Fructose doesn't contribute to tooth decay?

[Odin2005]

I read this claim in a new pop-sci book on microbes called The March of The Microbes in a section talking about using bacteria-derived enzymes to make HFCS. This this true or is the author mistaken?

In that same section the author gives a reason HFCS may be particularly culpable in causing obesity, he claims that fructose does not trigger the release of the satiety-inducing hormone leptin.

[trotsky]

1. Yes, enyzmes are used to make HFCS. They turn the starch to sugars.

But fructose can most definitely contribute to tooth decay. Not sure about the leptin claim though - it's a pity that HFCS is such a demon du jour that you really can't trust anything you read about it.

[Orrex]

2. Don't anyone believe what Trotsky just wrote.

He's a shill for Big HFCS.

[trotsky]

3. w00t!

Waitin' for that next check!

[realisticphish]

4. I will say, though

I was flabbergasted the first time I saw a fucking TV ad for HFCS

[EvolveOrConvolve]

5. The advertisements always couch the language in terms that cover their ass

"High Fructose Corn Syrup is fine in moderation". Unfortunately, Americans eat a shit-ton of HFCS, and it's nearly impossible to maintain moderation in our HFCS intake because of its widespread use in everything we eat.

[trotsky]

6. And the thing is, no one is denying there's a powerful and rich agribusiness lobby.

And certainly when Internet misinfo and rumors start to impact the bottom line, it's up to the industry to counter it.

What's unfortunate is that they'll never ever be taken seriously - it's their business, what ELSE are they gonna say other than it's safe and fine?

But for now at least, the facts seem to be on their side. ANY sweetener when consumed in excess is going to cause health problems, apparently. HFCS has not yet earned a distinction of being worse than any others.

[Odin2005]

8. Same here!

I was about ready to show something at the TV!

[ChadwickHenryWard]

10. Those ads are so fucking obnoxious.

Ads usually condescend to you, but the people who make HFCS must think we are impossibly stupid. "It's okay in moderation!" Well, if you define a moderate amount as an amount too small to hurt you, then anything, including rat poison, is okay in moderation. "It's made from corn!" ZOMG it's natural! It can't be bad for you!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. I love those ads.

Woo woo: "didn't you hear about HFCS?!"

Normal person: "it comes from corn."

:rofl:

[Odin2005]

7. LOL!

:rofl:

[salvorhardin]

9. As far as I know it's the exact opposite

Going only by memory here so I may well be wrong but the way I recall it the bacteria in your mouth breaks apart sugar into glucose and fructose. The bacteria bonds the glucose molecules together intro dextran which adheres to your teeths' enamel (plaque). The bacteria then digests the fructose which results in lactic acid lowering the pH of your mouth. It's the lactic acid that's primarily responsible for etching away your dental enamel.

So at least as I understand it, a high fructose diet (and improper dental care) will result in more tooth decay. Sugar is not appreciably harder for the bacteria in our mouth to break apart either. Just like the enzymes our own bodies produce that's in both our saliva and stomachs, the glucose-fructose bond in sucrose is broken in just a couple of seconds by a similar enzyme released by the bacteria.

[TZ]

12. I don't get this idea that fructose behaves differently

than other sugars...I mean is that not the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit? Okay maybe in very high quantities but all this shrieking about the evils of fructose makes me shake my head.

[salvorhardin]

13. Fructose and glucose are metabolized differently in the body

Unlike glucose, which can be metabolized anywhere in the body, fructose has to be almost entirely metabolized in the liver (sperm are also capable of metabolizing fructose but very little fructose escapes the liver). The liver is the only organ that is capable of producing the enzyme fructokinase. Because of this, fructose doesn't stimulate the release of insulin. That's why fructose used to be recommended to diabetics as a sweetener. In the past couple of decades there have been numerous studies showing that diets high in fructose can cause a range of ills including insulin resistance and fatty liver disease. But it's complicated, and most of the studies have been done on animals. The one thing we're sure of is that eating too much sugar (no matter the source) overall is bad for us and the percent of dietary calories from sugars has risen dramatically. Thus people are consuming far more fructose than they used to, but they're also consuming far more glucose. On average, fructose still represents about 50% of dietary calories from sugars.

Oh, and yes, fructose is the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit. But in most fruits, the amount of fructose by weight is rather low (excluding a couple where it's very high such as watermelon and pineapple).