More reasons to avoid fructose which is in many beverages we commonly drink.

More reasons to avoid fructose which is in many beverages we commonly drink.

Fructose, often found in soda, Gatorade and other soft drinks in the form of high fructose corn syrup has been known for a while to be part of the problem with obesity and diabetes type 2.

Recently, there has been more bad news for this much maligned sweetener. Many soft drink manufacturers are moving to regular sugar which is still not good for you but better is better tasting.

You should be aware of what is in the foods you eat and the beverages you drink and this article on fructose is helpful to understand the risks of this commonly found sweetener.

New research adds fuel to the fructose health-risk fire
Posted on October 3, 2015 by Brad Hoppmann

Here in Florida, asking your server for “sweet tea” is generally redundant. If you ask for tea, you can usually assume it will more than satisfy your sweet tooth.

Unfortunately sugar-sweetened beverages, which contain added sugars in the form of high fructose corn syrup or table sugar (sucrose), can have much longer-lasting effects on your body than temporary refreshment on a hot day.

A new review paper published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says this can lead to excess weight gain and a greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

And while it’s not breaking news that ingesting large amounts of sugar is unhealthy …

Consumers need to know to look out for sugar hiding under other names such as fructose and high fructose corn syrup. That’s because these are arguably worse for the body that just plain old table sugar.

But they may not be that easy to avoid, unless you want to cut sweets out of your diet — even a once-a-day serving — altogether. That includes even supposedly healthy sugars like the kind you find in fruit.

Frank Hu, M.D., Ph.D. is a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and lead investigator of the JACC paper.

“Since we rarely consume fructose in isolation, the major source of fructose in the diet comes from fructose-containing sugars, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, in sugar-sweetened beverages,” he said.

Dr. Hu added that “Our findings underscore the urgent need for public health strategies that reduce the consumption of these drinks.”