High Fructose Corn Syrup or Table Sugar: Which is Better?
Do you think of honey or agave nectar as being more “natural” than other types of sweeteners? You might be surprised to learn that most sweeteners go through very similar forms of processing.
High fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, table sugar (sucrose), and agave nectar all undergo extraction, filtration, enzyme treatment, and concentration.
Since processing methods are similar between these types of sweeteners, don’t assume you need to select one over another because one is more “natural” or less processed.
Digestion and Absorption of Table Sugar vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup
The molecular structure of table sugar (sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup do differ; however, this difference is eliminated in the small intestine when the glucose-fructose bond in sucrose is broken. Therefore, once the two sweeteners reach the blood stream any difference has been eliminated.
When they reach the blood stream they are providing the same sugars at the same ratios to the same tissues/organs within the same time frame.
Despite the similarity in digestion and absorption, media coverage might have you questioning potential health concerns related to fructose and high fructose corn syrup. This steams from the possibility of small percent, ~3-5%, of fructose being converted to fatty acids in the liver.
Our Habits Reflect On Our Health
Our habits reflect on our health. Our habits and lifestyle determine whether we live a heart friendly life or invite disease. Heart diseases is the No.1 killer in the United States. It is our choices that impact whether or not we live with reduced risk for heart disease or not
Good Habits for keeping heart diseases at bay
Breakfast – Every Morning
The most important meal of the day. It is the recipe for a healthy heart. On the contrary a person who regularly skips breakfast faces issues, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and stands 27% higher risk of death from coronary heart disease.
Physical Activity
A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk for heart disease.
Relax – To Beat Stress
Unmanaged can leads to complications, which include high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, heart disease, chest pain etc.
Reduce Stroke Risk with Vitamin E Derived from Palm Oil
Dr. Joseph Keenan retired as a Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He holds a joint professorship in the University of Minnesota School of Food Science and Nutrition. Dr. Keenan is considered one of the leading national experts in the field of nutritional supplement research and cardiovascular disease. He is now practicing emergency medicine, and continues teaching and consulting is his areas of research interest which include preventive cardiology.
Lisa Nelson, RD: What is white matter, and how is it related to stroke?
Dr. Keenan: “About 50 percent of your brain is made of white matter, which provides connections to the various other brain centers and thus is important for learning and memory. This is also the area of the brain most often affected by “mini strokes”, also called lacunor strokes, which often cause no overt symptoms. But as they accumulate over years, they can affect function and memory.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: What are white matter lesions?
Dr. Keenan: “White matter lesions (WMLs) are abnormal regions in the brain that can be detected by MRIs. They are often found in elderly people, and are associated with atherosclerosis in the small blood vessels of the brain, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. If the condition worsens, WMLs may result in cognitive impairment and dementia.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: Is there any way to weaken the progression of these lesions?
Dr. Keenan: “Results of a two-year human clinical study published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, show that vitamin E tocotrienols derived from Malaysian palm oil may be helpful. This is the first study that provides solid evidence of tocotrienols’ neuroprotective benefits in humans.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: The benefits of tocotrienols and stroke have been in the news before, haven’t they?
Dr. Keenan: “Yes. Previous animal studies have reported that vitamin E tocotrienols derived from palm oil are capable of preventing damage to white matter during a stroke, and improved circulation to the damaged part of the brain after a stroke.
Lisa Nelson, RD: Why are healthcare professionals so excited about this study?
Dr. Keenan: “Many other compounds have been shown to display neuroprotective effects in animal models of stroke. But they failed in human clinical trials. This may be because the human brain has so much more white matter (about 50 percent) than rats (about 10 percent), for example.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: How was this study conducted?
Dr. Keenan: “This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted by leading tocotrienol researchers at the University Science Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. They followed 121 volunteers for two years. Each volunteer underwent MRIs to confirm the presence of WMLs. One group received 200 mg. of mixed tocotrienols twice daily for two years, while the others received a placebo. All volunteers were instructed to maintain their regular diets and physical activity levels. MRIs were performed at entry into the study (baseline), and then repeated after one year and again after two years. At two years of supplementation, the mean WML volume of the placebo group increased whereas those who received palm tocotrienols remained unchanged.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: Are there other reasons to be concerned about white matter lesions, in addition to stroke?
Dr. Keenan: “Brain white matter lesions are also known to be linked to development of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”
Lisa Nelson, RD: What is your recommendation, after reviewing this research?
Dr. Keenan: “This study shows that taking palm-derived tocotrienols daily may be an easy way to be proactive about your brain health, especially if you are at high risk for stroke.”
Dr. Keenan says that palm tocotrienols are well researched for their heart-health benefits. Additional studies can be found at www.palmoilhealth.org.
Learn how to make Heart Healthy Changes into Lifelong Habits at http://hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Image courtesy of Praisaeng / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Fueling Your Fat Fix: Forbidden foods with saturated fat may be okay
This is a guest post from Jonny Bowden.
Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, (aka “The Rogue Nutritionist”) is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He is a board-certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in psychology and the best-selling author of 14 books on health, healing, food and longevity, including three best-sellers, “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”, the award-winning “Living Low Carb” and his latest book, co-written with cardiologist Stephen Sinatra and featured on the Dr. Oz Show, “The Great Cholesterol Myth”.
Nutritionist debunks some old wives’ tales so that you can enjoy your meals again
Let’s talk fat. Specifically, saturated fat. If you’ve banished red meats and egg yolks from your diet for health reasons, there’s reason to rejoice. “I think the notion that saturated fat and cholesterol are the demons in the diet is 100 percent wrong,” says Dr. Jonny Bowden PhD, CNS, a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. “When you look at the data, it’s very clear: Most of what we’ve been told about saturated fat and cholesterol is simply not so.”
Bowden, a board-certified nutritionist and author of 14 books including The Great Cholesterol Myth co-authored with cardiologist Stephen Sinatra, explains that, “I’m out to rehabilitate the reputation of saturated fat, a perfectly healthy fat that we collectively demonized when we wrongly believed it lead to heart disease. Recent research has shown that there’s no connection between saturated fat in the diet and the incidence of heart disease. Instead of saturated fat and cholesterol, most leading edge experts are now looking at inflammation as a prime mover in the development of heart disease.
“The irony is that the foods we were taught are good for us – breads, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes – are the very ones that are killing us. Our bodies convert these foods to sugar almost instantly. Sugar raises insulin, which causes inflammation, which is the fundamental cause of heart disease.”
Omega 3 & Common Fish Oil Myths
Have you had a chance to review some of the Omega 3 information I’ve shared? If not, here are links to some resources:
How much omega 3 do you need to lower cholesterol?
Top Omega 3 Sources to Lower Cholesterol
Now, let’s get a another point of view from Dr. Fred Sancillio.
Dr. Sancilio is a development scientist. He has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented to scientists in conferences around the world. He started his career as a physical and analytical chemist in the Research Division of Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc. Dr. Sancilio earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical and Analytical Chemistry from Rutgers University.
According to Dr. Sancilio, if you take a fish oil supplement to help lower your LDL cholesterol, you’re wasting your money. The same may hold true if you think there’s not much difference between the various types of fish oil and omega-3 supplements on store shelves except perhaps the capsule sizes (and the size of the smelly, fishy belches some cause after you take them).
So, let’s dive into a Q & A discussion different aspects of omega 3 and what Dr. Sancilio refers to as myths…
5 Steps for Heart Health, Starting Now
On the road to heart health, start with weight control. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight promotes overall health and prevents many diseases, including heart disease. Living with extra weight, puts an increased burden on your heart muscle. Being overweight or obese puts you at increased risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and other health
Here are five additional steps you can take for heart health:
1. Exercise more.
Being inactive is a major risk factor for heart disease. Regular exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, has many heart related benefits. For example, exercise will strengthen your heart, improves circulation, and lowers blood pressure.
2. Cut back on salt.
Salt can hide in places you may not expect. Read food labels. For some individuals, a high sodium diet is linked to high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts excess work on the heart and can lead to stroke and heart failure.
3. Avoid trans fat.
Trans fat increase LDL cholesterol, increase triglycerides and lowers HDL cholesterol. The FDA no longer recognizes trans fats as “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. Read food labels and select heart healthy oil when cooking, such as olive oil or canola oil.
