If this is a big part of your diet, you could take years off your life

Research conducted by a team at the University of California, Davis warns consumers with sweet teeth should be wary of this particular ingredient when picking up your next soothing snack.

Comfort food is all the rage these days and baking is on the rise, pun intended, so when shopping for ingredients for your next baked good project it’s best to avoid products with high fructose corn syrup.

Instead, opt for fructose alone if your craving calls for it since high fructose corn syrup has the potential to be disastrous for your heart and even lead to diabetes if you don’t adjust your diet.

Let’s take a closer look at why that is. The combination of both fructose and glucose make the recipe for hazardous health and this is what happens when high fructose corn syrup interacts with your heart and liver according to the research department of UOC

“When there is too much fructose, the liver produces uric acid and fat in the form of triglycerides, which increase the risk of fatty liver, heart disease, and gout.”

The Mayo Clinic study breaks down Triglycerides in more detail to get a better understanding of how detrimental they can be to your organs if the level count is found to be too high in a blood sample

“Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals.”

Why is it bad for triglycerides to build up?

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic warn us of the possible side effects of too many triglycerides in your system next by elaborating 

“High triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (arteriosclerosis) — which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. Extremely high triglycerides can also cause acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

High triglycerides are often a sign of other conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels.”

Low cholesterol and low triglycerides levels are equally important to heart health and warding off any and all cardiovascular-related diseases. Avoiding high fructose corn syrup and high carb diets can be beneficial to lowering harmful levels.

The team of researchers at The University of California reiterate: “Research has shown that fructose compared with glucose increases risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.”

This is because the combination of both fructose and glucose or high fructose corn syrup (as seen on many candy wrappers) leads to the creation of triglycerides that clog up your arteries and leave fatty deposits in your liver.

The case study

The research department at the University of California, Davis had participants in the experimental group drink beverages containing high fructose corn syrup while the control group drank liquids sweetened with sugar-substitute aspartame. Think your Stevia compared to Domino sugar packets at the diner for context. This is what they found to be true after the experiment:

“The team expected risk factors would be highest for fructose and lowest for glucose, with high fructose corn syrup somewhere in between. This is exactly what they saw for some of the risk factors. However, for others, including the risk factors many scientists believe are the most predictive for heart disease, the increases were highest for high fructose corn syrup due to an interaction of fructose and glucose.”

Kimber Stanhope, one of the authors of this study, found the combination of both fructose and glucose in the form of high fructose corn syrup to be the culprit for most instances involving obesity, heart disease, and other cardiovascular issues.

Fructose once thought to be the lone issue in regards to causing these long-standing serious health issues can relax at last since fructose alone is not to blame for those heart palpitations. Looking at your diet overall is the best way to keep your heart health in check.

Next time you crave a decadent dessert, buy the sweetener with fructose or all-natural cocoa ingredients for your chocolate cupcake recipe you’ll bring to the next potluck.