HFCS vs sucrose in soda is not really that different

I prefer this Mexican soda from Coca-Cola in a glass bottle:
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There is a difference between the two sweeteners, but I think the value is overblown, which is why HFCS has proliferated.

That's the thing. HFCS is demonstrably different, even considering how sucrose disassociates completely into fructose and glucose in an acidic liquid. Some people note that HFCS seems sweeter (likely) and has a different mouth feel. And that's most likely true since it has small amounts of different sugars like maltose. That's probably why many think it feels thick in the mouth. Is it better or worse? I believe it's just different and leave it at that.

But there are those convinced that "cane sugar" consumption produces different health effects. I won't go into discussion too much medical stuff, but it's not much different. Sucrose in a soda already becomes free fructose/glucose, and if it weren't the body turns it into those very quickly.
 
Imagine watching someone adding 11 teaspoons of sugar to their cup of coffee 😲. Most people would gasp, yet that is how much sugar is in the can of soda! I don't care if it is HFCS or sucrose, that's a lot of sugar. I have not had a sugared soda in 22 years and never will.

Everything in moderation for me.

But what I'm getting at is that there are all these myths about why do so many think "real sugar" is better or at least different.

Especially with something like ketchup, where there are some (including Heinz) that advertise that it's made with "real sugar" rather than HFCS. But that's like a soda environment where the vinegar will quickly split sucrose into fructose and glucose.
 
How about just don't put this garbage in your body, period? There are so many great alternatives that are currently available be they clean sodas like Nixie or prebiotic sodas like Poppi or Olipop.

I found an amazing Russian grocery store in Indianapolis that sells a brand of soda from Russia that tastes amazing and is very low sugar. They actually have one type of soda that tastes like Coca-Cola without all the junk in it, it has a pine cone on the bottle. Also Tarragon soda is incredibly refreshing if you ever get a chance to try that.

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Different sugar has different taste other than just sweetness. I personally can tell the difference but that's really only when you drink a lot or just taste the sugar without all the other flavoring and carbonation around, side by side.

Regarding to fructose is fructose, it does have an impact to your metabolism whether you use fructose vs glucose in the same amount. If I remember right fructose turn into liver fat as it can only be used by your liver instead of the rest of your body. However if you drink the same amount of fructose whether it is from cane sugar vs HFCS, in the same calories, you will likely do the same damage to your body. Portion control matters.

I just stay away from sugary drinks all together, not trying to tell myself that cane sugar coke is safe while HFCS coke is not.
 
Different sugar has different taste other than just sweetness. I personally can tell the difference but that's really only when you drink a lot or just taste the sugar without all the other flavoring and carbonation around, side by side.

Regarding to fructose is fructose, it does have an impact to your metabolism whether you use fructose vs glucose in the same amount. However if you drink the same amount of fructose whether it is from cane sugar vs HFCS, in the same calories, you will likely do the same damage to your body.

I just stay away from sugary drinks all together, not trying to tell myself that cane sugar coke is safe while HFCS coke is not.

There's a verifiable difference, and in many cases the amount of sweetener is adjusted to account for this.

But the real deal is all the delusions that people have about food and health. We live in a world where people rely on buzzwords and personal belief over science and facts. There's a lot of rationalizing more expensive food choices, claiming that they're inherently better for one's health. I hear from actual nutritionists that the best thing we can do for our health is enjoy certain things (alcohol, sugar, fat) in moderation.

But there are people willing to pay big bucks for certain foods thinking that they'll help them live longer compared to having a well-balanced diet. And don't get me started with "organic", which is really just a philosophy against using synthetic chemicals (mostly fertilizer and pesticides) in agriculture. The truth is that natural fertilizers and natural pesticides (many which can be extremely toxic) are allowed.

I think a lot of the claims made about "cane sugar" vs HFCS is rooted in a lot of pseudo-scientific beliefs.
 
big PHARMA lies on a regular basis as does Big Food!!!! you must read + learn to protect your health + when in doubt SKIP IT or at least consume VERY LITTLE!!!! the thing with frutose it like alcohol is processed by thr liver hence kids with NAFLD, non alcohol fatty liver disease + 4 grams = one tsp surely NOT healthy!!!
 
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$6 ? Wowza!

I'll pay $6 instead of paying for the cheap stuff that is going to give me diabetes and send me to a premature death. I just watched my dad die last year and he spent his entire life eating boomer slop just like his older sister, her husband, and their four kids who are all dead now after all having died due to complications from obesity.

It's like Fram says, pay me now or pay me later only I'm talking about crap food and higher medical bills or paying a little bit more for quality food and lowering the probability of developing catastrophic health issues in the future.
 
There's a verifiable difference, and in many cases the amount of sweetener is adjusted to account for this.

But the real deal is all the delusions that people have about food and health. We live in a world where people rely on buzzwords and personal belief over science and facts. There's a lot of rationalizing more expensive food choices, claiming that they're inherently better for one's health. I hear from actual nutritionists that the best thing we can do for our health is enjoy certain things (alcohol, sugar, fat) in moderation.

But there are people willing to pay big bucks for certain foods thinking that they'll help them live longer compared to having a well-balanced diet. And don't get me started with "organic", which is really just a philosophy against using synthetic chemicals (mostly fertilizer and pesticides) in agriculture. The truth is that natural fertilizers and natural pesticides (many which can be extremely toxic) are allowed.

I think a lot of the claims made about "cane sugar" vs HFCS is rooted in a lot of pseudo-scientific beliefs.
You are partly correct. However, you also need to remember that many of how things taste and feel are based on human emotions. I used to think that people just overpay but then one day I started to realize it is like a makeup on a woman, and you know how it goes when woman spending money on makeup and how men prefer women who put on a good makeup vs being sloppy...

Anyways, it also depends on whether the studies on many things are done without bias or not. Today we may have studies that say things are ok and safe but tomorrow we may find things aren't healthy in Europe finally catch up in the US and FDA banned them (like hydrogenated oil being healthier than lard or butter). I'm not saying sugar is healthy but at least it have been around for thousands of years whereas HFCS has only been around for 50 or so? Statistically we will find more skeletons in the closet on something newer than something that has been around for thousands of years...

I'll just eat less sugar whenever I can regardless of HFCS or cane sugar.
 
I'm not saying sugar is healthy but at least it have been around for thousands of years whereas HFCS has only been around for 50 or so? Statistically we will find more skeletons in the closet on something newer than something that has been around for thousands of years...

But the fact is that sucrose dissolved in an acid solution (aka almost every carbonated soft drink on the market) will turn into a 50/50 fructose/glucose solution fairly quickly. That's what the original experiment I linked to showed. But there's still this delusion that "cane sugar" or at least "real sugar" is different than HFCS because it somehow remains sucrose within a packaged soft drink.

I certainly wouldn't buy that there's any "magic ratio" where the typical 55% fructose from HFCS is substantially worse than the 50% disassociated fructose from what used to be 100% sucrose. Maybe it's the typical maltose in there, but if so, I think we're in bigger trouble if this is sudden that bad for us:

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That's the thing. HFCS is demonstrably different, even considering how sucrose disassociates completely into fructose and glucose in an acidic liquid. Some people note that HFCS seems sweeter (likely) and has a different mouth feel. And that's most likely true since it has small amounts of different sugars like maltose. That's probably why many think it feels thick in the mouth. Is it better or worse? I believe it's just different and leave it at that.

But there are those convinced that "cane sugar" consumption produces different health effects. I won't go into discussion too much medical stuff, but it's not much different. Sucrose in a soda already becomes free fructose/glucose, and if it weren't the body turns it into those very quickly.

There certainly are differences, but I was speaking in a practical sense.

I'm not going to make the effort to seek out, or pay more for a Coke that's made with sugar. A Coke tastes pretty much like a Coke, everywhere, and whatever differences there are aren't that compelling, to me at least. What I do find more annoying is the inconsistency in the product that domestic bottlers produce. Sometimes a Coke will have plenty of the vanilla element, and sometimes very little, if at all.

And It's rather cynical of the food industry to substitute cheaper ingredients, and then reintroduce them as a marketing ploy.

I make no apologies for enjoying "unhealthy" food; but nothing in excess. One could get hit by the proverbial bus (or more likely an inattentive driver) and die tomorrow. I'd rather live having had that enjoyment rather than live ascetically for the promise of a long life that is not guaranteed to come. No boring cars. No boring food.
 
I'll pay $6 instead of paying for the cheap stuff that is going to give me diabetes and send me to a premature death. I just watched my dad die last year and he spent his entire life eating boomer slop just like his older sister, her husband, and their four kids who are all dead now after all having died due to complications from obesity.

It's like Fram says, pay me now or pay me later only I'm talking about crap food and higher medical bills or paying a little bit more for quality food and lowering the probability of developing catastrophic health issues in the future.
This stat is very simplistic, as it ignores all sorts of confounding factors, but it went something like this:

In 1940, Americans spent 15% of their income on food, and 5% on health care.

By 2010, they spent 5% on food, and 15% on health care.
 
Regarding to fructose is fructose, it does have an impact to your metabolism whether you use fructose vs glucose in the same amount. If I remember right fructose turn into liver fat as it can only be used by your liver instead of the rest of your body. However if you drink the same amount of fructose whether it is from cane sugar vs HFCS, in the same calories, you will likely do the same damage to your body. Portion control matters.

No, it doesn’t specifically turn into liver fat. The liver converts most fructose to glucose and the rest to stored energy (lactate and glycogen).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructolysis

It’s also metabolized by different parts of the body.
 
Imagine watching someone adding 11 teaspoons of sugar to their cup of coffee 😲. Most people would gasp, yet that is how much sugar is in the can of soda! I don't care if it is HFCS or sucrose, that's a lot of sugar. I have not had a sugared soda in 22 years and never will.
How much sugar is in a packet you get at the restaurant? Depending on the size of the cup, I’m a 3-6 packet coffee drinker.
 
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