Why hfcs is worse than sugar

High-fructose corn syrup and table sugar are actually pretty similar from a chemical standpoint. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member? Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.

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While HFCS appears in desserts and sugary drinks, the sweet substance also sweetens food items you might not have expected. Some surprising sources of HFCS include "healthy" foods such as salad dressings, yogurts, and even bread. Department of Agriculture estimated the average American consumed approximately seven teaspoons of it per day, which adds up to about 24 pounds per year. Sucrose is the formal name for table sugar. It's a combination of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule.

This disaccharide two sugar molecules bound together is naturally found in plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, and the sugarcane and sugar beets from which table sugar is produced. Fructose appears naturally in fruit, some vegetables, and honey. However, it's unique from sucrose and glucose in that it has a sweeter taste while having the lowest impact on blood sugar , which is a good thing.

While fruits contain natural fructose, enzymes produce the fructose in HFCS. All added sugars , including HFCS, table sugar and even "all-natural pure cane sugar" that is marketed as a better quality sugar, have the potential to lead to weight gain and related health conditions. Currently, there is enough conflicting research on HFCS it is hard to say exactly how bad it is for us.

Honey, the beloved natural sweetener , has 49 percent. This is true for every form of natural sugar you see advertised on organic food because sucrose, the molecule you know as sugar, is made up of one fructose molecule and one glucose molecule. Now, it is true that your body handles fructose metabolism differently from glucose metabolism, and products made with only fructose can cause metabolic issues as well as digestive problems. Pure fructose more directly impacts blood sugar , and eventually can lead to decreased insulin sensitivity and high triglycerides.

Around the same time, Americans were growing fatter. Perhaps the rise of HFCS coincided with an increase in processed food consumption or simply in total calories consumed, and the shift in sugar use had nothing to do with it.

But, if you must buy packaged foods, Dr. Hyman says read the labels carefully to identify sugar in other disguises. As a general rule of thumb. Think high fructose corn syrup is no big deal? Think again. Eating too much can lead to insulin resistance, obesity and more. Learn more about vaccine availability.