The Not-so-Sweet Side of Sugars

Refined sugar is becoming highly scrutinized as a possible explanation for the explosion of diabetes and obesity related health problems in our nation. We are often told by the media that added sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in particular, is bad for our health and we should minimize our consumption of it, but scientists and health care providers rarely take the time to explain why the added sugar is detrimental to our health. The research behind sugar metabolism has been well elu-cidated, and I propose in this article that it is the high level of fructose in the average diet, particu-larly from table sugar and HFCS, that contributes to many of our nation\u27s pressing health con-cerns. This article represents my attempt to communicate the science from the research bench in such a way that a general audience can understand why fructose is particularly dangerous. It is my hope that with a better conceptual understanding of the science, individuals will be more willing to reduce the amount of added sugars in their diets