Sweet, Sweet Enough!

Not satisfied with the natural sweetness of food. We all seek out - and manufacturers willingly supplied - sweeteners. The 'added sugar' category of our diet has grown exponentially since the early 1900s - by more than 2,100%. Worst of all the sugars is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Relatively cheap and easy to use (thanks to its syrup form) HFCS accounts for more than 40% of all caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages.

'There's no question that rise in HFCS consumption has paralleled a rise in both obesity and diabetes,' says physician Gross, who authored the study linking HFCS to diabetes. 'A relatively new body of evidence points to the potential negative health consequences of consuming HFCS.' One possible link between HFCS, obesity, and diabetes is the way our bodies process fructose.

As your body's energy needs are met, insulin triggers cells to produce leptin, a hormone that signals fullness. The problem with fructose is that it doesn't stimulate insulin to the same degree that other sugars do, which means that the body doesn't release leptin.

'Leptin controls our sensitivity to fullness,' says Peter J. Havel, Ph.D., a research at the University of California, Davis, who has done crucial work in examining fructose's relationship to weight gain. 'The more fructose in a meal, the less insulin you'll secrete,' he adds. Heart disease is also a potential concern. As Havel points out, fructose seems to drive up the levels of blood fats called triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease.......

GlycoScience is designed to provide information on nutritional saccharides - glyconutritionals - that form the scientific underpinnings for Mannatech, providing optimal health and wellbeing.


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