High Levels of Fructose May Lead To Overeating

       A recent study from the University of Florida found that rats who ate a diet high in fructose developed leptin resistance, a condition that contributes to overeating. 
     Leptin is a hormone that signals fullness.
     When the rats were given a high-fat, high-calorie diet, the leptin resistant group gained more weight than the others.

     If these results are applicable to humans, they help shed some light on the obesity epidemic in our country. Added sugars are in everything!

     Fructose can be added or natural in foods.

     It's in fruits and fruit juices, cured or breaded meats, sweetened milk, honey, and 

maple syrup, some vegetables and some bread and cereal products, according to the Mayo Clinic.
     It’s also in soft drinks, pastries, ketchup, jellies and many processed foods, according to 

Science Daily.

       In food label ingredient lists, sucrose also refers to fructose. Sucrose is white sugar, which contains fructose.
     Of course, high-fructose corn syrup is also major source of fructose. It represents over 40% of the caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
     But for those who decide to watch fructose consumption, it's important to not focus solely on high-fructose corn syrup.
     If someone is specifically trying to avoid high-fructose corn syrup, they may reject a product that contains it for another food with a different type of added sugar.
     If you regularly go out to eat at certain restaurants, look at the ingredients lists available at some restaurants’ websites. For instance, at Burger King’s site, high-fructose corn syrup is listed as an ingredient in the sandwich buns and Tendergrill chicken filet.
     Websites that provided nutrition information, like NutritionData.com are also helpful.
     The easiest way to limit fructose is to quit drinking soft drinks.
     Another convenient method would be to switch out reduced-fat or fat-free salad dressings, very high in fructose, for more satiating, regular versions.
     If craving sugar, have some. 
     But if you don’t specifically want something sweet, it might be wise to get an idea of how much fructose you're actually consuming.

Should I Avoid High-Fructose Corn Syrup?

     Are you one of those people that avoids high-fructose corn syrup? I always have. HFCS is found in everything from obviously sweet, processed junk food like Twinkies and soda to even ketchup and bread. Horror stories abound, linking it to cancer and obesity. Supposedly, its rise in popularity correlated with America's rapid rise in obesity rates.

     But the latest research does not link it to weight gain any more than regular table sugar (sucrose). Although more research is needed, because "there is a new body of research that suggested HFCS might be linked with higher triglyceride levels and other health effects," says Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina.

     In the mean time, it's important to note that the study only found HFCS was not more likely to cause obesity than glucose.  This is worth noting because HFCS normally replaces sugars like glucose in foods. In other words, foods that we should be avoiding anyways. It's not that we should be specifically shunning HFCS. We should be shunning foods with refined sugars in general. 

     So, I've decided to treat high-fructose corn syrup like I treat refined sugar. I try to avoid it, but I'm not going to stress myself out. I try to choose complex carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains, which regulate blood sugar. If you choose to do the same, read food labels and remember the general rule that simple sugars end in "ose," (glucose, maltose...)