Fructose causes reproductive problems, earlier death, study shows

(NaturalNews) When fructose is discussed, it's usually not just about normal natural sugars in fruits like apples, pears and watermelons. It's usually about high-fructose corns syrup (HFCS).

It is ubiquitous in processed foods, especially sodas, because it packs more sweetness per gram than sugar and it's cheaper. And no matter how much food processors cover it up by labeling ingredients as "corn syrup," it's still HFCS.

You'll get all sorts of disagreements from the corn refiners' industry, but the overwhelming nutritional scientific evidence proves that you'll live healthier without it, perhaps even longer.

An unusual recent mouse study at the University of Utah

An open-air mouse barn, using mice that normally tend to inhabit homes and restaurants, was created to observe male and female mice over a 32-week period. Protected tubs and open trays with vertical tube feeding stations were used to feed sucrose and HFCS proportionally to what most humans eat.

The researchers discovered that female mice that ate HFCS died earlier and had very poor reproduction cycles compared to sucrose-consuming mice. On the other hand, male mice showed no difference in toxicity from HFCS to sucrose or table sugar.

Both were equally toxic, affecting their ability to hold a territory and reproduce. The researchers concluded that all added sugars are toxic in some way, but HFCS is worse.^[1]

Note the key words -- added sugars -- the stuff of sodas or sweetened juices and processed foods, not naturally occurring fruit sugars in whole fruits.

Other experts weigh in on added sugar and HFCS

Dr. Robert H. Lustig, a professor of pediatrics and obesity specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, has probably the most powerfully intriguing and entertaining video lecture on sugar and fructose available online. It went very viral.^[2]

Lustig points out that, during the early 1900s, the average American took in about 15 grams of fructose annually, mostly from eating fruits and vegetables. Today, the average American consumes 55 grams a day, with teenagers and children packing in 73 grams daily. Ten grams equates to a third of an ounce.

Dr. Lustig's main concern is the increase in fructose. He says it's worrisome because the increased amounts of HFCS since it first appeared in sodas and processed foods in the 1970s parallels increases in obesity, diabetes and a new condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that now affects up to one-third of Americans.

At Harvard, Lustig lectured on how the rapid rise in obesity, diabetes and poor heart health has continued despite the obsessive pursuit of low- and no-fat diets. All these conditions increasing exponentially despite decades of no- or low-fat mania? Lustig asserts that it's the sugar, especially HFCS, which is used in most all sodas, that's the culprit.^[3]

Even soda sizes have increased exponentially since those 6.5 ounce glass bottles of Coca-Cola during the 1950s. Double Big Gulp soda cups peaked at 64 ounces recently but were sized down to 50 ounces by the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, mostly because the 64 oz size was too much for most vehicle cup holders.^[4]

Of course, those oversized cups get a lot of ice dumped into them, but the 20 ounce bottled sodas give you a full dose of tasty poison without being displaced by ice.

Other animal and human tests have determined that HFCS in amounts that somewhat exaggerate SAD (standard American Diet) consumption do cause insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.

And testing has also observed that HFCS rapidly affects the liver adversely even if consumed in moderate amounts, manifesting signs of early fatty liver development.^[5][6]

Diet sodas are not the answer. They use artificial sweeteners containing neurotoxins that kill brain and nervous system cells and are carcinogenic. But you knew that, right?

Sources:

[1] http://www.newswise.com

[2] http://authoritynutrition.com

[3] http://www.health.harvard.edu

[4] http://www.theblaze.com

[5] http://www.greenandhealthy.info

[6] http://drhyman.com