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Everything has corn syrup in it (lemmy.sdf.org)
submitted 4 weeks ago by to c/rant@lemmy.sdf.org
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If you're in the US of A it's a regular fuckin' gauntlet to try to ensure your food purchases aren't loaded with corn syrup.

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[–] 13 points 4 weeks ago (12 children)

I think they are saying the corn derivatives are the issue, not the sugar.

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  • [–] 10 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (9 children)

    There's nothing, in particular, of health concern about corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup besides it being sugary. It is used in everything because corn is incredibly subsidized by the US government and so the syrup created from it is very very cheap. The amount of sugar in general in processed foods is a problem if eaten to excess, but whether that sugar comes from cane, corn, or any other food safe plant, it makes little difference for overall health risks.

    If this person is having digestive issues/discomfort from it, I would suggest that one of 3 things is happening. 1) it's psychsomatic because they assume it's worse for them. 2) They have an allergy to something in the drink. Maybe the corn, maybe something else. 3) They have fructose intolerance from fructose malabsortion in the small intestine. If the fructose isn't all absorbed before making it to your large intestine, it can ferment some from your gut bacteria and cause bloating and gas. This is uncomfortable, but not dangerous to your health.

    Fructose is not chemically dangerous and it is naturally found in many foods (fruits, honey, vegetables, ... corn, etc.). The only difference between the glucose in cane sugar and typical corn syrup and the fructose in High Fructose Corn Syrup is that fructose is a larger more complex molecule, tastes sweeter, and might absorb slower in your digestive tract (which as arguably better for your blood sugar and calorie intake). There is good reason to be concerned about HFCS in processed foods, but the concern should just be that it is over used due to it being a cheap way to make foods taste good, and we have too much sugar in our diets overall.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 weeks ago (1 child)

    The big picture stuff you're saying is all correct, but some of the details are wrong.

    The only difference between the glucose in cane sugar and typical corn syrup and the fructose in High Fructose Corn Syrup is that fructose is a larger more complex molecule, tastes sweeter, and might absorb slower in your digestive tract (which as arguably better for your blood sugar and calorie intake).

    Cane sugar is sucrose, a disaccharide that consists of one glucose and one fructose bound together into a single molecule. Note that the bond between the glucose half and the fructose half breaks down in acid, so acidic sweetened beverages (most sodas) tend to have a lot of glucose and fructose molecules sloshing around even if they were sweetened with sucrose. Either way, once eaten, the stomach acid will separate the glucose part from the fructose part.

    Sucrose is equally as sweet as a 50/50 mixture of glucose and fructose. Glucose is less sweet than sucrose, and fructose is more sweet than sucrose, so syrups that have more fructose are more sweet per unit weight of sugar.

    Fructose is also sent down a different metabolic pathway as glucose, so high fructose consumption can cause issues in some people. That said, because fructose is so sweet, and is pretty much half of table sugar/cane sugar/beet sugar/maple syrup. Most honeys are higher in fructose than glucose, but it depends on the source of the honeybee's nectar, and most producers intend to produce higher fructose honey because higher fructose ratios do not crystallize as easily. And crystallization is bad for packing, processing, shipping, marketing, etc.

    fructose is a larger more complex molecule

    No, it's the exact same molecular weight, with the exact same elements, C6H12O6, just arranged and bound differently.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 weeks ago

    Cane sugar is sucrose

    Yeah, I knew that. I meant sucrose, not glucose. I brain farted and wrote the wrong one.

    fructose is a larger more complex molecule

    No, it's the exact same molecular weight, with the exact same elements, C6H12O6, just arranged and bound differently.

    And that was me just getting it ass backwards. I was referring to sucrose, not glucose when I was talking about the molecular size. But I was thinking that sucrose was the monosaccharide and fructose was the disaccharide. I had them flipped in my head.

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  • [–] 0 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

    You are right, however high fructose corn sirup has an extremely high glycemic index which tend to make people fat. So in comparaison to other forms of sugar, it is one of the worst for your health. The health of americans would be better if corn wasn't as subsidized.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 child)

    It has a glycemic index of 56-62 depending on the fructose to glucose ratios. That's considered a moderate GI, not extremely high. Sucrose (standard table sugar) has a GI of about 65. White bread (70+) and baked potatoes (about 86) have a higher glycemic index.

    I don't disagree that we would be more healthy and less fat were corn not subsidized. But that would be because sweetened foods wouldn't be as cheap so we couldn't afford to eat as much and the markets for them and drive to sell them to us wouldn't be as huge. Not because HFCS is, in itself, less healthy than any other sugar source.

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