Growing female rats given 24-hour access to water containing 8% high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in addition to water and given access to regular rat chow, gained 100% of their body weight in seven (7) months compared to a normal weight gain of 77% for rats given access to rat chow and water only according to a study from researchers at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Growing male rats given 24-hour access to water containing 8% high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in addition to water and given access to regular rat chow, gained 157% of their body weight in six months compared to a normal weight gain of 102% for rats given access to rat chow and water only according to a study from researchers at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Fructose decreases the burning of fat more than glucose when on a reduced-calorie diet according to a recent study from Purdue University.

Liquid calories, such as in soft drinks, do not decrease appetite the way that solid calories do according to a recent study from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Since soda consumption has increased at least 40 percent since the late 1970’s, this may help partially explain the rapid rise in obesity.

A dramatic increase in the consumption of hIgh-fructose corn syrup in recent years may help explain the recent obesity epidemic as explained in previous articles. One of the reasons may be that fructose does not stimulate the release of insulin the way that glucose does and thus does not stimulate the release of leptin according to a paper from researchers at the University of California, Davis.

“The consumption of HFCS increased > 1000% [10-fold] between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group,” according to a paper by obesity researcher George Bray and others.

According to their “most conservative estimate”, the average American older than 2-years-old consume 132 calories as high-fructose corn syrup according to a paper by obesity researcher George Bray and others.

The one-fifth of Americans 2-years or older who consume the most caloric sweeteners ingest an average of 316 calories per day according to a paper by obesity researcher George Bray and others.

“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose,” notes a paper by obesity researcher George Bray and others.

[LIver] metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [that is, the conversion of carbohydrates to fat].

“In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production,” they note.

“Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain.”

Comment: A recent study also found that fructose increases appetite, whereas glucose decreases appetite.

This is because fructose metabolism requires an enzyme that depletes ATP, the universal energy molecule, whereas, glucose increases ATP.

The average side soda sold today (2009) compared to those sold in the 1950s is 2.5 times larger—16 ounces versus 6.5 ounces—according to a a report from researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

Two-thirds (66%) of all high fructose corn syrup consumed in the United States is through beverages according to a paper by obesity researcher George Bray and others.

Between 1977-78 and 1999-2001, “Overall, energy intake from [milk] was reduced by 38%,” according to a paper by researcher at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Between 1977-78 and 1999-2001, “Overall, energy intake from sweetened beverages increased 135% [2.4-fold],” according to a paper by researcher at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Between 1977-78 and 1999-2001, “Overall, energy intake from sweetened beverages [including a 38% reduction in calories from milk resulted in]... a 278 total calorie increase,” according to a paper by researcher at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Fructose increases food intake is because fructose metabolism requires an enzyme that depletes ATP, whereas, glucose increases ATP, and therefore decreases food intake.

This according to a great new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

“We found no differences between sucrose- and high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened colas in perceived sweetness, hunger and satiety profiles, or energy intakes at lunch,” concludes a new study from researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Our increase in fructose consumption may be part of the reason for the increase in metabolic syndrome according to a hypothesis put forth by researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, USA.

“[T]he increased consumption of HFCS, the prevailing sweetener used to flavor calorically sweetened beverages in the United States, has been found to mirror the growth of the obesity epidemic,” notes a paper from Harvard researchers in a paper on sugar intake and weight gain.

Mice give a fructose drink gained 63 percent more weight in two months than mice given either water, a sucrose-sweetened soft drink or a diet soft drink according to a fascinating new study from the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, Germany.

Maybe according to a new paper. This is not the first article to suggest this.

Americans are consuming 135 percent more sweetened beverages, 38 percent less milk and 278 more calories than we did in 1977-1978 according to a new study.

High-fructose corn syrup, especially in soft drinks, may be partially to blame for the rapid increase in obesity in recent years according to a paper from George Bray and others at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Maybe. A 1990 study found that after three weeks of drinking three-and-a-half cans of high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened soda daily women gained an average of +2.1 pounds while men gained +1.1 pounds.(1) The reason for the weight gain was simple—they consumed 13 percent more calories per day. (For your information, there is also a new paper just published in 2004 that I will be reviewing in the near future.)

Maybe. A 1990 study found that after three weeks of drinking three-and-a-half cans of high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened soda daily women gained an average of +2.1 pounds while men gained +1.1 pounds.1 The reason for the weight gain was simple ? they consumed 13 percent more calories per day. Men consumed 374 calories and women 247 calories more each day. When the same subjects were given sodas sweetened with NutraSweet? (aspartame) for three weeks calorie intake was 7 percent lower than normal. Women gained an average of +0.6 pounds, which was not statistically significant, while men lost -1 pound.