Too Much Fructose may Cause Obesity? |
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| By: James Limetree | ||||
The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrates as having either a high, low or moderate glycemic index. The idea is to eat additional foods that contain either a low or moderate glycemic index, and less with a high glycemic index. Low glycemic index foods enter the bloodstream slower, and so don't raise blood sugar levels like high glycemic index foods. What is a carbohydrate? All sugars, or foods that are broken down into sugar, are carbohydrates. This consists of fructose, (in fruit), glucose (often used in sports drinks), regular sugar, lactose, (found in milk and similar products like yoghurt), maltose, (found in malt which is often used to flavor cereals), all sorts of starches, from pasta to noodles and potatoes, and legumes, such as lentils and peas (though these also contain some protein). Fruits are generally considered to contain a low GI (not fruit juice though).Interestingly though, recent investigation has found what they deem to be a association between fructose and obesity. Though the different types of fructose investigated was in corn syrup, which is considered to be a concentrated and refined variety of fructose. It also doesn't contain the antioxidants, beneficial fiber and phytochemicals that fruit has. This was a preliminary research using an animal model, this may not be suitable for people. Research workers from the University of Florida have shown that fructose may make people think they are hungrier than they should be. And when the researchers interrupted the way fructose was metabolized in rats, the rats didn't put on weight, even though they were still eating fructose. This isn't the first study that has exposed a higher chance of weight gain consuming fructose than other varieties of foods. A study at the University of Cincinnati established that consuming fructose (high fructose corn syrup), led to larger fat storage. It's said the body digests fructose in a different way to other types of sugars, though, it's not clear if this is mitigated by the lower concentration of fructose in fruit than in corn syrup used in the investigation. The University of Florida's study established that the levels of uric acid in the bloodstream greatly increased after eating or drinking fructose. This spike in uric acid influences insulin, by blocking it. Insulin regulates the way our cells store and use fat. If uric acid levels are elevated a lot, then symptoms of metabolic syndrome can develop. These symptoms include high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, as well as gaining a lot of weightIf uric acid levels are seriously increased, this can cause symptoms of metabolic syndrome. These symptoms can comprise of high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, as well as higher weight gain. The biggest concern for people is fructose is used in a ton of soft drinks, so if you drink lots of soft drink you will quite easily spike your uric acid levels in your blood. It has also been found that metabolic syndrome is a precursor of type 2 diabetes. A few of the signs of metabolic syndrome are incresed fat around the belly and hips. Normally there is reduced amounts of good types of cholesterol in the blood, and high levels of triglycerides which make the blood 'sticky'. Metabolic syndrome is linked with the way the body responds to insulin, so that there are incresed levels of glucose in the blood. This can all be tested by your local GP. |
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| Article Source: http://4health.co.za | ||||
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