The Root Cause of Obesity By Mrs Vera West
There is much on alternative health sites on the internet, and both natural News.com, and Dr Mercola have covered this issue, but now the mainstream is reporting on the dangers of consumption of high fructose corn syrup. This sweetener comes from corn, but has the fibre and nutrients removed. High fructose corn syrup is found in most highly processed food, and is especially present in the junk take-away meals. It has been long argued that this product is a factor in diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. However recent scientific investigations indicate that it decreases levels of the fullness hormone, stopping the body from using fat stores for energy. The metabolism slows, and fat is hard to burn off.
The answer is simple; not to eat these processed foods. There are many, not just the junk meals, and include even cereals and whole grain bread. So, it will take some label reading and research to get rid of all these sources. But, eating fruit, which while having fructose, still has nutrients and fibre is no problem at all.
“Eating a diet high in sugar and fats has long been known to increase a person's risk of obesity - because of the excess calories and energy dumps.
But now researchers believe the most popular sugar in American food causes biological changes in the human body that makes it physically easier to get fat and harder to lose weight.
High fructose corn syrup is used in countless food products in the US, even those considered to be healthy including protein bars, whole grain bread, and cereals.
A new analysis of previous studies found it slashes levels of the fullness hormone, stops the body from using fat stores for energy, and slows the metabolism, making it harder for the body to burn off energy from food.
The findings challenge the long-held belief the sole dictator of obesity is overeating and expending little energy, leading to an accumulation of fat in the body.
Fructose is naturally found in fruit but the type consumed most commonly in the US is taken from corn, stripped of vital nutrients and fiber and turned into high fructose corn syrup.
It is found in thousands of everyday food products from bread and protein bars to candy and has long been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Now, scientists have discovered refined fructose syrup has multiple effects on the body that make it more likely to lead to obesity than other types of sugar and food additives.
They said: 'Although practically all hypotheses recognize the importance of reducing ultra processed and “junk” foods, it remains unclear whether the focus should be on reducing sugar intake.'
In the US, high fructose corn syrup is found in thousands of products from bread and protein bars to candy. The US government has been paying farmers subsidies since at least the 1990s to grow products that can be made into junk foods.
Subsidies help keep prices down, making it cost effective for food manufacturers to make highly processed foods that contribute to rising obesity rates in the US, which are higher than those of other wealthy nations.
High fructose corn syrup is made from corn and broken down into a type of sugar called glucose. Some of that glucose is then transformed into super sweet fructose.
Much of the research scientists drew from was performed in mice, a limiting factor when it comes to determining how these hypotheses might apply to humans.
While challenging the age-old belief obesity is driven by overeating and little exercise, the researchers looked at additional hypotheses presented by other researchers in different studies to look for what causes obesity.
They found all hypotheses are valid, including one that blames simple carbohydrates that are broken down quickly in the body because they stimulate insulin production, which leads to the build-up of fat.
Dr Richard Johnson, lead investigator from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said: 'Essentially, these theories, which put a litany of metabolic and dietary drivers at the center of the obesity epidemic, are all pieces of a puzzle unified by one last piece: fructose.
'Fructose is what triggers our metabolism to go into low power mode and lose our control of appetite, but fatty foods become the major source of calories that drive weight gain.'
Fructose is found in fruit, but scientists said a regular apple or banana at breakfast won’t pose a problem. In fruit, the fructose is counterbalanced by the high levels of healthy fiber and other nutrients.
The experts explained when people ingest fructose-heavy foods the amount of usable energy available to support the body’s cells plummets, leading to feelings of hunger.
Most carbs and fats people eat replace levels of ATP, a molecule that fuels cells so they can move, divide, and perform basic functions in the human body needed for survival.
This prompts the release of a hormone called leptin, which signals to the brain it’s time to stop eating.
But when fructose is metabolized in the liver, it uses ATP as an energy source. This causes fuel levels to plummet while at the same time interfering with the body’s ability to use stored fat as energy.
The reduction in ATP in cells is associated with hunger, thirst, increased food intake, reduced metabolism at rest, increased salt absorption, and more, all of which can lead to weight gain.
Meanwhile, the liver, where fructose is metabolized, produces insulin, causing a drop in blood sugar levels, leading to feelings of hunger.”
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