crystalline fructose
The body doesn’t handle large amounts of fructose well. You can maintain life with intravenous glucose, but not with intravenous fructose; severe derangement of liver function results. There’s also evidence that a high intake of fructose elevates levels of circulating fats (serum triglycerides), increasing the risk of heart disease. I never use fructose in my home. dr. andrew weil
So, there is a new criminal in town. Seems to be the next generation of high fructose corn syrup. But this guy is even more devious placing himself in “healthy” drinks.
I am referring to crystalline fructose. It is produced by allowing HFCS to crystallize. It is then dried and milled into the desired particle size for packaging. As a result, it is 100% fructose.
Fructose is not the best thing for your body. Fructose exists in foods as either a monosaccharide (free fructose) or as a disaccharide (sucrose). Free fructose does not undergo digestion; however when fructose is consumed in the form of sucrose, digestion occurs entirely in the upper small intestine. As sucrose comes into contact with the membrane of the small intestine, the enzyme sucrase catalyzes the cleavage of sucrose to yield one glucose and fructose unit. Fructose, passes through the small intestine, virtually unchanged, then enters the portal vein and is directed toward the liver.
I know that is a lot of information, so lets see if I can make it a bit more understandable. When fructose is in the presence of sucrose, your body has a better chance of understanding what to do with it in terms of breaking it down and processing it. When it stands alone, your body does not know how to metabolize the molecule, so it sends it right to your liver. This results in the fattening of the liver, or cirrhosis. So, why is this important. Well, HFCS is a blend of 45% sucrose and 55% fructose. Therefore, to an extent your body knows what to do in its presence. In contrast, crystalline fructose is 100% fructose. This means you have an even higher chance of developing fatty liver.
(edit. note.: I do not want this to be used as justification for allowing consumption of HFCS. HFCS has its own list of harmful reasons to stop ingesting it. In this example, I am just focusing on the metabolism of the fructose molecule.)
Here is another reason to avoid crystalline fructose…. arsenic. Yes. The processing of this molecule allows for acceptable levels of arsenic, heavy metals, lead and chloride. Again, these are toxic chemicals that your body is unable to process. The impact on your health is immeasurable. While, a simple serving of the drink might not be bad, over time the build up of any one of these components can lead to death.
The biggest reason this particular molecule is so bad is because of the products it is being placed in: health drinks. Vitamin Water seems to be the most popular of the beverages, but other examples are FUZE, Mistic, SoBe, Snapple and W20 for Women.
There is an entire category of beverage, marketed as healthful for you and your body, most commonly encouraged to drink after your work-out. In reality, you would be better off drinking a Coke after a hard exercise routine, as compared to Vitamin Water.
This is just another example of how the food industry and the corn industry have managed to get a toxic substance into the food you eat. As people get away from HFCS, there is something to easily replace it. And as people become more aware of CF, there will be another substitution. This is an ongoing process that is damaging the health of Americans.
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Vitamin Water 10: another way to get crystalline fructose into us | The Golden Spiral on Thu, 9th Apr 2009 10:38 pm
[...] part that I needed to explore. So I did. Crystalline Fructose: I have written about this before, here, and this is one of those “natural” sweeteners listed. By definition: NOT NATURAL. [...]
Cheryl Cutting on Thu, 30th Apr 2009 12:48 pm
Thank you for sharing this information. The science was presented in a clear and simple fashion and I do appreciate it.
Glaceau VitaminWater; Hey, they’re even getting sued! « Bethla on Thu, 28th May 2009 8:32 am
[...] high fructose corn syrup! Healthy, my ass! It’s awful for [...]
Jessica on Thu, 28th May 2009 12:36 pm
So what is a healthy alternative? All we keep hearing is how bad things are for us but there must be something good out there? People aren’t going to stop eating sweet things so there has to be some way to make them healthier. What about natural alternatives like Stevia?
admin on Thu, 4th Jun 2009 6:35 pm
Hey Jessica – Stevia is just as bad, in reality. Cargill, who makes crystalline fructose and HFCS, also makes Stevia. I was able to look up the patent process for making it, and it uses chemicals in production similar to its other products. In an ideal world, I think people need to stop drinking these drinks (soda, juices, etc.) I know that it seems like a lot to ask, but I stopped drinking this stuff years ago, and don’t regret it one bit. I often use Sucanant, maple syrup, and honey in place of sugars in baking and cooking. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to your question. You can argue that the only reason people want sugar is because it is marketed to them. There is no nutritional benefit to sugar. Let me know if I can answer any other questions… thanks!
Pete on Thu, 4th Jun 2009 10:02 pm
I like carbonated drinks so I’ve been looking for a healthy alternative to the HFCS sodas. I thought I found one…it’s carbonated and doesn’t contain any artifial sweetners. Vita Tea is a carbonated drink that uses Agave Nectar as it’s primary sweetner. Agave nectar is supposedly a low glycemic sweetner that doesn’t spike your blood sugar. Vita Tea tastes great and it is also enhanced with antioxidants! So far so good…but then reading down the ingredient list I came across crystalline fructose. I’m so bummed that they had to include CF. I don’t get it…like Jessica said…”so what is a healthy alternative”? Vita Tea is so close…maybe we could start a campaign to convince the makers of Vita Tea to drop CF from their formula!
sam on Tue, 9th Jun 2009 11:02 pm
that was great help
i didnt no enything about crystalline fructose i was dranking a fuze and looking at the ingredients in it i was refoted with what was in it my mom should have gotten me a naked instead!
i love nakeds they are called that because they are only fruit no yuckys!
you should try it
nakeds rock!!!!!!!!
david hartley on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 7:10 pm
>Hey Jessica – Stevia is just as bad, in reality.
>Cargill, who makes crystalline fructose and HFCS,
>also makes Stevia.
-that is misinformation .. Stevia is a plant made by (‘God’ Nature, Gaia, take your pick) -which has been safely used for hundreds and likely thousands of years as a sweetner
.. and which of course the slimy and duplicitous FDA, no doubt at the direction of manufacturers of (poisonous) saccharin, aspartame, etc — branded an “unapproved” food additive by the clown-criminal (clowns because of the stupidity and easily noted criminality .. criminals .. just because they can be.. a rogue bureaucracy with way too much power, way too little transparency, and WAAAAaaaay too many revolving-door incestuous relationships with the biggest businesses which are dependent on “favorable” regulation by FDA)
http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/stv-faq.txt
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/00/oct00/103000/c000334.pdf
Steviol is a chemical extract, which some incompetence &/or corruption (both rampant!) at FDA has resulted in (and from?) a marketing frenzy by Coke & Pepsi re: diet soda.. after securing GRAS (generally regarded as safe) FDA status
BASED ON INFO FOR Steviol.. it is apparent that ILLEGALLY,
this GRAS approval is being “expanded” to include the UNTESTED
chemical Rebaudioside A, which is the “sweetner” being ‘fast-tracked’ for use in Coke & Pepsi
SEE:
A study done by UCLA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY
UCLA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1772
http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/stevia-report_final-8-14-08.pdf
-which indicates SERIOUS NEED for studies prior to allowing this CHEMICAL sweetner into widespread use !
Stevia, the plant, has been safely used for hundreds of years, and remains UNACCEPTABLE as “a sweetner,”
while a CHEMICAL extracted from stevia, which clearly has some anomalous results in small scale tests (including some genetic / mutagenic indicators; possibly weight gain factors – not what would be desirable in ‘diet’ beverage?)
– is being RUSHED to market in an illegal manner:
pretending that Rebaudioside A is steviol; some testing has been done of steviol while NONE has been done of Rebaudioside A (!) they are clearly not substantially similar let alone “the same.”
Holy-Terrorist on Fri, 3rd Jul 2009 10:43 pm
is not molecular fructose, error *=*
Daniel on Fri, 7th Aug 2009 6:49 pm
The whole HFCS and CF thing is crazy. So many people are drinking this in ignorance it is a shame. Please see my website as I have a true alternaive without the HFCS or CS. If you are looking for a true energy drink check me out! The ingrediants are truely in the open.
Debbie on Wed, 12th Aug 2009 4:37 am
Both honey and agave syrup have more fructose than glucose — honey a bit more (ratio is about 1.1 or 1.2 to 1) and agave a lot more (ratio is more like 9 to 1). They are problematic for people who have a lot of trouble absorbing fructose (for some of us, excess fructose can cause a lot of GI symptoms). Maple syrup has more glucose than fructose, so it’s better. Agave is being marketed as very healthy due to its low glycemic index, but it’s quite problematic with regard to fructose.
Vitamin Water's Empty Calories Are at the Heart of What's Wrong with the Beverage Industry - Go Green - SustainLane on Fri, 14th Aug 2009 3:18 am
[...] [...]
M on Fri, 4th Sep 2009 11:41 pm
You people at Golden Spiral make me sick. Your groundless accusations about crystalline fructose containing arsenic is a load of crap. Where do you get your information? The largest nutrition company in the world (do you even know who that is?) uses it in certain snack bars as a sweetener and it is not the least bit harmful.
Why don’t you stick to what you know, or think you know. The world is coming to an end because all the big bad companies are trying to kill us?
Get over yourselves and stop whining about everything.
mlaiuppa on Fri, 16th Oct 2009 9:02 am
Thank you for this simple explanation.
I stopped drinking soda and have avoided HFCS since May. The chocolate milk I was drinking for breakfast had HFCS in it so I switched to another brand that was even lower in fat content. No HFCS. When I started it had cane sugar. Not great but better than HFCS. Today when I read the carton the formula has changed. It now has crystalline fructose. The word Fructose sent me off googling. And low and behold, this is worse than the other milk. No more. I guess I’ll be switching to 100% organic orange juice in the morning. Not sure how I’m going to get my dairy and calcium. I hate regular milk. Maybe I’ll try raw milk. The low fat plain milk tastes just awful.
I am really and truly pissed. « The Eclectic Progressive on Fri, 16th Oct 2009 10:01 am
[...] Posted in food tagged crystalline fructose, HFCS, high fructose corn syrup at 8:59 am by mlaiuppa Here I thought I was getting healthier by dumping HFCS and I find an insidious ingredient in the 1% lowfat chocolate milk I switched to. Crystalline Fructose. [...]
Claire on Mon, 9th Nov 2009 10:26 am
This is not fructose – fructose is a pentose – a 5-membered ring.
Crystalline Fructose, the new High Fructose Corn Syrup « Wide Spectrum Analysis on Wed, 11th Nov 2009 5:42 pm
[...] Fructose, the new High Fructose Corn Syrup Jump to Comments Source: The Golden Spiral January 27, [...]
Ha Ha on Sun, 17th Jan 2010 2:09 am
You gotta die of something… may as well live life before you do.
Audrae Erickson on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 10:30 am
Sugar and HFCS contain nearly the same one-to-one ratio of two sugars—fructose and glucose: Sugar is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. High fructose corn syrup is sold principally in two formulations — 42 percent and 55 percent fructose. The high fructose corn syrup used in breads, jams and yogurt is 42% fructose – actually less fructose than what’s found in sugar.
Many confuse pure “fructose” — a sugar also found in fruits and vegetables — with “high fructose corn syrup,” a sweetener that never contains fructose alone, but always in combination with an essentially equivalent amount of a second sugar (glucose). Recent studies that have examined pure fructose have been inappropriately applied to high fructose corn syrup. The resulting confusion has been compounded by careless commentators who ignore the important differences between the two products. Not only does high fructose corn syrup always contain glucose which is missing from pure fructose, but the studies that cause confusion examined artificially high levels of pure fructose not found either in high fructose corn syrup or in any normal diet.
Consumers can read the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at http://www.SweetSurprise.com
Audrae Erickson, Corn Refiners Association
Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages and Processed Foods « on Thu, 28th Jan 2010 2:23 pm
[...] Reviews HFCS and explains crystalline fructose http://thegoldenspiral.org/2009/01/… [...]
Peter A. Loria on Sat, 13th Mar 2010 7:52 pm
Folks,
Here’s what I find frustrating in all of these discussions about sweeteners(glucose, CF, HFCS, etc.) No one mentions a quantity that is unhealthy.
For example, if a normally healthy person of about 200 lbs. has two or three teaspoons of CF added to a 10 oz. cup of coffee per day, what are the detrimental effects (if any) on his (her) health going to be?
In other words, are there any feasible studies related to real life circumstances which can serve as a guide?
Thanks,
P.L.
The Skinny on Sugar « Alicia Sims-Mercado's Blog on Wed, 25th Aug 2010 9:52 pm
[...] Now instead of reading sugar on the labels of many foods, you might see high fructose corn syrup, crystalline fructose, sucralose, aspartame among others. I like what Dr. Janet Hull says in one of her articles; [...]
Marcus on Fri, 27th Aug 2010 6:46 am
That is NOT the correct structure of fructose. You’ve posted glucose, which is not the same as fructose, dummy.
JJ on Mon, 20th Sep 2010 3:35 pm
Yeah hey, fructose is actually a five sided molecular ring, albeit a hextose saccharide. see Biology, Reece, 8ed, p. 71
out
Not fr*ctose on Fri, 24th Sep 2010 1:46 pm
Indeed — that molecule ain’t fructose.
Probably less toxic, too.
Sunitha on Fri, 22nd Oct 2010 7:16 pm
The structure you have is not exactly correct. The 5th Carbon is supposed to have a CH2OH attached to it instead of the H. Hopefully you can fix it. =)
Bill on Sat, 12th Feb 2011 7:45 pm
Fructose can exist either as a six member ring called Fructopyranose or as a five member ring called Fructofuranose. In solution there would be some of each. Crystalline fructose occurs as the six member form rather than the five member form.
There is however one small sterochemical error in the Haworth projection of fructopyranose depicted in this article. The hydroxyl on carbon 3 should be in the up position rather than the down position. The molecule as depicted here would actually be the six member form of D-Psicose which would be called D-Psicopyranose. To convert from a Fischer projection to a Haworth projection anything right of center in the Fischer is shown as down in the Haworth while left of center in Fischer is shown as up in Haworth.
Crystalline fructose | TrueConvictionDesigns on Fri, 4th Mar 2011 10:49 pm
[...] crystalline fructose : The Golden SpiralI am referring to crystalline fructose. It is produced by allowing HFCS to crystallize. It is then dried and milled into the desired particle size for packaging. As a result, it is 100% fructose. … [...]
Tammy Smith on Tue, 19th Apr 2011 3:59 am
I am not a chemist, but I can tell you that when both my daughter and I drank “Vitamin Water” we got headaches every time. We stopped drinking it and no headaches. I think that tells you something right there!
Erika on Thu, 19th May 2011 9:54 am
Drink water! That’s what we need. Clean, pure water. Not that too many can find that version of it anymore, but here’s to tryin’. (Raises glass of filtered water.)
Martha Hendry on Sat, 28th May 2011 10:01 am
I am willing to bet that the publishers of this garbage have something to gain by calling HCFS unsafe. If we continue to listen to these clowns we will all die of starvation or go to a strictly vegan, raw diet! This crap is totally insanity. My mothetr is 85 years old and she hasn’t died of any aresenic and eat’s whatever in the world she wants. She is 130 lbs and beautiful! She’s enjoyed her life and not spent it nitpicking silly stuff. Drink vitamin water for 10 years and die of arsenic build up? Yeah right!
Becky M on Sat, 23rd Jul 2011 5:24 pm
Folks, please watch Forks Over Knives, or read Rip Esselstyn’s Fire Engine 2 Diet book, and you’ll see how all this discussion about synthesized sweeteners and fats/oils trick our body into thinking it isn’t full.
For those who want to drink sweet stuff – try mixing plain seltzer (or flavored) with a dash (or 2) of your favorite pure fruit juice. It beats any Vitamin Water or newfangled fusion drink. Works for my kids. We’ve been diluting most regular bottled juices with water – 50/50 ratio – and after several years, we’ve grown to dislike the ultra-sweet drinks out there.