Fructose consumption raises concern (video)

If you check labels, you’ll often find fructose – or high-fructose corn syrup — as an ingredient in soft drinks and processed foods.

But this powerful sweetener may pose a cardiovascular threat for young people.

Recently, researchers at Georgia Health Sciences University found that adolescents with diets high in fructose may have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

High-fructose diets were associated with higher blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin resistance and inflammatory factors, all of which contribute to cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

These diets were also associated with lower levels of protective factors against cardiovascular disease, such as HDL cholesterol.

The study, published in this month’s issue of The Journal of Nutrition, analyzed the overall fructose consumption, general diet history and body fat of 559 adolescents aged 14 to 18.

Dr. Vanessa Bundy, a Medical College of Georgia pediatric resident and an author of the study, talks to Georgia Health News about the impact of fructose and how schools have already helped give students better food choices.

The video is courtesy of Georgia Health Sciences University.