This is a continuation of my thread Physician, heal thyself. Check it out: I’ve lost 16 lbs! I only need to lose 3 more pounds to no longer be obese! I am very happy about this though I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal. As I mentioned previously, what I love about the myfitnesspal app is that I can eat wherever and whatever I want — no diet food required. In fact, the only diet product I consume is diet pop for 2 reasons: 1. I don’t want the added Calories and 2. Fructose has multiple negative health ramifications compared to other sugars.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the traditional sweetener in most carbonated beverages and many other U.S. products thanks in large part to governmental subsidies to corn farmers. Because of these subsidies, HFCS is much cheaper to produce than sucrose, a compound of fructose and glucose commonly known as table sugar, and so the food industry uses it to cut financial costs. But as mentioned, this benefit in production costs is plagued by increased physical costs to the consumer.

In his article, Dietary Fructose and Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes, Dr John P Bantle reports that there is mounting evidence that fructose does not inhibit appetite as effectively as other sugars and thus may contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome. It has also been associated with increased risk of gout and kidney stones. He reassures however that “the fructose that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables provides only a modest amount of dietary fructose and should not be of concern.”

So in summary, all simple sugars like those mentioned above are bad for dieting. However, refined fructose should definitely be avoided for multiple health reasons.