General Discussion

Last edited Sun Jan 4, 2015, 02:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Sucrose (table sugar, aka cane sugar) is a glucose bound to a fructose by an oxygen atom. It is not a "tight" bond. In fact, that bond is broken in your stomach, making it one of the earliest chemical reactions in digestion. Only the chemical breakdown of starch starts earlier. Almost all other chemical reactions in digestion happen in the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. While you can also find sucrose-breaking enzymes in the duodenum, the vast majority of the work is done in the stomach where the high-acid environment makes them far more efficient.

Glucose and fructose are extremely similar molecules. They're both 6-carbon sugars, and have the same chemical formula (C6 H12 O6). They form rings, with one of the atoms in the ring being an oxygen, the rest are carbons. The difference between them is glucose forms a 6-atom ring with one methyl group, and fructose forms a 5-atom ring with a 2 methyl groups.

HFCS is not created by an ultra-secret recipe. "Regular" corn syrup is 100% glucose. Very basic organic chemistry can turn glucose into fructose, and vice-versa.

Also, HFCS is not only a 55-45 ratio. There's several different mixtures available, all near 50-50.

Also, HFCS is not sweeter than table sugar. They're pretty close to the same. It's possible for fructose to form a 6-atom ring, and that is sweeter than sugar or glucose. The 5-atom ring version is about as sweet as sugar and glucose. But the 6-atom ring isn't stable. Any heating turns it into the 5-atom ring version, and production of HFCS involves heating.

Also, they're utterly wrong about 8oz to 20oz. The size of beverages increased before the mass change to HFCS. You'll also find the "throwback" versions of sodas that use sucrose instead of HFCS are the same price. Also, in places where corn is not heavily subsidized, they sell the same size sodas sweetened with sucrose.

Apparently the author actually needs to go back to biochemistry class. Since sucrose is already broken down into fructose and glucose before it hits the small intestine, sucrose and HFCS are absorbed at the same rate.


If that were true, sucrose would cause the same problems. Because again, you're getting 50% glucose and 50% sucrose when eating/drinking sugar.


Again, utterly false. Again, sucrose is broken down before it reaches the small intestine, so it's absorbed at the same rate.

If they can't even get the digestion right, it's pretty laughable to trust them about all the rest of their much more complex assertions.