There are a lot of issues regarding the ingredient High Fructose Corn Syrup. The two that sounded the most interesting me were health related.
1. Is HFCS a factor in the obesity epidemic in the United States?
According to the article, A Critical Examination of the Evidence Relating High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain, "The use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has increased over the past several decades in the United States while overweight and obesity rates have risen dramatically." Could HFCS be the reason for the rise in obesity? In the United States, HFCS has replaced, almost completely, refined sugars.The article states that, "Outside the United States, HFCS is not used extensively, and sucrose continues to be the primary caloric sweetener." Personally, I never hear about any other countries dealing with an obesity epidemic.
A Princeton University research team has recently conducted a study regarding the hypothesis of whether or not HFCS leads to obesity. They concluded that "...all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same." Also, this research was supported by the U.S. Public Health Service.
2. Does HFCS contribute to the rise in diabetes?
In the article, The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the authors discuss diabetes. As a lot of you know, diabetes is a disease that affects the sugars in our body. So, it's obvious that people with this disease need to monitor their sugars and what they're eating. The article states, "...Insulin also controls another hormone, leptin, so its release is necessary.
Leptin tells your body to stop eating when it’s full by signaling the brain to stop sending hunger signals. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels or feeling of satiety. This can leave you ripe for unhealthy weight gain."
Overall, I think that the research topic of obesity would be a good topic. This is because there is a lot of information about HFCS and obesity and it's something that really interests me.
The sources I used were helpful in many ways. First of all, the sources I found provided me with the direct information I was looking for. When I searched for HFCS + Obesity, the sources I found discussed only that. Also, they were helpful because they were credible and I was able to site them within the post.
-Other Useful Information
"High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a fructose-glucose liquid sweetener alternative to sucrose (common table sugar) first introduced to the food and beverage industry in the 1970's."
A Princeton University research team has recently conducted a study regarding the hypothesis of whether or not HFCS leads to obesity. They concluded that "...all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same." Also, this research was supported by the U.S. Public Health Service.
2. Does HFCS contribute to the rise in diabetes?
In the article, The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the authors discuss diabetes. As a lot of you know, diabetes is a disease that affects the sugars in our body. So, it's obvious that people with this disease need to monitor their sugars and what they're eating. The article states, "...Insulin also controls another hormone, leptin, so its release is necessary.
Leptin tells your body to stop eating when it’s full by signaling the brain to stop sending hunger signals. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels or feeling of satiety. This can leave you ripe for unhealthy weight gain."
Overall, I think that the research topic of obesity would be a good topic. This is because there is a lot of information about HFCS and obesity and it's something that really interests me.
The sources I used were helpful in many ways. First of all, the sources I found provided me with the direct information I was looking for. When I searched for HFCS + Obesity, the sources I found discussed only that. Also, they were helpful because they were credible and I was able to site them within the post.
-Other Useful Information
"High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a fructose-glucose liquid sweetener alternative to sucrose (common table sugar) first introduced to the food and beverage industry in the 1970's."
Resources:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a780775427&fulltext=713240928
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/
http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/
Update:
After giving up HFCS on the first, i've had a lot of difficulties finding food that doesn't contain HFCS. I had to give up my cereal, bread, chocolate milk, yogurt, and some snacks like fruit roll-ups. In the cafeteria, I've had the food but, unfortunately, there is no ingredient list. I'm not sure if what I'm eating contains HFCS?
I found a source that is perfect for this bigger issue of HFCS and obesity!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/4/537?ijkey=3a74469113059287563c0dbc3f9b874276f46666
I found this when I typed "High Fructose Corn Syrup" into Google Scholar. It talks about the relationship between HFCS and obesity.
This was another great source that I found through Google Scholar,http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/88/6/1716S?ijkey=QWxerxxoSOP4o&keytype=ref&siteid=ajcn.
I think this would be a great source because it gives you so much background information and facts on HFCS.