Glucose-fructose syrup, also known as corn syrup, is an industrial food derived from “cracking” taken to the extreme, that of corn. Through different chemical (catalysis) or mechanical (heat, membranes) processes, cracking breaks an organic molecule into various elements that have significant commercial value, the sum of these elements yielding more than the entire molecule. In the rest of this article, we are going to look at the dangers of glucose-fructose syrup that is found in mass in the daily diet.
Low cost calories to produce
Highly processed foods like glucose-fructose syrup are cheap calories to produce. Extremely harsh on the pancreas, and suspected of promoting obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (a disease related to the accumulation of fat in the liver), glucose-fructose syrup is found in candy, waffles, soft drinks, fruit-filled biscuits, gingerbread, jams, flavored syrups, yoghurts, dessert creams, cooked dishes, some brands of surimi, sauces or even sausages… It is often hidden in the endless list of ingredients that make up ultra-processed industrial products, under the barbaric name of “isoglucose” or “high fructose corn Syrup”.
A food metabolized only by the liver
Fructose is not metabolized in the same way as glucose, so its effects are different. While glucose, whose blood concentration is controlled by insulin, is usable by all the body’s tissues, fructose is only metabolized by the liver and does not depend on the action of insulin. Its consumption can also cause resistance to the action of leptin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue, which acts at the brain level to induce a feeling of satiety. In fact, it generates a true dependency. This is why many consumers prefer to use fructose free glucose syrup.
A fructose-free diet
people with fructose intolerance they should eliminate this element from their diet. In this situation, the patient cannot consume more than 1 or 2 grams of this sugar per day. To avoid ingesting fructose, it is necessary to carefully read all the labels of the foods purchased. Unfortunately, there are very few manufactured foods that can be consumed if you suffer from this condition. So, to get an idea of the foods that people with hereditary fructose intolerance may or may not eat, here is a list summarizing the main ones. Among the authorized foods are:
- sweeteners: fructose-free glucose syrup, saccharin, cyclamate;
- fruits (occasionally): avocado, ripe olives;
- vegetables: Swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, potatoes, mushrooms, endives;
- meat and fish: it is possible to eat meat and fish, as long as the food is fresh and, above all, not processed;
- cereals: wheat flour, oats, corn, rye, white bread, rice.
Among those prohibited, it is worth mentioning that neither processed meat nor fish containing fructose, sucrose or sorbitol should be consumed. Soy, condensed milk, fruit yogurt, and tomatoes are also prohibited.
