1995. During the late 1990s, use of sugar actually declined as it was eclipsed by HFCS. Today Americans consume more HFCS than sugar.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It all sounds rather simple--white cornstarch is turned into crystal clear syrup. However, the process is actually very complicated. Three different enzymes are needed to break down cornstarch, which is composed of chains of glucose molecules of almost infinite length, into the simple sugars glucose and fructose.
First, cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of sugars called polysaccharides. Alpha-amylase is industrially produced by a bacterium, usually Bacillus sp. It is purified and then shipped to HFCS manufacturers.
Next, an enzyme called glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down even further to yield the simple sugar glucose. Unlike alpha-amylase, glucoamylase is produced by Aspergillus, a fungus, in a fermentation vat where one would likely see little balls of Aspergillus floating on the top.
The third enzyme, glucose-isomerase, is very expensive. It converts glucose to a mixture of about 42 percent fructose and 50-52 percent glucose with some other sugars mixed in. While alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the slurry, pricey glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is then passed over it. Inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are used only once, glucose-isomerase is reused until it loses most of its activity.
There are two more steps involved. First is a liquid chromatography step that takes the mixture to 90 percent fructose. Finally, this is back-blended with the original mixture to yield a final concentration of about 55 percent fructose--what the industry calls high fructose corn syrup.
I have thought for quite some time the high fructose corn syrup might be a culprit in the increasing girths of our children. Certainly less activity and more calories is part of the problem, but even our more active students seem fatter than we were. And high fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING. I read the labels of the snacks our students bring and point it out to them. Of course, they’re 4th graders and they just think I’m a nut.
susie
Heres another reason we don’t let Sassy drink soda or eat too many sweets. Not to mention soda makes bones break easier according to her doctor. I am such a mean mommy. EFG ~Pandy~
ping
It's now known that Type II diabetes is a genetic condition ~ not exactly something to be induced in the unsuspecting by evil food products.
The fact that an aspergillus produced enzyme is present in this process is no more alarming than finding chlorine compounds in your municipal water supply.
I personally think that sugar is healthier than HFCS, but the driving force here may be some deep pocket defendants.
I got off all this junk yrs ago, including refined sugar. Worst toxin for the liver is sugar. Simplified carbs not fat causes high cholesterol...
I didn’t drink much soda as a child either. We had lots of ice tea in our house & homemade lemonade. My daughter doesn’t drink soda unless she is sick & its ginger ale. She would rather drink water. I’v had many people tell me I am wrong for limiting her intake of soda & sweets but she doesn’t seem to miss them. She likes raw veggies & fruit & cheese to snack on. Not much of a meat eater either but I figure she will out grow it & if she doesn’t thats ok by me. Its good to see you again. I’ve been away most of the summer. ~Pandora~
good work!
USDA ANNOUNCES FISCAL YEAR 2008 SUGAR PROGRAM WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007
The FY 2008 refined sugar TRQ [quota] is established at 94,251 STRV for which the sucrose content, by weight, in the dry state, must have a polarimeter reading of 99.5 degrees or more. This includes the United States minimum access commitment under the WTO, 24,251 STRV, and an additional specialty sugar amount of 70,000 STRV ...
...and so ADM can make the stuff.
The preference for high fructose corn syrup over cane sugar amongst the vast majority of American food and beverage manufacturers is largely due to U.S. import quotas and tariffs on sugar. These tariffs significantly increase the domestic U.S. price for sugar, forcing Americans to pay more than twice the world price for sugar, making high fructose corn syrup an attractive substitute in U.S. markets. For instance, soft drink makers like Coca-Cola use sugar internationally but use high fructose corn syrup in their U.S. products.
Large corporations such as Archer Daniels Midland lobby for the continuation of these subsidies.[15] Since local and federal laws often put a limit on how much money one particular lobbyist can contribute,[16] ADM's contributions are often given by numerous smaller entities under the authority of ADM. This is commonly called bundling political contributions.
You will get cancer if you don’t eat or drink anything, while lying in the sun all day. ;-)
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