An Urban's Rural View

Sugar is Sugar When Diabetes is Considered

Urban C Lehner
By  Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus
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Marion Nestle has a good post at Food Politics (http://tiny.cc/…) about the latest study linking high-fructose corn syrup to diabetes.

The study says, "HFCS appears to pose a serious public health problem on a global scale." Nestle says the study is flawed and calls its conclusion "a stretch."

Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, is one of the usual suspects in the HFCS debate but she's a credible suspect for two reasons. First, she's no shill for the Corn Refiners Association. She favors taxing all sugary sodas.

Second, whatever you think of Nestle's views, she's fair-minded. Her blog post includes two emails from the study's principal author, University of Southern California professor Michael I. Goran.

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According to Goran's study, countries with higher levels of HFCS in their diets have 20% more diabetes. Nestle says this shows correlation, not causation. She says the study's sources of data are questionable. And, she notes:

"Inconsistencies abound. For example, Mexico has more diabetes than does the U.S., but rather low HFCS availability (Mexicans prefer sucrose in their sodas). Some countries with high diabetes rates report no HFCS availability at all."

Nestle thinks adult-onset diabetes is a natural byproduct of the way we live today -- too much total sugar and fat in the diet, too little exercise. Reduce obesity and you'll reduce diabetes.

Nestle's view rings a bell with me. I know anecdotes don't prove points, but they do illustrate them, and here's mine. My mother and two of her sisters suffered from adult-onset diabetes. None of them were soda drinkers; all were overweight during that critical period of middle age when they were diagnosed with diabetes.

Goran makes much of the additional fructose in HFCS. Nestle's rebuttal:

"Yes, HFCS is sugar(s) -- glucose and fructose. So is table sugar (sucrose). But the bottom line goes for both: Everyone would be better off eating less sugar(s)."

Urban Lehner

urbanity@hotmail.com

(CZ)

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tom vogel
11/30/2012 | 8:47 AM CST
Urban: Superb and thought-provoking article! You are exactly right, scientifically speaking. However, sometimes science becomes clouded by perception. Remember, there was a time when table sugar was the culprit! Now, HFCS has become the culprit in our diets. Once perception takes over, you can forget science. Unfortunately, that's where we are today. The zealots will continue to pound on HFCS until something else comes along that is worse...perhaps GMOs!