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High Fructose Corn Syrup and Gut Health

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener added to most packaged food items. It’s been used for decades to improve the shelf life of foods while being a cheaper sweetening agent. However, claims have come out revealing the truth about how high fructose corn syrup affects our health. Today, we will look at the information we know about high fructose corn syrup and gut health and how it affects overall health. High Fructose Corn Syrup and Gut Health

What is high fructose corn syrup?

High fructose corn syrup is a sweetening additive that was discovered in the 1960s. It was created by adding large quantities of fructose to corn starch. 

Fructose is a sugar that naturally occurs in fruits. However, when it is chemically altered in the way it is for high fructose corn syrup, it is used differently in the body. 

High fructose corn syrup was created to sweeten foods while extending their shelf life cheaply. During the time it was founded, there was a food shortage and more people to feed. So, the government partnered with farmers because corn was easily mass-produced and could be used to create high fructose corn syrup. 

In the 1990s a Japanese scientist founded a chemical that made making high fructose corn syrup even cheaper and easier. High fructose corn syrup became 70% cheaper than table sugar to use, and it was 2 times as sweet. For mass production companies, it was a no-brainer to make the swap.

So the normal sweetening methods were pushed to the side while high fructose corn syrup was added to nearly everything from baked goods to sodas to candy bars. 

High fructose corn syrup vs sugar

High fructose corn syrup and table sugar are two different sugars. 

High fructose corn syrup is high quantities of fructose mixed with corn starch. While table sugar, also known as sucrose, is fructose mixed with glucose. 

In the body, cells use glucose for energy. Insulin is necessary to drive the sugar into your cells. When insulin is released, the hormone leptin is also released which tells the body, “Hey I have food, no need to send out any more hunger signals.”

Fructose, however, is metabolized by the liver. It doesn’t provide cells with energy and it doesn’t need insulin to be broken down. This also means that when eating foods with excessive quantities of fructose (like those with high fructose corn syrup in them), your body doesn’t send out leptin. So while it’s getting food, your brain is never told to stop looking for food so it remains in a foraging state. So you continue to raid the pantry for more food because you haven’t been satisfied yet. 

High fructose corn syrup in foods makes you eat more, feel less satisfied, and continue consuming even though you’ve eaten. 

High fructose corn syrup vs fruit fructose

At this point, you might be asking, “If fruits contain fructose, should we not eat them if fructose affects the body this way?” That’s an understandable question. 

However, fructose in fruits is naturally occurring. Even fruits that have higher quantities of fructose are safe to eat because they contain an amount that is safe for the body to process.

Foods that are high in high fructose corn syrup have excessive amounts of fructose that the body doesn’t quite know what to do with. Add in the chemicals needed to process it into the high fructose corn syrup, and your body really doesn’t know what to do with it or even recognize it as a natural sugar.

So it continues to dump in over to the liver where it doesn’t really know what to do with the surplus. 

How does high fructose corn syrup affect health?

When we consume high fructose corn syrup, it goes straight to the liver. As we mentioned above, the brain never gets a signal that you’ve eaten any food. And it makes you more hungry. 

So your brain goes into foraging mode. In foraging mode, you tend to be more impulsive, aggressive, distracted, and anxious. This causes your body to send the brain signals that you need more food so the brain goes looking for food. 

This is why so many people struggle with obesity because their brain has no idea that they’ve eaten food and it becomes compulsive to eat.

Now, remember that the liver is trying to process the high fructose corn syrup you’ve already eaten. But then you’re snacking because you’re hungry again. So there is more high fructose corn syrup entering the body. The body doesn’t know what to do with all of the high fructose corn syrup so it turns it into triglycerides (fat) to be stored. 

The ability to break down fat is then affected because the cells don’t have any energy coming in because of the blocked insulin response and the sugar alternative that isn’t making it into the cells. 

This causes a decrease in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Meanwhile, the liver is creating an enzyme called fructokinase C to try and break down some of the fat.

Fructokinase C impairs the ability for the body to create more ATP. So your body tells your brain, “hey! We need some energy over here!” So the brain re-enters the foraging state. 

This endless loop causes the body to constantly be looking for food without satiation. 

During this process, uric acid is also increased. This leads to:

  • Fat not being able to be metabolized
  • Less energy in the cells
  • More fat being stored
  • Cellular damage
  • Increased reactive oxygen species
  • Oxidative stress and therefore obesity

All of these things contribute to symptoms of impulsiveness and overconsumption like those seen in ADHD and bipolar disorder.

High fructose corn syrup and gut health

Now all of this is going on and your gut is exposed to some new enzymes and is trying to help break down everything happening to create some homeostasis within the body. 

However, the build-up of fructokinase C transfers over to the small intestines. The fructokinase C in the small intestine causes insulin resistance and dysbiosis. 

High fructose corn syrup is now leading to a leaky gut and causing inflammation throughout the body. 

The fructokinase C is why even diet sodas can be linked to obesity and diabetes because they cause this systemic reaction and insulin resistance. 

How to limit the effects of high fructose corn syrup

The main way to do this is to not eat foods that contain high fructose corn syrup. This can be difficult in our world’s fast-paced environment. So it comes down to paying attention to what is on the labels of your food. 

Just because something is marketed as “healthy” doesn’t mean it actually is. Granola bars are a great example of this. Many of them are suggested as a healthy snack option: nuts, oats, fruit, etc. However, many of them also contain high fructose corn syrup. So check the packaging before buying. 

Foods like:

  • Sodas and other sugary beverages
  • Baked goods
  • Candy bars
  • Salad dressings and other condiments
  • Crackers
  • Nut butters
  • Bread
  • Breakfast cereals
  • Coffee creamers

Also, be aware that companies are getting craftier and calling high fructose corn syrup by other names. This allows them to continue selling the foods at lower prices but still making the sale because it doesn’t say high fructose corn syrup on the packaging. 

A lot of packaged items have high fructose corn syrup. Your best bet is to fill up on healthy, whole foods and limit the snacks until after you’ve eaten something hearty — think protein and fiber. 

Taking precautionary steps like taking Atrantil daily can help to try and provide your gut with some protection in case you slip up. Keeping away from high fructose corn syrup is the best way to break the cycle of your body craving it and keep your gut, brain, and body healthy.

Give this article a share across your social media platforms to share this helpful health information with those you love. 

Learn more about this topic from Dr. Ken Brown, board-certified gastroenterologist and founder of Atrantil!

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How does high fructose corn syrup affect gut health?

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