If you have visited Fearless Fat Loss before, you may have noticed that I have written a few articles regarding high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, as it is more commonly known. Not only have I been writing about it, but I have also been talking about it.
In one of my college courses (Note the date of this article is 2007), I was spreading the word about the dangers of HFCS and how it creates a fatty liver, and even cirrhosis of the liver.
My professor showed me the ingredients of his bottled drink (a type of “health” drink, I don’t recall the brand) and asked me if crystalline fructose was the same as high fructose corn syrup. This was the first I had heard of this ingredient so I was very intrigued and set out to do some research on it.
What I have learned is that crystalline fructose “is produced by allowing the fructose to crystallize from a fructose-enriched corn syrup.” This information is from the sugar producers themselves, at sugar.org. This explanation is very straightforward: it is made from corn syrup, and not only corn syrup, but “fructose enriched” corn syrup. Would another name for that perhaps be high fructose corn syrup?
To quote one of my previous posts:
HFCS can be manufactured to either contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose, or up to 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose.” Fructose and glucose are metabolized differently in the body. “Glucose is metabolized in every cell in the body, however all fructose must be metabolized in the liver.
I have learned that Crystalline Fructose contains 99.5% minimum of fructose assay, which is an even higher percentage of fructose than what makes up HFCS. Another ingredient of crystalline fructose is arsenic. I don’t know about you, but I don’t care what the amount is (in this case the chemical specs state 1 mg/kg maximum), I don’t want to be ingesting arsenic.
Additional chemical compounds that make up crystalline fructose are heavy metals, lead, and chloride. I obtained this information from adm.com in their PDF document that I used to research this post.
Even if you do not drill down into the chemical composition of crystalline fructose, the bullet points of the document clearly show that this sweetener provides the same outcome and is used in the same way as HFCS is:
however crystalline fructose includes an even higher percentage of fructose than HFCS does.
Remember that fructose must be processed completely in the liver, and when a diet includes a large amount of it (if you eat mainly processed foods), then it creates a fatty liver, and even cirrhosis.
I firmly believe in public education on these topics. Even if you have heard of these ingredients, you may be surprised to know how wide spread their use is, especially since these corn syrups are used in breads. How many ready-made sandwich shops are using bread made with crystalline fructose or high fructose corn syrup? I do not know these figures currently, however I would bet that most of these breads do contain fructose corn syrups, since most of the breads that you can buy in the grocery store contain them.
In my humble opinion, it sounds like the food industry has come up with a new name for high fructose corn syrup in crystalline fructose while increasing the level of fructose in it.
Yes, it is unlikely that these corn syrups will disappear any time soon because they are very cheap for the processed food manufacturers. As long as you are knowledgeable about what you are eating, the more conscious you will become in your decisions concerning what you put into your body. We all deserve to live with the highest level of health possible, and clearly fructose corn syrup sweeteners will not be found along the path to outstanding health!
If you found this information helpful, you may also be interested in 23 “Health” Drinks that Contain Crystalline Fructose, or this post on high fructose corn syrup.
Hi JoLynn,
Great article. Very well researched. Looking forward to many, many more great posts. Thanks a lot for this! Let’s trade links. We’re on the same team.
Peace,
Cindy
wisdomofhealing.com
Thanks for the eye opening information. I am currently working on improving our household’s nutrition and this is useful indeed.
Lexi
Hi Cindy,
Thank you very much! I do love to research and pass the info along to you, as well as passing along what I’ve learned through experience. This article was an eye-opener for me because I had never heard of crystalline fructose… quite interesting, hmm?
JoLynn
Hi Lexi,
No problem!
That is inspiring, to hear that you are consciously working to improve your household’s level of nutrition, way to go! 🙂
JoLynn
Thank you so much! I was trying to find out more about crystalline fructose and whether or not it was bad for you. I went to sugar.org and read their information but it left me flat. I am so glad I came across this blog! Once again a thousand thank yous!
Hi Jill,
Sure, no problem! I love to research and learn more about processed and fast food ingredients and spread the word on what I find. I’m glad to help! 🙂
All the best,
JoLynn
I was just eating some Mountain High Classic Lowfat All Natural Yoghurt when I saw “Crystalline Fructose” on the ingrediants with a **note. It says “Crystalline fructose is a natural low glycemic sweetener. Because it is metabolized more slowly than sugar, it is better for your body.” This doesn’t seem like truthful information.
Raquel
Loveland, CO
Hi Raquel,
Thank you for pointing out that crystalline fructose is also in yogurt; I thought it was mainly in “health” drinks!
I am thinking that the way that the “note” got on that packaging is because fructose probably does metabolize more slowly than sugar, because it has to be processed in the liver! Instead of being processed/metabolized like normal food is, it all gets pushed or “shunted” to the liver, and likely it does take longer to metabolize it.
It’s like the term, “natural flavor”, something that I never questioned until recently. It sounds so innocent when in actuality, it’s not.
All the best,
JoLynn
Thanks for posting this valuable info. My friends and I tried the new Vitamin Water which is hot on the market. I’m trying to avoid corn syrup…so I thought I’d just look into the crystalline fructose story since it is the new sweetener in all the health drinks suddenly appearing (I started checking the labels in the health food case at the grocery). I was shocked to discover it was just basically another name for HFCS. I tell everyone I see who it drinking it – because the sad thing is they are actually trying to be healthy by avoiding sodas and HFCS. Turns out, the market has just found a sneaky way to give it to them anyway. I wrote the company and asked them how they could market a new health drink which was in fact…not healthy. I never received a response. I don’t think of myself as a health food nut – I just want to eat better – and as consumers we are actually being tricked. It is websites like yours that will help consumers change the market. Keep spreading the word! Thank you! Go music!
Hi Mae,
Wow, how inspiring you are, writing the manufacturer, Go Mae!! 😀
I agree with you and sure hope that altogether, you, others like you, and sites like mine can get the word out bit by bit. It’s all about information, knowledge, and reading labels. Unfortunately, many are like how I used to be…as long as it tastes good, then great!
You can no longer say “ignorance is bliss” once you start reading your labels, and then investigating what all of those odd sounding ingredients are! 😉
Thanks so much for your comments Mae.
All the best,
JoLynn
Yeah that’s just what I thought. I was hoping that maybe it was a less toxic form of HFCS but thinking it could be worse. They are trying their best to fool us while killing us. I noticed this on the fortified flavored drink that was left at my house. You don’t need added ingredients in your water. It is hard enough to get clean water let alone have them put more poisons in it. If you want vitamins take a pill….I hope they don’t put this #%^$% in vitamins.
We have to stop drinking sodas….!!!!!!! and tell them why!!! We have to stand up and be counted. We can make our own ice tea. Put juices in it and real sugar. We can make our own lemonade and put real sugar in it. We need to raise the comsumption of sugar, only then will these dogs go back to using sugar. We just have to stop them. I have made up my mind to never drink another soda. Spend the $200. and get a good juicer. It has to be a good juicer because low cost juicers don’t extract enough content from the food so it takes more food. The real problem is trying to find a bread with out this poison in it. It is a bit harder to make your own bread.
Never eat anything artificial. I know that is next to impossible. But read labels. There are many items on the shelves that have little artificial ingredients. Do not ever think any of the higher ups are protecting us. Remember it’s all about money with them. When you see three inches of ingredients….put it back on the shelf. Americans are being maimed and killed because we want it fast, easy, and low calorie and because we trust our government. We are the fools. We can do something about all this but we don’t. Boycott products and tell the manufacturer why. We made a difference in Trans Fats.
Hi Sandy,
Thank you for both of your comments! 🙂
I agree with you on how important it is to read labels. As far as not eating anything artificial, I’d say that 90% of what I eat is non-processed food.
I do eat no salt added (nsa) rice cakes, nsa canned tomatoes and green beans, plain frozen vegetables, canned no sugar added pineapple, and plain rice noodles, all of which are considered to be processed even though they may only have one ingredient. I do have some non-sugar flavorings that I use, also, however I do not eat anything with corn syrups of any kind. It probably would be tough to exclude everything that is processed in any way, although there are people who do it.
I found information on a bread online that is not supposed to have hfcs, however I have never bought it or seen it so I don’t have a personal recommendation for it: Rudi’s Organic Bakery. Hope that helps! 🙂
All the best,
JoLynn
In your research, have you determined the overall concentration of crystalline fructose within a standard serving size compared to those drink brands that use HFCS? Although I agree that large consumption of HFCS (and even crystalline fructose) are detrimental to human health, I’m curious if manufacturers purportedly spinning their produects as “healthier” alternatives may have some stance because the overall concentration of the sweetner is less if they use crystalline fructose over HFCS. Thanks.
Hi John,
Thank you for your comment and question, it’s really a good one. 🙂
No, I have not compared the amounts of either per serving size, however after learning more about the FDA guidelines and food labeling, it could be possible that crystalline fructose could be creatively marketed as a healthier alternative.
Now, I did find in my research “Crystalline Fructose contains 99.5% minimum of fructose assay, which is an even higher percentage of fructose than what makes up HFCS”, and that fructose is the part that gets shunted to the liver. So, even if you can use less CF to get the same sweet taste as HFCS, it could stand to reason that you are still getting the same or higher level of fructose per serving. Again though, I have not researched this specific comparison.
I can put this on my list of articles to research and write about. It’s a good idea, thank you! 🙂
hi there,
What if an ingredient label reads “crystalline fructose (real fruit fructose)”?
Thanks for any input!!
-Margo
I googled the term “crystalline fructose” and this wonderful article came up! The reason I looked it up was because it was the SECOND ingredient in my SoBe “Better for You Essential Energy” Drink. Bull. I try to eat as healthy as possible due to health problems and I feel stupid for having “fallen” for this gimmick. Thank goodness I looked at the label- the only reason was because it tasted like a liquid lollipop… And thank you for the article. Keep up the good work on informing us about significant health knowledge.
Hi Lenay,
Thank you so much for your compliments! 🙂 Don’t feel stupid, I only recently learned what crystalline fructose is…I bet there are many people who don’t know what it is, either.
I will keep those articles coming, along with a few others, it’s no problem. 😉
Hi Margo,
Excellent question, one I hadn’t heard of before. I don’t understand how the food manufacturer can have “crystalline fructose (real fruit fructose)” on the label though, because crystalline fructose is made from corn, not fruit.
I’ve been researching this since you left your comment just to make sure I didn’t miss something, and I couldn’t find any information on crystalline fructose being made from fruit.
I suspect (but I don’t have this in writing) that this is another example of “creative” food labeling, similar to what I wrote about in the article on “sugar free food labeling”.
I hope this helps! 🙂
Lead? Arsenic? If thats true, than wouldn’t someone be all over this? Enviga stated that it burned more calories than it contained and the FDA went ape and halted shipping of it until proof was put forth. I appreciate the information, but its really not a scientific point of view. I’d love to know about the amounts of each CF and HFCS required to sweeten a 12oz beverage. If it is considerably less with CF, its only half a lie.
Though fresh tea, and water is great… the best actually. This CF may be a good alternative for 2liter chugging mountain dew fans. Thanks. Take care.
Hi Damion, thank you for your comments!
Yes, according to the PDF (link is in article) I referenced, crystalline fructose does contain both lead and arsenic. There have been other products and ingredients that have gained FDA approval in the past, which were then pulled from the shelf. My opinion is that you must use your own best judgment for your own health, based on the knowledge gained through your research. Companies that are making billions of dollars a year aren’t going to be looking out for you, but you still have to decide yourself.
Sugar is a billion dollar industry, even though it is a health hazard, an addictive drug, and gives you no nutritional value; but, it is everywhere. Again, it all comes down to money, and each of us has to make our own choices.
Re: “its really not a scientific point of view”…no, I wouldn’t claim that my writing is scientific at all since I’m not a scientist, doctor, pharmacist, nothing like that, nor have I ever stated such. 😉
John also asked (comment above), a similar question re: levels of these sweeteners in comparison. I don’t have the stats on this currently, and if I can find information on this through research I will be happy to post it. I do have quite a list of post ideas that I am working through, but it’s on the list.
Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you so much for your post and for your research. I’ve been drinking one of the “health” drinks with crystalline fructose. I’ve been drinking it because I have severe reactions to aspartame and “sugar free” drinks (I was almost diagnosed with a neurological disorder before discovering the root cause!). I thought the drink was a nice alternative to those aspartame filled powders.
It occurred to me the other day to look at the label to see if it had HFCS and noticed the crystalline fructose ingredient. Your blog was the first that I came along and was thrilled that someone else had done the leg work! I will be disposing of the rest of what I have at home – a small price to pay. I think I will be going back to my own natural flavored water drinks (fresh mint and lemon) and trying to create my own variety of drink flavors with other natural ingredients!
Thank you!
Hi Becky,
No problem, glad I could help!
That’s very interesting, your reaction to aspartame. I wrote an article about phenylalanine and in that research I found other info about aspartame that was similar to your experience.
I also go the natural route: I drink a lot of water (I use a reverse osmosis water processor at home), and sometimes I’ll put lemon in it. I do also like my (plain) tea. 🙂
The fresh mint sounds like a great idea!
Thank you for doing my homework for me! I bought black currant juice from a large grocer here in OH and thought “oh good…no corn syrup” but then my boyfriend just asked…so what is crystalline fructose? So I jumped online and to my dismay here is your article. I’m taking the juice back today! Thank you!!!
Hi Jennifer,
No problem, glad I could help you and your boyfriend with the info! 🙂
This is wrong. Crystalline fructose is pure 100% fructose, just in crystal form. First off, this is better than high fructose corn syrup. second, the connection between obesity and any type of fructose is doubtful. Fructose is the type of sugar that occurs in natural fruits like apples.
and uummm…we need sugar….everything that is put into our bodies is broken down into a sugar. However, ingesting large amounts of simple sugars like glucose can have an adverse effect on the metabolism.
These enhanced waters like Vitamin Water, or Life Water are probably more beneficial while working out. The reason why crystalline fructose is in many of these drinks is to maintain energy while working out, or to decrease the amount of sugars needed for rejuvenation (like in muscles) after a workout. The liver is the organ absorbing and breaking down all these sugars. During exercise the body needs simple sugars to keep going. Since fructose is broken down slowly, the body can maintain a pace without crashing. This is what helps make these particular drinks effective.
You also don’t need a lot of crystalline fructose to get a lot of sweetening. Notice that it takes 13g of it to sweeten a bottle of Vitamin Water, if you’re exercising and not relying on the drink to lose weight for you, this is not much at all.
additionally, this stuff is probably not as ‘bad’ for you as regular table sugar.
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your comments! You’ve given me ideas for up to 3 articles. 🙂
Briefly (on each point 😉 ), neither the human nor animal body needs refined sugar. Refined sugar contains zero vitamins or minerals, hence it contains zero nutrients. In fact, in order for the body to digest it, sugar pulls/robs vital vitamins and minerals from the body since refined sugar does not provide its own. The quickest way to get sick is to eat too much sugar, I’ve experienced this many times myself.
Whether sugar is refined or “made from” cane, beets, potatoes, fruit, or corn (HFCS, crystalline fructose, corn syrup, etc.), these are all man-made sugars. There is no nutritional value for the body in these substances.
Re: working out, it is very important to eat both prior to the work out and afterwards. The best pre-workout meal consists of a combination of protein, whole carbohydrate (2 examples: oatmeal, sweet potatoes), and natural fruit (2 examples: berries, apples). Post workout can be a meal of your protein, whole carb, and vegetables, or protein and natural fruit. For portion sizes it depends on whether or not you striving for weight loss or not. There is no reason at all to be ingesting refined sugar for the purpose of a workout. Additionally, I wouldn’t recommend sugar water for weight loss since it will increase your cravings for more sugar.
Re: digestion of all food, there is a huge difference between whole foods being broken down into “sugar” vs. ingesting refined sugar. When you eat whole foods they include their own vitamins and minerals, which are used in the process of digestion. Again, refined sugar provides nothing of value. It sure does taste good though, and it’s a great moneymaker because it keeps you coming back for more. 😉 I can attest to that 100%, I’ve bought enough of it in my lifetime!
Re: fructose metabolizing during exercise and the content of CF … crystalline fructose does not contain fructose (sugar made from fruit); crystalline fructose is made from corn (see PDF doc in my article above). I don’t know why the term “fructose” is even used, since this product is not made from fruit. It certainly can create a lot of confusion.
As to which is better, CF or any other refined sugar, I wouldn’t recommend either. I would recommend eating whole, unprocessed fruits, or chewing on a piece of whole, unprocessed sugar cane (something I haven’t done but would like to try!). Neither or these sweet options will harm you like man-made, refined sugar will.
You are correct that it takes much less crystalline fructose to sweeten a food or beverage. This is also true for high fructose corn syrup. Both of these ingredients are much sweeter than “table sugar”, and much cheaper to produce. They also have the “great” qualities of creating cravings for more and more sugar, and they do make food taste great. If you don’t have a problem with food cravings, sugar addiction, overeating, binging, or intestinal cramping from this additive, then maybe you won’t have a problem with it. It is of course, your choice.
I strongly recommend reading Sugar Blues
by William Dufty.
life SoBe water contains crystalline fructose!
lol just felt like shouting that out.. hehe
but this being said can’t natural sugar be just as ‘harmful’ to the body. Just because sugar cane is natural doesn’t mean that it can’t cause the same negative effects on the body. sugar is sugar and humans are best to limit the amount of intake of it. in this case, since the body is best to consume more complex carbohydrates, natural sugar doesn’t offer anything to the body anyways and can still cause overeating, intestinal cramps if overused. So, there is no more harm by ingesting controlled amounts of CF – or no more harm than natural sugar.
besides, who doesn’t like intestinal cramping. Even the name makes a bad day turn for good. it’s the highest of high comedy.
btw, it’s probably called “fructose” because it probably has 6 carbon molecules, 12 hydrogen molecules, and 6 oxygen molecules. CF can’t be created out of nothing; to be a sugar it has to have the elements of sugar.
Hi Alex,
Actually there is a very large difference between a piece of the sugar cane plant and the refined sugar that is made from it. There is natural sugar in that piece of sugar cane as well as in carrots, strawberries, blueberries, and other fruits. When you eat those whole foods, the sugar is brought in with the vitamins and minerals that the food is providing, unlike when you ingest processed sugar (more details in my comment #1412 above 😉 ).
It is suggested to eat fruits with a protein instead of by themselves though, if you want to keep your metabolism up. For myself, I’ve noticed that this satisfies me more than just eating fruit alone, anyway.
I haven’t looked up the molecular make-up of sugar, you could be onto something there. You’re correct that crystalline fructose isn’t created out of nothing, it’s a sugar made from corn.
While I think your doing a good thing here, make sure all of your readers know that not just these sweeteners get put through your liver, Everything you put in and on your body goes through your liver, gallbladder, pancreas and appendix as these are the filters of our bodies, if you want to be healthy cleanse your bodies twice a year whether you think you need it or not. There are some excellent products out there (www.herbdoc.com) and take a really good bioavailable vitamin(alot of them are not)(www.deaddoctors.com)I don’t care how healthy you eat there are not enough nutrients(we need 90 essential)in any type of food to sustain you at maximum health. And where have you heard that to absorb your vitimins you should take essential fatty acids? I live in the country and we raise our own meat,eggs,vegetables,and milk a cow to make butter,cheese,yogurt,and ice cream. I realize that it is impossible for everyone to do so, but you can find better alternatives to what is being mass produced to poison us all. It’s out there you just have to be willing to look for it and access it.
Hi KC,
Thanks for your comments! Yes, I agree that all of that processed food contains so much gunk, and it doesn’t help your organs, your digestive system, much less your health in general…not to mention your weight.
It just doesn’t make sense to be ingesting so many chemicals and additives. You are correct that there are healthy alternatives, that’s my experience, also!
That’s wonderful that you are “living off the land”. 😉 I grew up eating fresh food out of my parents’ garden, but I don’t have my own garden now. It’s funny though to have this come up, because I’ve been thinking about doing some planting of my own.
I also take supplements, which is another topic I have on my list to write about. Even when eating whole foods, unless you grow them yourself they do lose nutrients during transportation, and time.
Darn, and I just starting drinking this Vitamin water cause I thought it would be healthy but I guess it really isn’t with all the crystalline fructose in it, thanks for the information.
Hi Chad, no problem!
I know, it stinks that you found something you thought was good for you, but at least you know now. 😉
I’m glad you took the time to look this up. I think I am in the same boat as Chad. We had something called vita-water or some such drink from Costco. I tried one the other day and was really surprised. I just got the idea to go look and see what was really in the bottle and was immediately suspicious of the word “fructose” in any form. I didn’t even read the next ingredient.
Thanks again.
Hi Kjelstad,
No problem, I’m glad that you and so many others are finding this information useful! 🙂
Wow, great research, I’d been looking for drinks without HFCS in them, and I just assumed crystalline fructose would be fine considering what kind of drinks it’s in.
Thanks for putting this information out there.
Hi Ryan,
Sure, no problem! I’m glad that there are so many people out there like you who are investigating the ingredients of their food and drink instead of just thinking “if it’s on the shelf it must be good for my health”. 😉
Yeah, switched from Gatorade to Vitamin water because I found out Gatorade had HFCS and read the label on Vitamin water and didn’t see HFCS. Soon thereafter, I found out that Crystalline Fructose was a derivative of HFCS. I felt very deceived and now don’t drink Vitamin Water either. Next person to design an electrolyte drink without either of these ingredients is going to rock the market.
Hi Zachary,
I know what you mean about feeling deceived…and what an idea! That’s so funny because earlier today I was just thinking about the electrolyte drinks, and just why they need to have sweeteners or sugar in them. It will be interesting to see what the next one on the market will contain. 😉
I can’t believe I bought a snapple red tea. I always read labels before buying. One of the ingredients in the snapple red tea that I had bought is “crystalline fructose (sugar from fruit)” I had assumed that if the ingredient states “fructose from fruit” that it was an alright buy. Then I came across this site and I’m glad I had. I have always wondered why these fructose drinks taste kind of off, almost poisonous. How are these fructose using corporations allowed to sell this swindle?
Hi Luc,
I’m glad that my article was helpful for you. I know what you mean about how the drinks sweetened with hfcs or crystalline fructose taste funny. I’ve gotten stomachaches from these types of drinks before.
Unfortunately it’s legal for the food manufacturers to use these ingredients. It’s really up to each individual to look out for him or herself and learn just what is in the processed food and drink that they are ingesting…the processed food market with it’s many sundry ingredients (including the corn sweeteners) is too big to be disappearing any time soon.
Hey im doing a research project on Gatorade vs. Vitamin Water. And I need to know the price difference between the two of them! Plz help!!
I have an unanswered question. If the label states Crystalline fructose (Sugar from fruit) is the “sugar from fruit” misleading? Which fruit, if any, is used?
@Bob, I don’t buy Gatorade or Vitamin Water so I’m not much help on any price comparisons. When I did my research on their ingredients I went to the store with my notebook but didn’t pay any attention to the prices since I only noted the ingredients.
@Luc, that’s a question that others have had and I can see why it would be confusing.
Crystalline fructose is made from corn, not from fruit. I haven’t found any factual evidence when I’ve researched why the food manufacturers are allowed to label CF like this, but I think they must have another creative labeling guideline like I wrote about in a couple of other articles (re: trans fat and sugar-free labeling).
I bet that they can say “sugar from fruit” because they place this next to the word “fructose”, even though CF is made from corn. That is only my assumption, but if I ever find written guidelines (FDA rules) on this I’ll write a post about it. 😉
Great article on crystalline fructose!! But can you tell me the difference b/t cf and sucrose (in laymens terms please). Also Xanthan (xanthum) gum, what is this? thank you
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks!
You asked 2 very good questions. I wrote a post today about xanthan gum, you can read it here.
Re: the difference between crystalline fructose and sucrose…CF is manufactured from corn in a chemical process that gives you a product (CF) that includes other chemicals (see the PDF doc I referenced in my article above), and sucrose is table sugar, obtained from sugar cane or beets. I personally don’t recommend either, because they are both sugars. If you want to read more about how unhealthy (and addictive) sugar is, I suggest reading Sugar Blues by William Dufty. 😉
I hope that helps. Thanks again for your questions, you helped me learn all about xanthan gum today through the research I did for my article. 🙂
I am just so glad there is someone out there who gets it and can help to spread the word. We just need to educate ourselves. As you can tell by reading this post, tons of you “assumed” it was healthy because the company markets it that way. We have to take it upon ourselves to do the research so we are not mislead.
Since I’ve been informed about HFCS I don’t consume any drinks with HFCS in it. Now, I no longer have this painfully queasy and bloated stomach feeling, purely liquid diarrhea, gas, and etc.
Hi Luc,
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve had the exact same experience as you, and hopefully when others read what you wrote it will help them to get off of the HFCS (and crystalline fructose!) drinks, too. 😉
you said: “Sugar is a billion dollar industry, even though it is a health hazard, an addictive drug, and gives you no nutritional value; but, it is everywhere. Again, it all comes down to money, and each of us has to make our own choices.”
Its obviously about something more than money if the FDA has done investigations on it and have apparently found nothing. Using logic, one would assume that the FDA would have some sort of protocol in thier investigations to check for such poisons as arsenic and lead. we must assume they are either incompetent, or something far worse. and here is where it becomes a human rights issue, and by all rights we should be fighting to end the FDAs ability to allow poisons in our food. if one could prove this, and chose to stand up for the health of the world, they could try to sue the FDA(if one has the money and means to do so…). So fructose is the sugar from fruits and vegetables, but crystalline fructose is actually from corn? another blatant lie! and they have the nerve to try to cover up thier lie with “from fruit”. Gotta love how the FDA REGULATES science, and dominates what is deemed “healthy and natural”. This whole thing makes me sick! 😡
secondly, i couldnt help but think of 100% raw cane sugar. Ive been searching the net to see if studies have been done to show the health comparisons to eating raw cane vs refined. I found out that refined sugar strips the cane juice of ALL of its inherit nutritional value, including the natural enzymes which help digest it. why dont more companies use raw sugar or just plain fructose! It baffles me! Is it cost? Lack of investigation by the companies? Education? Arg…we really need to get rid of the FDA. You should write on article on raw sugar!
On that note, Presidential candidate Ron Paul supports the discontinuation of the FDA. You all should research him!
My ultimate sense in this is that education combined with political action will put an end to these issues. Stand up for your health and your rights, because you cant always rely on others to do so!
Thanks a lot for this enlightening research article!…and thank you further for all of the links and useful information you provided!
Now its time to see if any actual scientific studies have been done to fortify your exposed information on crystalline fructose.
and further, have you ever heard of stevia before? its a natural sweetener with no known side effects, but the FDA will not let it be sold through any other method than supplements. INSANE! They give us poison, yet limit us from being able to get the good stuff.
thanks again! glad i discovered this site!
Hi Aaron, thanks for you comments!
I see what you’re saying, but I still believe the main motivation is money. Tasty, “keep ’em coming back for more” processed foods make their manufacturers billions of dollars a year. I also wouldn’t put all of my trust in the FDA, especially after what I learned today in researching an upcoming article on, you guessed it, Stevia. 😉
I completely feel your passion for standing up against the FDA, and finding out why they allow such additives to be put in our food, and at the same time, that would take a full-time effort. I hope that by writing about these topics, that I can help spread the word bit by bit. I really feel that what we each have to do is take responsibility for ourselves, educate ourselves, and not expect big brother to watch out for us. After all, most of the crappy food that tastes so great and is so popular is really not good fuel for the body…..and it’s on the shelf legally. Look at how popular Vitamin Water is…and it contains crystalline fructose!
I’m not saying that anyone is intentionally trying to harm the population’s health, but then again, if you’re a believer in conspiracy theories, that’s a totally different story altogether. 😉
I didn’t know that Ron Paul supports the discontinuation of the FDA, thanks for telling me that. I will do some research on that, sounds very very interesting.
That’s a good idea re: an article on raw sugar, I’ll put that on my list. The thing is, I don’t know if it’s actually processed and refined, but I’ll find out. Now if you’re addicted to sugar, I’d still stay away from it because it will just keep you craving more and more sugar.
Thanks again for your comments Aaron, I’ll save the rest of my thoughts for future posts. 🙂
I’ve been noticing lately printed on juice, soda, soft drinks, and numerous other labels, “No High Fructose Corn Syrup.” The other day at Walgreens, I bought this soda that has printed on its label, “No High Fructose Corn Syrup.” It’s actually quite good and it didn’t have that usual poisonous taste that high fructose corn syrup” leaves on the pallet. Is there something about high fructose corn syrup that is finally catching on and that food manufacturers are aware of its effects?
Hi Luc,
I don’t know, I’ve only seen that label on a loaf of bread. Maybe the manufacturers are paying attention to the bad rap that high fructose corn syrup is getting. Dr Oz is on Oprah quite a bit, and his book YOU On A Diet is where I first learned about how hfcs interferes with your brain getting the signal that you’re full, therefore you overeat. It was because I was talking about hfcs in class that I ended up writing this article about crystalline fructose.
What’s the brand of the soda you bought? I want to check it out and see what the ingredients are. Thanks a lot for letting me know about it! 🙂
JoLynn, thankyou so much for your research and input! The hidden dangers in falsely advertised food and beverage products is getting out of hand. I’m trying to locate an organization that will be putting pressure on these companies to provide some integrity. If anyone knows, please email me at trozmyr |at| gmail.com thanks!
Hi Tim,
Sure, no problem!
That’s awesome that you want to get involved with putting some integrity into the processed food industry. This makes me think of John F. Banzhaf III (law professor from George Washington University) who was instrumental in the fight against the tobacco industry and who was also involved in a lawsuit against the fast food industry (specifically McDonald’s)….he was interviewed in Super Size Me
, an excellent documentary.
Hi –
Like many of your commenters, I was looking for info on crystalline fructose. I actually read the sugar industries definition before I read your blog. I already knew about the dangers of corn derived sugars because of my eldest daughter – she was diagnosed with food allergies and/or intolerances when she was 4 – corn topped the list. Luckily I like to cook, because corn is in everything!
I just wanted to add a couple of points in regards to “James'” post.
First, most 5th graders can tell you what a crystal is (I know because I was helping my 5th grader 2 days ago with her science and that was one of the questions). But, what any 1st year chem student CAN tell you, there are plenty of naturally (or even unnaturally) occuring substances out there that are perfectly fine to injest but if you rearrange those same molecules just the slightest bit – you get poison. Cocaine is actually a great example of this. In it’s natural form, the leaves have been chewed for centruies, with no real problems, by native people. Then humans learned to refine it and the powder was created – then we took it a step further and crack was “invented”. We went from a basically harmless form with medicinal properties to one of the most addictive drugs in human history. Ironic that the history of sugar closely parallels cocaine, isn’t it?
What does infurate me is his implication that just because something is naturally occuring it means it is safe. Lead, arsinic, mercury, botulism and ecoli are “naturally” occuring in foods and I wouldn’t want to eat those either.
And I think he missed a main point of this blog – it’s about making an informed decision. I, for one, am tired of needing a bs in chemistry to decode an ingredient list.
Hi Lively,
Thanks for your comments! Your point, “Ironic that the history of sugar closely parallels cocaine, isn’t it?”….you couldn’t be more on target with that! I definitely agree with you. 🙂
You’re also right that there are many things in this world that occur naturally but aren’t healthy for human consumption. Also, we are on the same wavelength re: we all have to educate ourselves about what we are putting into our body and then make the decision on what we will eat. 😉
That’s also great that you enjoy cooking…that way you are in control of what you are feeding your family. Keep up the great work! 🙂
What I found particularly odd is that when i went to the now foods website to look for fructose powder, I discovered their fructose is also taken from corn. Ive been using now foods products for roughly 2 years now and am very happy with the quality and prices.
” * 100% Pure Crystalline
Fructose is commonly called “fruit sugar” because it is the main sugar in many fruits. However, fructose is now produced from corn syrup, which is derived from corn. Fructose is almost 50% sweeter than sucrose and requires about 2/3 the amount to get the same sweetness. This means fructose provides nearly 33% fewer calories per serving.”
http://www.nowfoods.com/index.php?action=itemdetail&item_id=92417
Now their crystalline fructose is listed as 100%, and maybe that makes it slightly better than others, but i would assume that the fact that its from corn still makes it an unwise choice.
I wonder what the good choices for a natural fruit sourced fructose are. Raisin juice perhaps? Im thinking about trying out something like that along with stevia for sweeteners.
Hi Aaron,
I really like Now Foods too, I buy supplements from them.
That’s correct and it’s very confusing to a lot of people….fructose is supposed to be fruit sugar, but crystalline fructose is made from corn. I wouldn’t recommend buying crystalline fructose, even if from Now Foods, and that’s nothing to do with their company because I’ve only had positive experiences with them. It’s just the product itself that is unhealthy for you.
If you want to use some natural sweeteners I’d recommend Stevia first (well, this is processed because it’s the extract of the Stevia leaf), and you could also try using juice from fresh fruits, or grate some raisins or dates and add to your food. In fact dates are the #1 ingredient of Lärabars, which don’t contain any added sugar, and believe me, they are quite sweet! 🙂
I made the mistake of drinking some eggnog for the holidays. I ended up feeling the usual sickness I get when I drink anything with HFCS in it. I asked my aunt if I could see the bottle or carton of eggnog. Sure enough, HFCS is one of the ingredients. There I was with one of my usual HFCS headaches and sick to my stomach with a warm flushed tired feel.
Hi Luc,
I’m sorry to hear that you got into the eggnog with the HFCS in it, I hope you had a happy holiday season, though! 🙂
You are an excellent example of someone who really pays attention to how the corn sweeteners affect your body negatively and you’re doing a great job of listening to your body….our body will always tell us what is healthy for us and what isn’t if we just listen, and most processed food (not to mention any of the corn sugar ingredients like crystalline fructose and HFCS!) just isn’t healthy for the human body!
Thanks for the valuable information! My wife and I are on a low glycemic diet, and are currently doing a fast with our church right now. We got this GLACEU vitamin water to help us have something to drink and keep a few vitamins going into our bodies. When my wife was looking for information on the crystaline fructose ingredient we found your post here. It is valuable information. Thanks!
Hi Dan,
Sure, I’m glad that I could help!
I’d stick with plain water instead of the vitamin water myself. You could take vitamin supplements and save the $$ on the “health drink” vitamin water, and you’d be keeping the corn sugar (crystalline fructose) and other additives out of your system. 🙂
All the best to you and your wife with your fast (with your church)!
Is this site a joke or what?
http://www.fructose.org/facts.asp
It states crystalline fructose and HFCS are not the same. It also goes on about how they are safe and are not the cause of obesity and diabetes or any other ill effects on health. Would anyone consider this safe, Arsenic ≥ 1 mg/kg?
All I know is that when I used to drink anything with HFCS in it, I always ended up with a bad case of gastroenteritis. And, crystalline fructose tastes enough like to poison to me.
Hi Luc,
Yeah, I know what you mean. They are trying to put a positive spin on it (on that site), but like your stomach tells you, it’s just not healthy!
Thanks for your comment on that. 🙂
I didn’t read ALL of the comments so apologies if someone else already posted this, but I actually wrote to Glaceau about my concern about crystalline fructose, and this was their reply:
“thank you for taking the time to contact us.
we are committed to using natural ingredients; therefore we don’t incorporate any artificial sweeteners into our products. crystalline fructose is the natural sweetener we use in vitaminwater ® and fruitwater ® and vitaminenergy ®.
crystalline fructose is a very pure, high-quality sweetener that is the same as found in most fruit. It is almost 70% sweeter than other sugars, so we can use less to get the same sweetness. crystalline fructose has a lower glycemic index than other sugars such as high fructose corn syrup, thus, blood sugar levels will remain more stable.
additionally, smartwater ® our vapor distilled, electrolyte enhanced water does not contain any sugar.
if you have any questions or if I can be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
thank you again, and remember vitaminwater – it works! nutrients are the new energy!
sincerely,
elly
consumer relations representative
http://www.glaceau.com
1-877-glaceau”
you have to appreciate their wordplay with “the same as found in most fruit”. So, does that mean it IS THE SAME found in most fruit, or SIMILAR to what is found in most fruit, but not necessarily FROM fruit? You tell me
Hi Jamie,
Crystalline fructose is made from corn, it is not made from fruit, and I don’t know of any fruit that contains corn, do you? (LOL) 😉
Crystalline fructose is a corn sugar, it is sugar, it causes sugar cravings and also intestinal difficulties in both my own personal experience and those of other people who have commented about this here at Fearless Fat Loss (comments above and in a couple of my other articles).
The company you wrote to has a product to sell, and they are just doing what they will to put a positive spin on it. CF is not at all the same as the natural sugar that is found in fruit because CF is made from corn. Crystalline fructose is just another sugar….most of the sugars in food today are made from corn (like HFCS and CF), but it can also be made from cane and beets, there are so many different names for sugar.
Check out the documents that I linked to in my article above and also the book Sugar Shock!
, pg.290.
Hope that helps, I’d stay away from the bottled sugar waters….why spend the money on that when it’s going to give you sugar cravings and cause overeating, besides cause other health issues that the corn sugars are causing for people? 😉
Great article!
Everyone should be warned of the amount of sugar they’re eating, no matter what form it takes, in processed foods. Sugar, whether glucose, fructose, sucrose or lactose, is still sugar. Large amounts of sugar are plain bad for you. Processed food high in sugar are the reason so many people are overweight and younger people are getting type II diabetes like it’s an epidemic. I like this article because it warns about the damage to your liver before all that glucose ever gets to mess with your pancreas and make you insulin-resistant.
But let’s get a little chemistry straight about the trace metals found in HFCS, crystalline fructose and any other food you consume.
Arsenic, lead, cadmium, etc., are found in very low concentrations in all soil. They are usually found in very small amounts in nearly everything you eat. 1 mg/kg is 1 part per million. The reason you see these metals being reported now that weren’t reported in the past is our analytical instruments can easily measure metals in the parts per billion and parts per trillion range, so parts per million is getting to be somewhat big in the analytical trace analysis world.
I would be a lot more worried about the affects of sugar consumption than the trace metals. Our bodies need many metals in trace amounts to be healthy, but not arsenic, lead or cadmium. Still, they come into our bodies piggybacked on other sources of nutrients our bodies do need.
Sugar consumption and the increase in weight and type II diabetes are a far larger health threat than trace metals. I’ve never heard of anyone dying of 1 ppm arsenic poisoning. Thousands die daily from the complications of type II diabetes.
Solution: avoid processed foods and eat food as close to the source as you can get it; fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, make your own bread (bread machines are inexpensive), and if you eat dairy, meat, fish or poultry, buy organic if you can get it. Butter is better for you than margarine because it’s minimally processed. Margarine is highly processed vegetable oil. Eating vegetable oil is better for you than margarine, even if it has no trans fats (the result of more processing).
And drink unsweetened tea you make yourself. Tea has many benefits that we are only beginning to learn about. Asians live to be old for a reason!
Look at the diets of those cultures who are healthiest and you will see no processed foods, a variety of teas, coffees and only natural sugar sources in small amounts.
Hi Sherri, thank you very much for your comments! 🙂
That’s exactly right, crystalline fructose is sugar, that’s why I suggest staying away from it (as well as all other corn sugars, and the myriad of other sugars under numerous names) if you are addicted to refined sugar like I am, or are sugar sensitive. I do believe that sugar is addictive to the human body since it does cause a chemical reaction in the brain, however I go into that in other articles here at Fearless Fat Loss.
You’re also right that you can pick up heavy metals in other ways, however the concern that I would have with crystalline fructose is that in the products I’ve seen it listed in, it’s almost always in the top 4 ingredients (the top 4 are the main ingredients of a food product), and usually it’s the second ingredient, which means it’s making up the bulk of that product.
According to the PDF doc I linked to in my article above, cf can contain up to 1kg arsenic, and up to 5kg heavy metals. So, if you’re living on processed foods and many contain cf (corn sugars are used more often than any other sugar in the U.S., you have to check labels to see if it’s crystalline fructose), all of those additives, chemicals, and heavy metals add up. People don’t go around eating dirt on purpose, but they do buy and ingest processed foods that contain these ingredients.
When you have all of those unhealthy ingredients coming into your body, unless you do regular detoxes to get them out, they’re just hanging around. How many people detox regularly?
Those are my thoughts on it, but everyone has to choose for themselves. For myself, I don’t eat/drink anything that has crystalline fructose, hfcs, or other corn sugars in it, but I also have to stay away from refined sugar (and flour) in general because these ingredients trigger me to compulsively overeat and then crave more and more and more, add infinitum.
I completely agree with you on getting off the processed foods and onto a healthy lifestyle filled with whole foods. When I’m eating clean (like I am now) and not into my sugar addiction, I feel just awesome. You’re right that other cultures who don’t rely on processed foods are much healthier. 🙂
Thank you so much for the informative article! You answered all my questions completely. I too had the same question your professor and and happy you could help. I am going right now to pour my Glaceau Vitamin energy down the drain where it belongs!!!
Hi Lynnette,
No problem, I’m glad that I researched this and wrote it here…..well, I’m glad my professor asked me about it! 🙂
Hi JoLynn,
You seem to be quite ambitious with this site. I think the public has a right to know what is being fed to them. By and large, I think you’re doing some good work.
However, after reading several of the comments and retorts, it seems to me that there is a disconnect between scientific nomenclature and public/common perception.
Fructose is sugar. There’s a chemical composition for the carbohydrate, complete with carbons and hydrogens and oxygens and a way to put them together. Nothing will ever change that. Unless the fructose is synthesized from petroleum products (way too expensive), it can be called ‘natural’ regardless of source. Fructose from corn is natural. Further, I believe corn is *scientifically* a fruit (the riped ovaries of a seed plant). USDA/FDA precedence has been used to term it a vegetable in our everyday language. This is very similar to the old tomato (fruit or vegetable?) argument. Therefore, ‘sugar from fruit’ is completely right, as per the Vitamin Water label. Or, it is possible, to develop a crystalline fructose process from another fruit. Whether that fructose comes from apples or honey or corn, it doesn’t matter. Well, from honey wouldn’t be from fruit. But, all sources are all-natural. So, i would conclude that your opening of comment #2659 is somewhat bogus. Well intentioned, and I get what you’re saying, but bogus.
But that’s science. And although I’m a scientist, it means absolutely nothing. Natural means nothing. There are plenty of things in nature that will kill you (already pointed out by Lively). There are even fruits that will kill you (holly berries for one, if I recall properly). Some biological things use arsenic. Some use cadmium. Some use lead. Humans don’t, at least not in very high amounts – and that’s all that matters. The biology of humans. Fructose, in moderation, is OK. Just like sodium. Our body would not function without any sodium. We need some of those sodium ions to maintain charge balances, turgor pressure, and the active sites of many of our enzymes. But, moderation is the couple of grams of fructose that one gets from eating a daily serving of fruits and vegetables. Moderation probably isn’t drinking a 20oz soda at about 50 grams of sugar. It probably also isn’t drinking Gatorades or Life Waters or Vitamin waters or shooting cheap pancake syrup by the shot-glass.
So, in this respect, I get what you’re saying. Over consumption of things is bad. Whether it is tens of grams of fructose a day or 10 mg of arsenic. I just hope that I will have elucidated some of the misconceptions about what we are dealing with. Hopefully you’ll be less dismissive (albeit in a very nice and cordial way) of my comments than those that have come before mine. Some of what they (James, Alex, others) were saying is applicable – it’s just a matter of definition and degree.
In all, I would agree that refined fructose (and any refined sugar or starch) is probably not very good for you. And certainly not as healthy as a whole food diet. After all, we didn’t evolve drinking Mountain Dew and eating Pringles. Although if we had…..
Hi Chris, thanks for your comments and your feedback.
Right, it’s a very common misconception that fructose is fruit sugar. Like all of the other information in my article (except my opinions that I included at the end, of course) I didn’t just make this up. 😉 You can refer to the PDF doc in my article and I also recommend the book Sugar Shock!
, (pg.290 for specifics).
Re: corn being a fruit – I haven’t heard that before and the problem is we are talking about the general public who are going shopping for this stuff at the grocery store – like me for instance….when I think fruit I think apple, orange, banana, peach – fruit. That’s not what crystalline fructose is made from, it’s made from corn. It’s a stretch to say corn is a fruit and it’s false advertising to say to the general public (who make up the majority) that crystalline fructose is natural and is made from fruit, because again, most think of fruit like I do. Natural sugar is found in the raw apple or orange that you could eat today; it’s not found in a bottle of water containing CF, or any other refined sugar for that matter. Now you could squeeze that orange into a glass of clean water, and that would be natural.
Re: my comments being dismissive, I’m sorry you feel that way, that’s not at all my intention. I’m not going to change my stance though, just because someone disagrees with me, especially since I didn’t pull this information out of thin air and have backed it up with references in my article and over and over in these comments (I think I should have a forum for everyone to talk about their views on crystalline fructose, maybe that would be good!) If this were one of my other articles about something like how to avoid self-sabotage then that’s different, but again, I didn’t make up that CF is made from corn.
Everyone has free will to do what they want and I cannot change anyone, only myself. It’s simply that for me I now know that corn sugars are extremely unhealthy, especially when taking into account how prevalent they are in processed and fast foods, therefore large amounts of this sugar are being consumed – corn sugar is everywhere.
And, since I passionately believe that a very large part of the obesity crisis is the fact that so many are living on processed and fast foods, I will continue to pass along information like this. If even one person can be helped to live a healthier lifestyle (because they themselves want to), then I think that is wonderful. I’d rather be able to help everyone live a healthy lifestyle full of live, whole foods instead of dead processed foods, but not everyone wants to do that. There was a time that I didn’t want to do that myself.
Like I write about in my other articles here at Fearless Fat Loss, I’m always talking about the benefits of getting off of processed food and all of the sugar and other junk they contain, and onto whole foods – not just to lose weight but to feel awesome. Crystalline fructose is sugar, sugar is addictive, food addiction is real, and crystalline fructose is another sugar that is made from corn. It won’t help you lose weight, it creates sugar cravings, and I opt for foods that don’t contain it (and I drink plain, clean water).
That’s what I do but again, I don’t expect the world to change because of the information I provide and my personal experiences that I share.
Thanks everyone for reading this, I could have just made a post out of it! And thanks again for your comments Chris!
Right, so I don’t really disagree with any of your fundamental conclusions about crystalline fructose. Or that darn close to 100% of the production of CF is from corn. Fructose based sweeteners have taken over our societies food supply. My position is that whether CF is made from corn, sugar beets, a derivative of sugar cane, or honey, it’s not that great for you. Some sources may be better than others, but if you’re eating a refined product you’re not going to be doing yourself justice.
CF should not be singled out. Why? Sucrose is a disaccharide (read: double sugar) that contains one glucose tethered to one fructose. The first thing your body does is chop them apart. So now you have one glucose going through your blood stream, and one fructose which is headed to the liver for further processing. Doesn’t sound a whole lot different to me than HFCS. And thats not an argument that HFCS is good. It’s an argument that table sugar (sucrose) is bad. BTW, table sugar in the US is mostly from the sugar beet. An all-natural vegetable.
I suppose my problems arise from this idea that deciding what to buy at the supermarket should be an easy job. And that’s just not going to be the case. People seem to want a rubber stamp that approves a food as “All Natural” or “Organic”. We want those stamps to mean something. Well, right now, they don’t. And the answer is not a government agency.
The fact of the matter is that crystalline fructose is “All Natural”. Why? Because CF is sourced from a natural plant (read: not genetically modified by direct DNA manipulation). The process for converting the polysaccharides (starch) into monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) is also a natural process. The sugars are transformed using an amylase enzyme, which I believe are the same enzymes which perform this function during germination. Mix together some mashed corn, water, amylase, and add a little heat – and there you go, all-natural fructose. I agree that this is not a ‘natural’ food for humans, but that’s not what all-natural means. I don’t think it should be consumed, but then again I don’t act like a sheep whenever packaging includes the catch-phrases of “All-natural,” “Organic,” or “From Fruit.”
Think of it this way – if crystalline fructose was derived from apples, but underwent heavy refining to make it into a 99.5% pure fructose solid, would you eat it? It certainly could be done. It would just be very expensive because apples are expensive compared to corn. I guarantee that you’ll find it absolutely identical to the CF made from corn in every major way (maybe you’ll find some more traces of a different heavy metal). Would you eat this product? It’s from apples. One of the ‘classic’ fruits. I hope that you’d choose, “No, Thanks.”
Just because the majority of people think something should be done, doesn’t mean that it should be so. An overly dramatic example would be: Germans, Jews, Concentration Camps. Certainly it’s not the same, but its the only example that I could think of off the cuff that everyone could understand and, hopefully, agree upon. So, fructose from corn is still fructose from fruit. The lawyers will convince any judge that is the case. Whether or not it is approved by the majority of people. And, whether or not it is good for those people.
I have this idea, and it’s that consumers shouldn’t rely on things blindly. I know Lively complained about needing a BS in chemistry to understand these things. Unfortunately that’s not far from the truth. One would also almost need a JD or atleast an accounting degree to understand our tax code. And an MD to make sure that proper care is given at a hospital. When society went from primarily hunter/gatherers to those specialized in certain activities and trades, we sacrificed a lot of our knowledge about how things are made. How did that blacksmith make that horseshoe? I don’t know, i just need it. Well, we got to the point that our food supply has been compromised. The people that we trusted: the farmers, the food processors, and to some extent the governent, have all let us down. Rather than grow things in the right way, and make food with the right ingredients, we, as a society, have aimed for faster and cheaper.
And before the Organic and All-Natural lobby say, “Amen!,” I’d have to ask what direction they are going as well. I’m afraid that Big Organic will become just as unreliable as Big Agriculture in general.
Here’s my suggestion: don’t rely on anyone to tell you the truth. Not even me. Use common sense. It’s this thing we lost as a society sometime after World War II. It means that if you are offered a watch that normally retails for $10,000 and someone wants to give it to you for $50, it’s probably not a good deal. If someone wants to sell you a double cheeseburger for a dollar, it’s probably not a good deal. If you can get a half days worth of sugar from a clear plastic bottle for $1.50, it’s probably not worth doing. And of course the old adage – if you don’t know what it is and can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Except for monosodium glutamate. That’s good for you. Trust me:)
Hi Chris,
I haven’t done a very good job of keeping this comment thread about my original article on crystalline fructose (above) on topic. The reason I wrote the article was to point out the health dangers of yet another corn sugar like high fructose corn syrup, but in this case crystalline fructose contains even more fructose than does hfcs. Continuously eating foods containing it (i.e.: most fast and processed foods) is leading to people developing fatty livers (see the link in my article or go here) and more and more kids are developing the same problem.
Even though it is false advertising to say crystalline fructose is natural (it’s not, it’s processed) and is made from fruit (I’ve never thought of corn as fruit and the majority of the population thinks like I do – fruit is fruit, i.e.: apples, bananas, oranges, etc.), that still doesn’t change the fact that this stuff will give you cravings for more refined sugar, it is refined sugar, it is processed and therefore will slow or halt your metabolism, which will make it hard for you to lose weight. None of these points change no matter what you call it and the health dangers listed in my article were the reason I wrote my article. I wasn’t even focusing on the fact that the PDF clearly lists arsenic as well as other ingredients and I got off topic in these comments on that, too.
I agree that processed foods and fast foods are the main reason that so many people are obese and are in ill health. When you get off of that crap and eat whole, fresh foods, you not only lose weight (there are other factors involved such as portion control and exercise) but you feel absolutely awesome…at least that’s my experience. 😉
Here’s a real problem I have first hand experience with, other than all the nutrition issues, which are very real. Most of these “Sport Drinks” as well as “Vitamin Water” are full of sugars and acids, in many forms, some hidden, some not. All cause tooth decay. Now, here’s the real problem, how it is consumed. Open a 20oz bottle for a couple of bucks and drink it during the morning, during your work out, while participation in a sporting event, whatever, it’s the large amount of liquid, the cost and the length of time. It all adds up to exposing the syrupy liquid to a constant bathing on tooth enamel and the supply of sugars to the natural oral bacteria used for digestion, which then injest the sugar to produce an acid that causes tooth decay. The type of decay caused by sugary liquids is easy to diagnose, it runs down the tooth and settles or pools at the gum line and causes cavities the same shape as the gum, Class 5 cavities. Same scenario for Star bucks coffee drinkers, grande mocha late whip, costs a lot, so you drink all of it, at your desk all morning, came effect on your teeth.
Hi Dr. Jim,
Wow, something that my mom instilled in me was to take care of my teeth and get them cleaned every 6 months. I haven’t been focusing on the negative health effects that all of these sugar-filled drinks would have on your teeth, which makes so much sense of course. And this isn’t even taking into account those sugar-filled sodas and the acid contained in those.
Thank you very much for commenting, you’ve brought up another very important reason to stay off of this stuff……and like you said, besides saving your teeth, look at all the $$ you’ll save.
I have been decrying the uses of HFCS for years now. I too did research on Vitamin Waters and they use crystalline fructose – I always wondered why my teeth felt filmy after I drank it so I looked it up and yep, there it is. Not very healthy if you ask me.
Because it’s processed in the liver it often supresses the insulin’s message that you are full, thereby enabling people to eat more. I’m sure you knew that.
Have you ever been abroad? When I was in Europe a few times, I noticed always that HFCS was almost never used in ANYthing. In England, they sometimes put glucose-fructose syrup in sauces, which I’m told is not exactly the same thing but not healthy, either.
My husband lost a lot of weight when we spent two months in Ireland. Did he increase exercise? No. He ate MORE, exercised LESS, and still lost a couple inches off his waste. We think the lack of HFCS in the food was a big part of that.
Glad to see I am not the only one out there advocating the non-eating of foods with HCFS.
Hi Christine,
Now that’s a new one – your teeth feeling filmy….I think I’ll pass on that Vitamin Water! 🙂 You know, I’ve never even tried it before, I drink plain water, but I know the Vit. Water is quite popular. That was smart of you to check out the ingredients when you knew something wasn’t quite right.
Yes, I’ve actually spent quite a bit of time overseas a few years back (before I learned how to eat and exercise), but when I was doing that I wasn’t eating very well (and I didn’t check ingredients). I did find hfcs in some cookies in Prague last year, I was purposely looking for it.
I love Ireland. That makes a lot of sense that your husband lost weight by eating more (sounds like healthy, clean, whole foods, right?) and exercising less….that’s the same thing that I do now and it works. And you’re right about the hfcs causing you to want to keep eating….it doesn’t give the brain the message that you’re full.
Thanks for your comments Christine. I hope you and your husband get back over to the British Aisles again. 🙂
I’ve been working on my weight for a year now and I’ve dropped 50 pounds (yeah me). 7 weeks ago I signed up for a nutrition class in order to take me to a higher level of education about healthy eating and how to get my family involved and it is really changing my mind about a lot of these so-called health foods.
For instance, I love to snack on yogurt and I really thought I was doing good for my body. Today, I read the ingredients in the yogurt in my fridge and I noticed that it has CF in it. I know fructose is bad, but I had no idea what CF was. I almost wish I still didn’t.
Thank you for doing all of this research. I will definitely look a little closer at my labels.
Hi Veronica,
50 pounds, congratulations! 🙂 That’s awesome, I bet you feel great.
Sure, I enjoyed researching this article, glad I could help!
The best sugar for beverages is cane sugar. Latin American countries are ready and willing to supply Cane sugar at a reasonable price to the United States, and sugar users such as the soft drink industry are anxious and willing customers. World cane sugar is price competitive with high fructose corn sugar(HFC).
The problem is the sugar lobby and congress. Congress sets quotas on the amount of cane sugar allowed to enter the country. These quotas are designed to keep the price of us produced beet and cane sugar much higher than world market prices. The quotas also act as a price umbrella for HFC.
The US sugar industry is blessed with their quotas from congress because congress is compromised by campaign contributions from the sugar industry.
These quotas cost US customers a great deal of money, alienate potential Latin American friends and make a mockery of US free trade ideals.
Some years ago there was a big time shortage of beet and cane sugar because our federal government refused to increase sugar quotas. Sugar prices quadrupled. Commercial sugar users begged congress to permit them to have access to the world cane sugar market.
HFC was hardly in its infancy when this shortage driven price spiral occurred. But commercial sugar users flocked to HFC because it potentially could provide a stable supply and price. The HFC potential was realized and commercial users will never return to the unkind mercies of the quota protected US beet and cane industries.
I am certain that American commercial sugar customers are most anxious to use world market cane sugar, but this will happen only if our congress gets out of the quota business and permits free access to the world sugar market.
This, like so many things, will not happen unless it becomes a felony for congress to take money from any party and then, subsequently, use his or her office to provide something of value in return for the donation.
Maybe we should look to Singapore for a way to make honest men out of politicians.
Hi Karl,
Yes, I think that it’s all motivated by money – corn is cheap and is easily grown in the U.S. – that’s why the majority of refined sugar today is corn sugar (which crystalline fructose is).
I personally don’t recommend any refined sugar because of it’s addictive component, but if you don’t have a problem with overeating or any other health problem caused by refined sugar, then I do think it would be better to stay away from the corn sugars, especially hfcs and crystalline fructose. Still though, my favorite sweets today are Red Delicious apples, cold from the frig, and grapefruit. 😉
Wow! great info! I just bout a bottle of completle nutrition in liquid form (liquid multivitamine)and found it contained crystalline fructose? I avoid anything with HFCS and wanted to make sure of what this is, great info! I will be returning this bottle ASAP!
Hi Denice,
Sounds good, I’m glad I could help! 🙂
I stumbled accross this info during my research about the harmful effects of aspartame and was astonished to find out how bad crystalline fructose is; I was already aware of how bad HFCS is, but was under the impression that crystalline fructose was a safe alternative; I was sure wrong about that! Thank you for your concern and I hope we can continue to educate the public on the harmful effects of many “alternative” ingredients in our foods that manufacturers are fooling the public into thinking are safe. Keep up the good work!!
Hi JoLynn,
I agree with Chris on everything he said.
You need to understand the following:
Cristalline Fructose from corn is a chemical substance that is identical in every way with fructose from any other source(apple, oranges, grapes, etc.). Cristalline is just the form in wich it is marketed.
It is like extracting gold from different ores wich contains gold in a various percentages. You don’t get diferent types of gold if you extract it from another type of ore.
So in terms of fructose ingested, if you eat an apple that has 5 grams of fructose would be the same as eating 5 grams of CF/fructose regardless of the source.
Hi Brian,
Cool, glad I could help! 🙂
What works best for me is drinking clean water every day (a lot of so-called “health” waters contain crystalline fructose) and sticking to a diet of clean, whole foods – avoiding the processed stuff. I feel a Whole lot better, and the side benefit is weight loss. By staying with the whole foods I don’t have to even think about whether or not I’m going to develop a fatty liver from too much refined fructose consumption, and anyway, this is all just refined sugar and I don’t recommend refined sugar to anyone – highly addictive and zero nutritional value. 😉
Hi Gabriel,
That’s cool, you can agree (or disagree) on anything you like, 😉 , however the topic of my article is the fact that fructose must be metabolized in the liver and can lead to a fatty liver.
I’ve also provided many links to my other articles as well as outside resources in my article above that are related to the topic of my article. 😉
It also still stands that the majority of the population do not think of corn as a fruit when they see “sugar or fructose from fruit” on a label… (this is an off topic conversation for this post, however I really do appreciate the comments and conversation here 🙂 ), so by labeling crystalline fructose as coming from “fruit” it is Highly misleading because Crystalline Fructose is made from Corn – it’s just another Corn Sugar with a HIGH concentration of fructose (which again, can lead to a Fatty Liver – Not Good or Healthy).
Maybe I’ll write a different post about this “fructose from fruit” mislabeling in particular, and since there seems to be a lot of interest in the topic of processed food mislabeling, here are a few more posts I’ve written that deal with misleading labeling for the consumer:
Little Known Secrets of “Sugar Free” Food Labeling
Contains Zero Trans Fat – Truth or Creative Advertising?
What Is Stevia – Is It Healthy and Safe To Use?
You are on the money. I actually picked up a Vit*min Water today and found this site. Thanks for spreading the information in an educational way:)
@fungshway, sure, that’s no problem, glad that I could help! 🙂
i love this post. I was just drinking a new Sobe energy drink and saw Crystalline Fructose and became worried.
excellent post. I am also going to write about it on my health blog, and link back to your excellent post.
http://www.zombierobotfrosting.blogspot.com
william hessian’s last blog post..New update to MY MISTAKE
Hi William, glad I could help, and thanks for your compliments.
I’ve gotta say, you really gave me a chuckle – zombie robot frosting – how funny! 🙂
Thank you for the information, it is very important to me that I now know that cf is made from corn. I am very allergic to corn, corn syrup, and anything made from corn. It did not occur to me that crystalline fructose would be corn. I should have know, since there is almost nothing processed that I can eat!
ugh, it’s in muscle milk, all this time I thought these meal replacement shakes were healthy. It really is true that you can’t buy anything healthy that comes in a box or bag.
Thanks for the info!
@Linda, sure, I’m glad I could help with this post. I can see why you wouldn’t eat much processed food – corn sugar is in almost everything.
@Ryan, there is one protein powder that I’d recommend. It’s more expensive but doesn’t contain the gunk. 😉
JoLynn,
I’d love to chat with you. I am the Marketing Director for Natural Ovens Bakery and we’ve used Crystalline Corn Fructose in our products for years (10+) mainly for the low glycemic index of it. I believe there is a lot of confusion between CCF and HCFS but they are definitely not the same product. Check out this study…http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2695593. Their concluding evidence says that “The high glycemic index of HFCS in our study does not support the use of HFCS as a substitute for fructose.” And the other items I’d like you to discuss with you… (since I can’t attach a word document, I’m pasting it in) This is information that we’ve pulled together to help our customer service department with questions about CCF and why we use it. I’ve debated if we should change the sweetener (as we need some sweetener) but haven’t come upon the ideal one to change to. We do offer organic sugar in some of our breads; so that we have options.
1) Low GI: Crystalline corn fructose has a GI of 20; while high fructose corn syrup is 55-60. We want a sweetener that doesn’t affect the blood sugar like sucrose or high fructose corn syrup does. (We have a lot of diabetics that eat our products because they don’t get the sugar high.)
2) Not the same as high fructose corn syrup: Crystalline corn fructose is made from a 99% fructose syrup and crystallized. High fructose corn syrup is only 42% fructose and the rest glucose and is highly processed to make it very sweet.
3) Crystalline corn fructose has the same sweetness as honey or sugar; if we substitute honey or organic sugar in our breads, we use it in the same proportion.
4) Price: High Fructose Corn Syrup is .23/#; Sugar is .35/#; Fructose is .50/# and Honey is .97/#. If we were to use the cheapest, we would use HFCS. Crystalline Corn Fructose is twice the price.
5) On the spec sheet from ADM, arsenic is listed as being tested. Certain items are always tested to make sure that they don’t contain above a certain FDA regulated level; not that the item is added to the product. This is a common practice to test for certain items in the industry.
6) The FDA has “Standards of Identity” for naming ingredients to alleviate confusion. If an item is high fructose corn syrup, it must be listed as high fructose corn syrup; and can not be changed to be named “crystalline fructose” to make it look better.
7) Understand that the reason the crystalline corn fructose is consider “fructose” is because it has the chemical makeup of fructose; sucrose and others have a different chemical makeup and affect the body differently.
We need sugar (sweetener of some sort) in baking for 3 reasons: flavor, browning and yeast food.
Finally, the reason we offer the Healthy Beginnings and Organic Plus breads with other types of sweeteners is so that people have different options. If they don’t want crystalline corn fructose, then they can try the HB’s or OP’s.
Thanks for your time,
Chelle Blaszczyk
Hi Chelle,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I’ve heard of Natural Ovens, one of my blogging friends wrote a post about her upset with the change in Natural Ovens company, which I linked to in this post.
This post I’ve written (above) doesn’t have anything to do with glycemic index though, in fact I haven’t written any posts about that topic.
You do point out the main reason I wrote this post though, and that is that the high concentration of fructose (in hfcs and crystalline fructose) is what contributes to a fatty liver, since that fructose has to be processed directly in the liver. And actually the point about crystalline fructose having a higher concentration of it than hfcs does makes it even more dangerous for human health – a fatty liver is NOT what anyone wants to end up with. I just heard a woman call into Richard Simmons’ show last Sunday on Sirius and she’s having a very hard time with her health (she has fatty liver disease).
However, as I wrote in my post, it’s my opinion that crystalline fructose is practically the same as high fructose corn syrup since technically it is a Corn Sugar containing a HIGH Amount of Fructose. And yep, you’re right that it’s not exactly the same thing.
I wouldn’t recommend that anyone consume either hfcs or crystalline fructose, and I highly recommend reading/watching the 2 sources that I learned about fatty liver disease from referenced in the link in my post above.
I’m all about health, not just weight loss, and I actually don’t believe that refined sugar in any form (whether corn sugar, beet sugar, or any other refined sugar) contributes to high health since it contains absolutely NO vitamins or minerals, no nutrition whatsoever.
Hi there,
I was actually just googling “Crystalline Fructose” as it is the second ingrediant in my so called “Health Drink” and was suprised to find this information. It’s kind of scary actually. Thank you for the information.
On the one hand though, at least after drinking a few of these you might build up an immunity to Arsenic Poisoning!
Let’s just say I wont be buying these again…
GREAT post. Awesome site. I’m looking forward to digging into it now.
Keep up the great work.
– Warren
CornSyrupKills.net
Hi Angela,
Glad I could help, and I’m with you – I don’t buy anything that contains crystalline fructose or any other corn sugar either. 😉
Warren, thanks!
Thank you for sharing this information. I, like so many others listed above, was looking for an alternative to drinks with HFCS. While reading labels, I saw this crystalline fructose. Some other flavored waters contained sucratose. My limited research told me that it was common table sugar. Have you come across this ingredient in your research?
Hi Mike,
Sure, glad I could help. And on your question about sucratose…thank you for asking! I did some research on it and everything I found says it’s the same as sucralose, which is Splenda – I wrote a post about the health dangers of Splenda.
Here’s one example, from Google Book Search – on page 89 of the Diabetes Handbook which says sucratose/Splenda.
So, I would recommend staying away from it but you can read my post about Splenda and check out the book I reference in that post. Thanks again Mike!
I found something very disturbing on Yahoo! today. The myths of high fructose corn syrup. One of the myths is that it does not contributing to obesity and that it doesn’t promotes fat storage nor does it increase appetite. All I know is that when I drink something with HFCS in it I get bad cramps in my stomach, bloating, and very bad diarrhea. When I drink anything with pure cane sugar, I have none of those bad reactions.
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/nutrition/12836/the-high-fructose-corn-syrup-myth/
Hi Luc,
I hadn’t seen that, thanks!
Well you know what, you already know it’s crap and unhealthy for ya cuz you’re listening to your body and your body tells you so. Now for me I stay away from all refined sugar…one thing on that too, in the article on the topic of how hfcs affects metabolism in comparison to sugar….whether it’s corn sugar (hfcs or crystalline fructose or any other corn sugar), beet sugar, or cane sugar, they all slow your metabolism!!
And did you check out the comments on that article? Whewee, lots of people kinda upset and saying that the article was rubbish. 😉
Hi JoLynn
That probably explains why I get so tired after drinking a pure cane sugar soda. I usually drink unsweetened tea, water, or those natural flavored sparkling waters (the ones without any kind of sweeteners) like LaCroix, Canfields.
When I read some of those comments, I was amazed by how some have associated their IBS with HFCS. It sickens me today when I think about my ex-doctor not linking my IBS to HFCS. All he did was tell me it’s viral and to drink plenty of fluids. Guess which one of those fluids he told me to drink plenty of? You guessed it, Gatorade! High fructose city there.
The way I found out about HFCS and its harmful affects was when I Googled my symptoms and then plenty of search results listed HFCS as the culprit. So, I tried a little experiment of not drinking anything with HFCS in it. Let me tell you, I was so relieved when the IBS went away, completely gone for good, it had just simply ceased.
Hi Luc,
You are wise to not give your power away to your doctor and do your own research – of course doctors perform a much needed service but they can only help you heal yourself, and they are human too.
Your testimony is the perfect example of why I say that if one doesn’t want to believe what I’ve passed along here in my article about crystalline fructose, all you need to do is eliminate it (and I suggest eliminating all corn sugars, including HFCS) for 2 weeks and note the difference in how you feel and how your body reacts.
Thanks for your feedback and keep living healthy! 🙂
Crystaline Fructose is derived from guess what “Corn”. IT goes through the same process as making HFCS and is purified or the fructose concentrated by using a ultra filtaton method that separated out the fructose from the glucose/dextrose in the HFCS. After that is is dried probably by using a spray dryer. Some of this I do not know absolutely.
Fructose is about 1.25 sweeter than sucrose.
Fructose and HFS are not the same. Fructose is sweeter than sucrose so less is needed to achieve the same sweetness, offering calorie savings. Fructose has a low glycemic index and does not cause surges and dips in blood glucose levels. Pure crystalline fructose offers many functional benefits when added to a wide range of foods and beverages, improving product palatability and stability.
Rene,
That sounds very much like the information printed on the crystalline fructose manufacturer’s PDF that I linked to in my article.
I don’t recommend crystalline fructose or any corn syrup to my readers and no matter what pitch the manufacturers give it, it doesn’t change the fact that this stuff is causing fatty liver disease – you can read Dr. Oz’s book YOU On a Diet for more on that.
As it is, I don’t recommend refined sugar anyway, whether it’s made from corn, beets, cane or whatever else. It contains 0 nutrients and it leeches vital nutrients from the body in order to be processed in the body, not to mention the myriad of other health issues that refined sugar causes that many people are already aware of.
Put on top of that all of the health issues that these corn sugars like crystalline fructose and HFCS are causing….yeah, I don’t recommend this stuff to anyone that I care about.
I want to thank you so much for your information. OK this is what happened to me. Jewel have this sale on Weight Watchers Yogurts, 20 for $10.00 and their only 1 point right, so I figured now that is a deal. The more I’ve been eating these I found myself getting really tired and sleepy so I decided to google the ingrediant Crystalline Fructose (of course after the fact right, duh). You site was the first so I pulled it up and to my amazement even Weight Watchers food is just as deadly. Well I can’t wait to get home and throw the rest out, I have about 16 of them left. You can bet I will be reading labels a lot more for now on!! thanks again,
Venis
Hi Venis,
Sure, no problem! You know I get that same sleepy feeling from eating processed foods with other types of corn sugars and regular refined sugar, too.
I know that a lot of people have had success with Weight Watchers but I personally would still stay away from their processed, packaged foods and stick with their recipes instead. 😉
And hey, it’s no big deal that you didn’t read your labels first – now you’ll be doing it and that’s what matters. (and maybe you could even take the other yogurts back to the store and get a refund or an exchange?) 🙂
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Your research is perfect. I did some myself on Wikipedia and it says the same things! I am so disappointed, again, that the FDA once again allowed another toxic “food” ingredient into our diets. Then to try to pass it off as the next “healthy” ingredient, makes me sick!! It is just another way for us to become addicted to the foods and drinks they want to produce cheaply and sell constantly to us, the consumer, for the rest of our lives. Money. Lots of it, for “them”. So again, thank you for getting the word out. I will pass it on as well.
Blessings,
Stephanie
Just thought you0 might check this website, as they contradict almost all of your main comments about Cryst. Frutose. Not arguing, but suggesting a consideration of other facts.
http://www.fructose.org/facts.asp
Hi! I am shocked. I have been buying Fuze tea drinks where the 2nd ingredient listed in crystalline fructose. It advertises a plethora of good vitamins such as antioxidants, folic acid, and vitamins C, E, B3, B5, B6, and B12! Who would have thought that none of these would really matter since I have been fattening up my liver the past year guzzling them for lunch?! I am so upset. Thank you for opening my eyes!!!
Jenna
Thank you for explaining the facts about high fructose corn syrup and crystalline fructose. I have been drinking Glaceau Vitamin Water thinking it was better because it contained cane sugar and crytalline fructose instead of HFCS. Well, wrong again due to the slick ingredients listed on the bottle. I will be sending Glaceau an email.
Sol Zide
@Scott,
Yes, that site wants you to use crystalline fructose. If you want to do so that’s up to you – I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. 😉
@Jenna,
Sure, np, I’d opt for plain water and vitamins you swallow instead. 😉
@Sol,
Np – I’ve had someone else tell me they emailed them, too, good for you!! 🙂
My gosh, I seriously did NOT know this! And what’s more surprising is that the ONLY way I found out about all this is cause i decided to do a tiny bit of research into GLACEAU and the ingredients they use, just out of curiosity.
Thank you for all the research and info you posted here for us, it was certainly most helpful!
Max.
Hi Max,
No problem, glad I could help. You know what I found most interesting was watching Super Size Me because they talk about the increase in fatty liver disease and that there are so many children that are now developing this!
There’s simply too much of the crystalline fructose and other gunk in processed foods and the human body isn’t built for the ingestion of this stuff in the quantities that people are ingesting it. (and in my experience, my gut feels a whole lot better when I stay away from all of those corn sugars). 😉
I have bloodwork done regularly, including getting my liver enzymes tested. I am not genetically predisposed towards diabetes. I eat lots of regular, whole foods and I take vitamins. It is a challenge for me to eat enough to keep my bodyfat as high as 13 percent. My gut seems to react rather favorably to HFCS and CF. I’m not questioning that refined sugars are bad for you. But how are they bad for me?
Erik,
That’s great that you’re staying on top of your health by getting so much blood work and such done, wow, way to go on that! 🙂
Of course everyone has to make their own decision on what they put in their body and if you or anyone else wants to eat refined sugar then that is up to you, everyone has their own free will. I personally won’t recommend crystalline fructose or any of the corn sugars to anyone nor refined sugar in general. I’ve written numerous posts about how addictive refined sugar is, how it adds zero nutrients to the body and how it leeches valuable nutrients from the system in order to process it when it comes into the body, however that is getting off topic for this post (above).
If you’re interested you can check out my category on sugar or check out all of the resource links I’ve put in my comment replies above. I highly recommend reading Sugar Blues and you’ll find that link in comment 55 above.
I thought I had found a healthy sports drink for my two young girls who play sports, but just to find out that the GLACEAU drinks contain cystalline fructose which contains arsenic and is worst than high fructose corn syrup. This makes me very angry because we have been avoiding HFCS because our girls can not digest these. Thank you so much for this website.
Thanks for researching this product. I have been reading about HFCS and it’s ill effects. Today I happened to read the ingredients on my favorite Kashi bar. They use crystalline fructose and evaporated cane juice crystals. I don’t know if there’s any issue with the latter but I’d like to contact Kashi and see what they say about it. Thanks again for the great info.
Has anyone seen that HFCS commercial on the LifetimeTV channel?
There are these two mothers at a bar-b-que. One mother is pouring a glassful of HFCS juice in a glass while the other mother tries stopping her from handing it to the children. I was appalled when the mother who was pouring the HFCS juice was explaining to the other mother that juice sweetened with HFCS is not harmful to children. So, then, the well-informed mother of HFCS’ ill-effects lets the other mother hand the HFCS juice to the kids.
There’s another commercial of a boyfriend and girlfriend in a park where the girlfriend offers her HFCS sweetened popsicle to her boyfriend. Of course, she tells him HFCS is not harmful, and, then, of course, he takes a bite.
It’s just appalling!
Thank you for your research. I will keep your page for reference on other topics. I saw the crystalline fructose in a carrot juice…I didn’t know what it was but I just received a cleansing system for a friend of ours and saw it again. I thought….hmmmm I should look this up before I give it to him or drink it myself. Wow…guess who will not be drinking this stuff even tho it is suppose to be healthy. Oh my. I will be back to see what other interesting info I can find on your page. Thanks again…
Great posting. Interesting that the health drink I chose at work, had crystalline fructose. I ask a co-worker what it was, and no-one knew. So we googled and your site came up. What is facinating is the “fatty liver”. 2 years ago I had a scan for my gallbladder and fatty liver came up. My diet was full of fructose then. My doctor would not really comment when I asked what was fatty liver disease. Know I am smarter and am trying to stay away from all fructose foods which are processed. This means shopping on the perimeter of the grocery stores, not the center.
Thanks for the web.
Lee
This is a very interesting article. I didnt know that high fructose corn syrup was even an ingredient in processed foods but know I will try and avoid it like the plague. I would like to thank you for your letting us know about this, my children will be healthier for it. Thank you again
Thank you for your valuable information on 100% Crystalline Fructose. I was using multivitamin called Alive! in a powder form and notice that this was the first ingredient. I emailed the company and asked if they did any research on 100% Crystalline Fructose and if they thought it was safe. Of course they said they thought it was safe and wouldnt put “bad’ ingedients in their product. I was using Alive! for years and switched to a different multivitamin immediately.
Thanks for this information. I have a problem with aspartame and all the artificial sweeteners. A web site was offering this new energy drink called A.C.T. Energy. contained no caffeine, no artificial sweetners or flavors, only 6 grams of carbs per 12 fl. oz. no jittery effects, no crashing afterwards, works within minutes, instant gratification, lasts 5-6 hours. Now I thought I can really use all that. I need the energy, I need a pick me up, something to give me energy. He sent me a 12 oz.can and a dry packet to add in a 8 oz. bottle of water. I used the packet in the water, shook it up and took a drink. The tip of my tongue went numb and that is an indication of funny sugar. I looked at the packet and saw crystalline fructose. I did not know what it is but now I do. Just like Wriggles chewing gum, I always bought it and I put a piece in my mouth and instantly yuck in my mouth. Spearmint, doublemint they changed the sugar and now I can not chew it. I do not know what it is with me but it effects me in a bad way. It makes a nasty taste in my mouth. Then my shoulders start to hurt like someone is squeezing them. I guess I am just weird? Thanks for any information that can help.