Fructose Sweetener: A Factor Behind Obesity Spike?

Researchers believe they may have found a major culprit behind the huge spike in obesity: fructose sweetener, a corn product used to sweeten soft drinks and food since the 1970s.

Data accumulated by these researchers show the increase in the use high-fructose corn sweeteners in the late 1970s and 1980s corresponded with the rapid rise in obesity, said Dr. George A Bray, one of the researchers and an obesity expert with the Louisiana State University System’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Still, he noted the research does not establish a conclusive link.

High fructose remains a controversial food additive primarily because of what scientists know about how it is processed by the body. Unlike glucose, a major component in table sugar, fructose doesn't trigger responses in hormones that regulate energy use and appetite. That means it's more likely to be converted into fat, the researchers said.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at March 26, 2004 09:42 AM | TrackBack