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.

Chronic stress and a high-fat, high-sugar diet decrease stimulation adrenaline receptors involved in burning fat and reducing appetite notes a recent paper.

“Another recent study, in humans [ by Frank et al, 2008 ], revealed that sugar is more potent than low-calorie sweeteners in stimulating brain areas related to expectation and satisfaction, thereby turning off the desire for more sweetness,” notes noted Tracy Hampton in an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“We thought that sugar and artificial sweeteners, which both activate sweet receptors in the tongue, would both activate the same pathways in the brain,” said principal investigator Walter Kaye, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Psychiatry, Hampton quotes in her article. “They turned out to not be the same,” [ Dr. Kaye ] added.

Overweight men and women given sucrose (sugar) supplements, provided mostly as beverages, gained an average of 3.5 pounds in two-and-one-half months compared to a weight loss of 2.2 pounds for a group of people given artificial sweetners according to a recent study.

Sugar may be addictive in some people according to a study done on rats from researchers at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Overweight men and women gained an average of 3.5 pounds in two-and-a-half months drinking sugar-sweetened soda compared to an average weight loss of 2.2 pounds for those drinking artificially-sweetened sodas according to a recent study. This is a difference of 5.7 pounds between the groups

Added sugar accounts for an estimated 15.8 percent of calories in the U.S., and almost half (47 percent) comes from soft drinks as noted in a paper from Harvard about sugar intake and weight gain.

When rats were allowed to choose between water sweetened with sugar (sucrose) or the artificial sweetener saccharin compared with intravenous cocaine, 94 percent of them chose the sweetened water to the cocaine according to a study from researchers at the University Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France.

Among children who were about 12-years-old, each additional serving of sugar-sweetened drink increased the risk of obesity by 60 percent, and increased body mass index (BMI) by 0.24 units according to a study by David Ludwig and others at Harvard University.

This was after adjusting for differences in height, diet, lifestyle and demographics.

“[A]dults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity,” according to a a report from researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

The results were based on more than 40,000 interviews conducted by the California Health Interview Surveys.

“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.

“In 2001 to 2004, the usual intake of added sugars for Americans was 22.2 teaspoons per day (355 calories per day),” according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

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.

Eliminating one sugar-sweetened drink per day caused a weight loss of 1.1 pounds after six months, and 1.4 pounds after a year-and-a-half according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

“On a typical weekday, 55% to 70% of all sugar-sweetened beverage calories were consumed in the home environment, and 7% to 15% occurred in schools according to a paper by researchers from Columbia University in New York, USA.

“Schools are a limited source for sugar-sweetened beverages, suggesting that initiatives to restrict sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools may have an only marginal impact on overall consumption,” the authors of the paper concluded.

The average number of calories consumed in the U.S. per capita from sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent fruit juice increased from 242 calories per day in 1988-1994 to 270 calories per day in 1999-2004 according to a paper by researchers from Columbia University in New York, USA.

In 1999-2004, U.S. children 2- to 5-years-old consumed an average of 176 calories from sugar-sweetened beverages and 100 percent fruit juice according to a paper by researchers from Columbia University in New York, USA.