Fructose and Our Bodies
Yes, everything in this picture is processed
Every boxed foods and almost every other consumable you find in a super market will contain fructose, a sugar that is found in High Fructose Corn Syrup. Preservatives include sugars, coloring, and anything else that can increase the shelf life of foods. The fructose sugar also has been proven to trick the body into thinking its still hungry in a study at Yale University.
Yale University researchers looked at how the hunger and appetite aspect in 20 healthy adult's brains changed after they either ate glucose or fructose. When they consumed glucose, the hormone levels that tell you how full you are were high.
When participants consumed a fructose beverage, they were showing smaller levels in the hormones that make you feel full. These participants wanted to eat more.
Some science behind this -
“Dr. Richard Johnson and his colleagues” at the University of Florida “identified fructose as part of a biochemical process that leads to weight gain and other precursors of Type 2 diabetes. They also found that fructose causes an increase in blood uric acid that can block the action of insulin, the hormone that regulates how body cells use and store the sugar they need for energy.” Insulin helps our cells use and store energy for us to use. Since uric acid blocks this action, and this acid is caused by fructose, it is safe to say that fructose is not sustainable for our bodies.
In other words, the fructose that is in most foods we eat, is causing our bodies to create more uric acid. If people have increased uric acid levels frequently, then they may develop metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome causes obesity, high blood cholesterol levels and also high blood pressure.
All of those effects are what’s making us unhealthier and can even be deadly to an extent. This ties into the definition of sustainability in the way that our bodies can't support themselves and can’t live longer either.
Yale University researchers looked at how the hunger and appetite aspect in 20 healthy adult's brains changed after they either ate glucose or fructose. When they consumed glucose, the hormone levels that tell you how full you are were high.
When participants consumed a fructose beverage, they were showing smaller levels in the hormones that make you feel full. These participants wanted to eat more.
Some science behind this -
“Dr. Richard Johnson and his colleagues” at the University of Florida “identified fructose as part of a biochemical process that leads to weight gain and other precursors of Type 2 diabetes. They also found that fructose causes an increase in blood uric acid that can block the action of insulin, the hormone that regulates how body cells use and store the sugar they need for energy.” Insulin helps our cells use and store energy for us to use. Since uric acid blocks this action, and this acid is caused by fructose, it is safe to say that fructose is not sustainable for our bodies.
In other words, the fructose that is in most foods we eat, is causing our bodies to create more uric acid. If people have increased uric acid levels frequently, then they may develop metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome causes obesity, high blood cholesterol levels and also high blood pressure.
All of those effects are what’s making us unhealthier and can even be deadly to an extent. This ties into the definition of sustainability in the way that our bodies can't support themselves and can’t live longer either.
How Much We Eat
This picture and the graph at the top of this page are both examples of how we are not only eating unhealthier foods, but more of it.
In this picture to the left, we can easily see how much larger everything has become over the years. From the coffee some of us drink every morning to the occasional movie snack, we can see a big difference in the quantity of food.
When there is more food, there is also more product, which in this case is fructose.
As you can see in this picture, some of these foods are almost always eaten at fast food restaurants or bars.
- One study showed that about 1/2 of meals are eaten outside of home (usually this means fast food), and another study showed that people tend to eat more than they usually do when dining out.