This is in response to Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, who wrote that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than regular sugar ["High-fructose corn syrup no worse than sugar and juices," Dec. 9].
Science has proven the awful effects of HFCS and why it's such a problem more so now than ever.
First, I want to ask a simple question: Why has diabetes risen 400 percent in 20 years?
Diabetes is directly related to diet, which in turn is directly related to our health. It's not heredity, not coincidence, but our food supply.
A bit of science: Studies on the Maillard reaction indicate that fructose contributes to diabetic complications more readily than glucose.
The Maillard reaction, named after the French physician and chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, is a browning reaction that occurs when compounds are exposed to various sugars. Fructose browns food seven times faster than glucose, resulting in a decrease in protein quality and a toxicity of protein in the body.
This is due to the loss of amino-acid residues and decreased protein digestibility.
Maillard products can inhibit the uptake and metabolism of free amino acids and other nutrients such as zinc, and some advanced Maillard products have mutagenic and-or carcinogenic properties.
The Maillard reactions between proteins and fructose, glucose, and other sugars may play a role in aging and in some clinical complications of diabetes.
Because it's metabolized by the liver, fructose does not cause the pancreas to release insulin the way it normally does. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar.
This may be one of the reasons why residents of the United States continue to get fatter and more obese. Fructose raises serum triglycerides significantly.
As a left-handed sugar, fructose digestion is very low. For complete internal conversion of fructose into glucose and acetates, it must rob ATP energy stores from the liver.
This is science, not hype, and it's not written in the interest of looking out for someone else's bottom line.
Greg Hoskins
Spotsylvania