There are different types of sugar that we consume in our regular diets.
There is glucose, a not-too-terrible sugar that the body is decent at metabolizing. Then there is fructose, a more-terrible sugar that humans are not good at metabolizing. It’s fructose that research has linked to diabetes, obesity and liver disease.
Sodas, a new study shows, are loaded up on the latter type of sugar that our bodies are terrible at processing.
Soda manufacturers don’t have to disclose how much of their sugar is fructose or glucose, so a team of researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Los Angeles’ Public Health Division and University of Southern California decided to measure it.
They went to a store in East Los Angeles and, as many consumers would, purchased some Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi and seven other popular drinks. And then they had three independent labs measure the fructose and glucose content of each.
Their analysis found that fructose makes up, on average, 59 percent of the total sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages. Beverage makers have previously claimed that their drinks are a pretty even balance between fructose and glucose. But in this study we’re learning, for the first time, that the sugar in soda is mostly sugar our body is terrible at processing.
Michael Goran, one of the researchers on the study, called on adding information to soda labels about the fructose and glucose content of the beverages, to give consumers a better idea of what they’re actually drinking.
Didn’t the Rambam say most fruit should be avoided, except for maybe grapes, almonds, and figs?
Sooo 20 years behind the times. This was realized long before it oozed into the frum world awareness. There is a lot more to learn about unhealthy foods in a kosher diet. Please read labels and know what the effects are.
Stay away from everything
I once heard that nothing is good for you.
Every so often you hear that something else is no good for you. Unfortunately nothing is good for you. But the truth finally comes out, a little at a time.
Dont touch the stuff and stay healthy. Not even seltzer or anything carbonated, or non carbonated
I once ate something unhealthy and didnt feel good afterwards
There is so much written on the internet, just take the strictest opinions and you will be healthy
I don’t touch the stuff and am healthy. Not even seltzer or anything carbonated, which is the highest on the acidic/alkaline spectrum (on the acidic side).
This is what my Father, A”H, always told me. Actually, there are doctors who will say a little sugar is good for you. But, what’s in the sodas – including the other garbage that goes into it – is way too much! Ideally, stay completely away from it – no sweetened drinks, cakes, cookies, candies, etc. Then, after a few days of feeling worse because of withdrawal symptoms, you should feel great, bursting with never before energy and mental clarity. But, alas, most people who do it, usually feel just lousy because they can’t help cheating (I mean, after that… Read more »
I realized a while ago how bad these sodas are for you. If you need caffeine and bubbles, stick with Red Bull. That soda stuff will actually kill you.
Is the world only now discovering this?
People, the problem is food in general. Fat is bad, protein is bad, carbs are bad, gluten is bad, soda is bad. I’ve never heard anything negative about eating metal, plastic or wool. From now on I’m just going to eat my car.
Yes, bubby, but in doing so it bypasses the cell membrane check-points for glucose metabolism….
I don’t understand. I thought fructose can be converted to glucose through an ene-diol intermediate with an acid catalyst and water?
not me
Should not b serving soda. My opinion
peoples its called high FRUCTOSE corn syrup for a reson!
Yes. Everybody needs sugar in their diet, but very minimally. The max sugar content a person should be consuming a day is 25 grams. which isnt a lot if your watching your sugar intake. besides most carbs especially refined flour turns into sugar in your body. its the fructose from corn that is dangerously unhealthy. aka high fructose corn syrup. Anyone who doesnt want to believe is being naive. why wait until the health problems come to start believing? The torah says its our job to guard our bodies. do the research if it makes you feel better, but there… Read more »
after this article i will not drink soda til rosh Hashana if ten people join me
WHOS IN?
To say that fructose is no good is just like saying fruit is not healthy. They are full of Fructose. I think the article means corn syrup specifically high fructose corn syrup, which studies show causes many illnesses which we should never know.
In a few years they will tell us its good for us.
This is a whole compaighn by the food Natzies telling us what to eat and not eat.
Do you really need an article to tell you that soda is not good for you? really?
This article was written out of ignorance. To say that glucose is “not too terrible” is ignorant. We live on glucose, and if we didn’t have any in our cells in our body would die. Albeit too much of it can cause obesity (because excess sugar turns into lipids), and can have other negative side effects. If one learns a bit of biology they’ll know that glucose turns into fructose (glucose to glucose-6-phosphate to fructose-6-phosphate). So why exactly is fructose worse than glucose???
There’s a great lecture on YouTube by Dr. Robert Lustig of UCSF entitled Sugar: The Bitter Truth. I highly recommend watching that or his other lectures. Quite eye-opening.
There are different configurations of fructose. The natural fruit sugar is somewhat different than the synthetic version. Fructose metabolism is also complex, not totally understood once it reaches the intestines. As always, one should discipline oneself from that which is permitted. (Chassidus).
Our body is able to use fructose by turning it into glucose. But if you are ingesting fructose AND glucose at the same time, the liver doesn’t bother turning the fructose into glucose. Instead it breaks it down into small 3 carbon molecules which it then makes into fat.
So it wouldn’t be much better if the fructose and glucose concentrations were equal.
Best to stay away from sugary drinks in general.
according to many studies corn syrup does not send a messege to the brain i had enough”
you can try this test at home if you have a soda drinker give them the pesach soda or mexican soda that is still made with sugar
and watch the amazing result
As if that would help. People know it’s bad for you and drink it any way. They should just save all these laws and make all companies put a notice on all junk food “this is bad for you” and would be better (or at least not less effective) than all these other facts they want to legislate to be written on foods.
Great article, you should follow up with an article about Diet soda and artificial sweeteners which can be worse then sugar.
Its about time people learn how to maintain their health.
SODA IS HORRIBLE FOR YOU!!!!
PEOPLE SHOULD STOP DRINKING SODA!!
fructose is from fruits and our bodies digest that sugar naturally!! Where does this come from?