There is a war raging.
Not a racial or religious war but a war that is costing millions of dollars. There are already hundreds of millions of people affected by this struggle and most of them are silent victims. They are blissfully continuing their lives struggling to deal with their weight. Caught in an endless dietary treadmill and collectively spending billions of dollars on their health. Either through tax payer funded health schemes, private health insurance or simply personally funded health programs, fitness regimes and gym memberships.
Despite massive programs of nutritional education directed against fat in foods and snatched up by food manufacturers as a winning marketing message, the obesity epidemic with consequent severe chronic health issues ride in its wake. With all that fat gone how could the obesity problem continue?
The answer has been revealed. Sugar consumption has skyrocketed.
And unknowingly. It’s added to so many processed foods you need to study -not just read- every label to uncover all the forms it comes in. Dextrose, fructose, syrup, HFCS, sucrose and sugar.
During the last week two interesting things happened.
Revelation #1. A strange US based organisation called “The Center for Consumer Freedom” claims to be transparent yet won’t say who funds them due to fear of exposure. They are…
“apprehensive about privacy and safety in light of the violence and other forms of aggression some activists have adopted”
Their recent million dollar advertising campaign sought to denounce the increasingly negative press high fructose corn syrup or HFCS has been getting in the press over the last few years.
The thrust of what they are saying is that the form of sugar – fructose- is no worse than table sugar from sugar cane or sugar beet sugar. And that is correct. The digestive process is very similar.
The Magician’s Hands
But this discussion is a diversion.
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The real issue is not which sugar is better for you but simply which sugar is used more widely in manufacturing.
The graph on the right clearly shows the change. And the real issue is the overall rise in consumption.
HFCS is a cheaper ingredient and has grown in use significantly since the early 1980’s. This increase is a simple response to a price advantage. Yet with the negative press of the last few years you would expect the businesses that have invested in the infrastructure to support this HFCS industry would want to maintain their sales levels.
It’s a multi million dollar industry. And around the board tables is where the war is being waged.
So Is Fructose Really That Bad?
Fructose is a natural monosaccharide found in fruit. Eaten as a fruit it is good for you. But it’s processed, concentrated and used widely in food manufacturing as a sweetener. It may mask other bitter flavours and even become addicitve. Your intake rises and of course the other nutritional benefits such as fibre, enzymes, amino acids and vitamins of the original fruit or sugar cane are gone.
Revelation #2. Last week’s publication of a research paper directly linking high levels of dietary fructose with elevated blood pressure was significant. While they were looking at the effect of Allopurinol to reduce hypertension induced by high fructose consumption, the speed with which the increased blood pressure occurred when no stabilisation agent present was significant.
After only two weeks on the diet a significant increase in blood pressure was found. (1)
Now the test diet added 200g of fructose on top of their standard diet of just under 60g per fructose and 130g(2) of total sugar per day.
What this shows is that the increased pressure on the heart associated with obesity actually begins before the weight is gained. The increased body fat is a symptom and while it ultimately becomes a significant disease contributor over time, this is physical factor and the problem begins with a chemical reaction.
So on the one hand there are millions being spent to convince you fructose is OK – implied through depicting it as the wrongly accused villain – and on the other hand there is strong evidence to show excess sugar in your diet is unwise to say the least.
Only consumer choice can bring about change through commercial pressure and although the interestingly named Center for Consumer Freedom claims to be speaking for the masses – it’s not my voice.
References:
1. Perez-Pozo S, et al “Excessive fructose intake raises blood pressure in humans” AHA BPRC 2009; Abstract P127
2. US Department of Agriculture: Sugar Consumption Research 2008
