Protein and Resistant Starch: A Dynamic Fat-loss Duo? by Jerry Brainum

 

 

 

Not all carbohydrates are created equal. What this means is that some sources and types of carbohydrates are good for you, while others can harm your health if consumed long-term in larger amounts. The type of carbs classified as "good" include those found in natural foods and are not processed. Most natural forms of dietary carbohydrates are coupled with fiber, and the fiber is what keeps the carbs "honest" and safe. An example of this is fructose. Many bodybuilding websites and magazine articles often warn about how eating fruit should be avoided, with the reason most often cited as being the "high fructose content" of fruits. This notion, however, is a fallacy on several levels. For one, fruits vary in their fructose content, with some fruits containing significantly higher amounts than others. But nearly all fruits contain some form of fiber, such as pectin, which prevents the rapid release of carbs contained in the fruit, including fructose. Since fructose is a slowly absorbed carb that initially doesn't provoke any insulin release because it follows a different absorption pathway compared to other sugars, it would seem like a fast release of fructose would seem a moot point. However, rapid release of fructose, while not promoting any significant insulin release, does have a proclivity to rapidly convert into triglycerides, or fat, particularly in the liver. But the fiber found naturally in fruit prevents this effect. Not only that, but you would need to consume a lot of fruit to initiate metabolic problems related to fruit. Since most fruits average about 8% fructose, you would need to consume large amounts to reach the maximum daily safe limit for fructose, which is 100 grams or about 3.5 ounces of pure fructose. Even if you did consume that much fructose, it would still be harmless if you also engaged in regular physical activity.

The situation changes dramatically if the source of carbs is either processed fructose, such as that found in high fructose corn syrup or fruit juice, which contains all the sugars found in fruit minus the fiber. Both of these are processed carbohydrates, and when ingested in larger amounts, can lead to often severe health problems. One such problem is non-alcoholic fatty liver. The term "non-alcoholic" is used because many cases in the past of fatty liver were caused by excessive alcohol intake. But with the non-alcoholic form, the usual culprits are excessive consumption of processed sugars combined with lack of physical activity. One of the primary suspects in the current worldwide epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver is high fructose corn syrup, which is ubiquitous in the food supply, being a common ingredient in many processed foods. While when consumed in moderate amounts HFCS is no more dangerous than ordinary . . .