Study finds U.S. leads way in high fructose corn syrup consumption and diabetes rates

Study finds U.S. leads way in high fructose corn syrup consumption and diabetes rates

(NaturalNews) The United States leads the way in high fructose corn
syrup intake with a staggering 55 lbs/person/year average. Although it
is common knowledge that a high sugar diet is the leading risk factor in
developing type II diabetes, it is now becoming more clear that HFCS is
the primary culprit.

A brief lesson in sugar

In
the U.S. HFCS is the chief sweetener used, particularly in processed
foods. It's used in thousands of consumer items including bread,
cereals, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, condiments and almost any other
packaged food you can think of. Because HFCS is made artificially cheap
by government subsidies it is used in greater quantities and more foods
than sucrose (table sugar).

Sucrose or table sugar is a
combination of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. HFCS is also a
combination of fructose and glucose, only with a higher percentage of
fructose. Fructose is fruit sugar. In its natural state (in fruit)
paired up with fiber it has a much slower absorption rate, which means
no spike in insulin levels and no increased risk for diabetes. This is
why fructose in fruit is very different from refined fructose in corn
syrup.

The study

A study published in the journal Global Health
compared the availability of HFCS to diabetes rates in 43 countries.
The results showed a 20% increased incidence of diabetes in countries
where the sweetener was available, compared to countries where it was
not. What's even more interesting is that there was no difference in
overall calorie or sugar consumption between countries that used HFCS and those that did not. This suggests an independent link between diabetes and the corn based sweetener.

We don't need a study to tell us what we already know

Researchers
also realize that because the study found a link, that doesn't
necessarily translate to a direct cause/effect relationship. That said,
there is no denying the negative health consequences of consuming large
quantities of refined fructose. HFCS along with the many other
detrimental ingredients in processed and packaged foods are no doubt a
leading cause of diabetes and many other diseases.

It
will likely be impossible to design a study that is able to pinpoint
precise cause/effect relationships of this class of diseases because
there are so many variables and risk factors to consider. It is common
sense however to realize that studies like this only confirm what we
already know; A combination of simple lifestyle choices is the easiest
way to avoid chronic disease.

Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/038181_HFCS_consumption_diabetes.html