There are some schools of thought that HFCS is processed differently than normal sugar and affects the body's ability to regulate fullness (which can lead to obesity). I don't know if I agree with it 100%, but I don't think stating the calories in HFCS = the calories in sugar is an "apples to apples" comparison based on what the body does with it. I would want to know more before I accepted that consuming HFCS is just like consuming the sugar found in fruit.
"But some health experts argue that the issue is bigger than mere calories. The theory goes like this: The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream.
The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat."
"Despite the food industry's arguments that sugar is sugar, whether fructose or sucrose, no group "has yet refuted the growing scientific concern that, when all is said and done, fructose ... is about the furthest thing from natural that one can imagine, let alone eat."
"Other studies by researchers at UC Davis and the University of Michigan have shown that consuming fructose, which is more readily converted to fat by the liver, increases the levels of fat in the bloodstream in the form of triglycerides.
And unlike other types of carbohydrate made up of glucose, fructose does not stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. Peter Havel, a nutrition researcher at UC Davis who studies the metabolic effects of fructose, has also shown that fructose fails to increase the production of leptin, a hormone produced by the body's fat cells.
Both insulin and leptin act as signals to the brain to turn down the appetite and control body weight. And in another metabolic twist, Havel's research shows that fructose does not appear to suppress the production of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger and appetite"
Does HFCS have the same number of calories as table sugar, sure. Can transfat margarine have the same number of fat grams as an natural peanut butter, sure. Does the body treat it the same? Definitely not.
I don't know if studies have proved that HFCS is really harmful, but I think the studies have made me cautious.
http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfo...hfructose.html
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Researchers are beginning to sound the alarm on HFCS. "There's no question that the rise in HFCS consumption has paralleled a rise in both obesity and diabetes," says physician Gross, who authored the study linking HFCS to diabetes. "A relatively new body of evidence points to the potential negative health consequences of consuming HFCS." One possible link between HFCS, obesity, and diabetes is the way our bodies process fructose. Normally, eating sweet foods stimulates insulin, a hormone that converts sugar to glucose (the form of sugar that cells burn for energy).
As your body's energy needs are met, insulin triggers cells to produce leptin, a hormone that signals fullness. The problem with fructose is that it doesn't stimulate insulin to the same degree that other sugars do, which means that the body doesn't release leptin.
"Leptin controls our sensitivity to fullness," says Peter J. Havel, PhD, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, who has done crucial work in examining fructose's relationship to weight gain. "The more fructose in a meal, the less insulin you'll secrete," he adds.
Heart disease is also a potential concern. When sugar bypasses insulin, it's converted to fat. As Havel points out, fructose seems to drive up the levels of blood fats called triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease."
The respect is definitely mutual, I love to read your posts!