Years ago, your Coke or Pepsi was sweetened with glucose. These days high fructose corn syrup is the sweetener of choice. It is known that glucose can reduce blood flow in parts of the brain that control appetite and hunger. However HFCS does not-it actually increases blood flow which makes us feel less satisfied.
In a study published in JAMA 2013;309:63-70, this was actually shown in volunteers either drinking pure glucose or fructose. Fructose was also shown to lower both plasma insulin (increasing blood sugar) and the hormone GLP-1 which makes us feel full.
Increases in obesity mirrors the use of fructose which is now found in almost every soft drink as well as in energy and sports drinks and fruit juices marketed to children. If that doesn’t make you mad, it is also added to processed foods like meats and sauces!
Readers of my blog may remember the article I wrote several months ago showing the relationship to HFCS to both heart and liver disease.
So, if this is so bad for us, why doesn’t the FDA simply ban it and return us to the sugar standard?
