7-Up Commercial: "All Natural"

[Art Vandelay]

If people would learn a little chemistry, and think a little more critically about the claims these companies make, maybe companies wouldn't keep pandering to the gullible.

Pandering to the gullible is the job description of marketing people.

Fructose constitutes 20% of the average American child's diet. That strikes me as large part.

That's a rather meaningless statement.

Hold on, when they say all-natural they mean "the same molecules, made differently"?! I always thought it meant they, at least, used different molecules. I didn't think they were 'better' by default, but I thought the composition CHANGED!?!

Surely whether something is "natural" should not depend on whether it can be synthesized, no?

 

[Dilb]

Fructose constitutes 20% of the average American child's diet. That strikes me as large part.

Huh, while I can't find information for children, sugar+corn syrup does seem to make up an impressively large percentage of an average American diet. Finding out the average American diet has problems is hardly shocking, though. I'm really more interested in the difference between sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, though.

Because of the people I know who do and don't consume it, and because of its affects on my body.

That's allright for a personal reason to not consume it, but I'd like to know if there's any evidence it's actually worse than sucrose.

 

[steenkh]

Natural flavors aren't any healthier than artificial flavors- in fact, they're chemically the same. Cinnamaldehyde, which is the flavouring used to create the cinnamon taste that lots of candy and cereal producers use, can be produced naturally from cinnamon bark or artificially from the condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde (C6H5HO + CH3CHO -> C6H5C2H2CHO +H2O).

You are right if we speak about the pure substances. But the natural substances often contain other chemicals that enhance the main ingredient. I do not know much about cinnamon, but for vanilla, there is no doubt that the actual seeds of dried vanilla stalks taste better than pure vanillin.

 

[jon]

That's allright for a personal reason to not consume it, but I'd like to know if there's any evidence it's actually worse than sucrose.

Is the fructose in high fructose corn syrup different from what's in fruit, or is it just a matter of quantity? Is eating a lot of fructose from, say, fresh fruit/smoothies/juices etc better than eating lots of fructose from high fructose corn syrup?

Anyway, it's tempting to say that people should be bright enough to know that a 'natural' 7up still isn't a health food... Then again, I remember one UK paper (the Mail, I think) running a shock story that organic chocolate cookies contained - amazingly - lots of fat and sugar

 

[tkingdoll]

Is the fructose in high fructose corn syrup different from what's in fruit, or is it just a matter of quantity? Is eating a lot of fructose from, say, fresh fruit/smoothies/juices etc better than eating lots of fructose from high fructose corn syrup?

yes, it is different (it's processed by the body differently), but it's safe to say that consuming any sugar in large quantities is bad for you.

 

[strathmeyer]

it's safe to say that consuming any sugar in large quantities is bad for you.

Unfortunately, large isn't really that large. A 20 ounce Coke has 100% your USRDA of sugar.

 

[Badger]

Unfortunately, large isn't really that large. A 20 ounce Coke has 100% your USRDA of sugar.

I've been reading packaging of what I think I want to buy at the grocery store. To me, there seems to be a lot of sugar in everything from salad dressing to chili to nacho dip to pretty much everything on the shelves.

So, while people may limit themselves to the 1 coke a day, they'll get a bunch more hidden sugar in their diet from other less obvious sources.

 

[tkingdoll]

I've been reading packaging of what I think I want to buy at the grocery store. To me, there seems to be a lot of sugar in everything from salad dressing to chili to nacho dip to pretty much everything on the shelves.

So, while people may limit themselves to the 1 coke a day, they'll get a bunch more hidden sugar in their diet from other less obvious sources.

Absolutely true. Salt, too. I avoid that by making my own everything (except ketchup and HP sauce).

 

[Dilb]

yes, it is different (it's processed by the body differently), but it's safe to say that consuming any sugar in large quantities is bad for you.

How can fructose from fruit be different? Either way it's a simple sugar dissolved in water.

 

[jon]

Absolutely true. Salt, too. I avoid that by making my own everything (except ketchup and HP sauce).

Thanks for the info. Make most of my own stuff too, which does help keep down the amount of sugar I eat (don't make cakes as can buy nicer ones, but those would have lots of sugar whether or not I made my own )

No wonder coke tastes so sweet, anyway...

 

[gfunkusarelius]

thanks, i hope you're all happy now. i was gonna buy some because i thought it would taste different. now i wont

 

[stup_id]

It is theorized that Fructose is actually more energetic than glucose, because altough being both monosacarids fructose is a sustrate of a "lower" reaction in the glucolytic metabolic pathway, one of the crucial steps in regulating that pathway is the conversion of glucose 6 phospate to fructose 6 phosphate and posteriously to fructose1,6 bisphosphate.

This also leads that it can enter the Pentose-Phospate-cycle metabolic pathway more readily.

Supposedly this results in more availability for the liver to synthetize fat-oils and to increase the oxidative stress in the mitochondria (although to be sincere I don't know exactly what is the mechanism.. it may have to be with more utilization of electronic mediator in energy metabolism)

At least that is what I can remember from my old medical biochemistry classes haha!

Ciao!

 

[epepke]

I have read that fructose consumption leads to production in the liver of an enzyme (PDH) that increases fat production and cholesterol which leads to triglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia.

Unlike sucrose, fructose mimics insulin's ability to to cause the liver to release fatty acids into the bloodstream, leading to muscle tissue developing insulin resistance. It also damages the artery wall.

Kinda funny, because when I was growing up, everyone thought that sucrose was evil and fructose was good.

Also, black pepper was evil (because it was supposed to be an irritant, but in fact doesn't do anything bad), and spearmint tea was good (in spite of the fact that it does irritate the stomach lining). And people with ulcers were directed to have a bland diet high in cream and butter.

Anyway, 7-Up is bland carbonated sugar water. If they want to sell more of it by saying that it's all natural, fine.

 

[tkingdoll]

Thanks for the info. Make most of my own stuff too, which does help keep down the amount of sugar I eat (don't make cakes as can buy nicer ones, but those would have lots of sugar whether or not I made my own )

No wonder coke tastes so sweet, anyway...

Gah, I can't tolerate full-sugar colas, waaaay too sweet. Equally, I find most convenience meals (e.g. frozen lasagne) far too salty now, though years ago I lived on them.

 

[Diamond]

In my local supermarket, they sell "High Juice" squash. If you look at the ingredients it's 50% sugar!

I buy the "no sugar added" squash and its 0.5% sugar (and I don't like sugary drinks anyway)

 

[jon]

Gah, I can't tolerate full-sugar colas, waaaay too sweet. Equally, I find most convenience meals (e.g. frozen lasagne) far too salty now, though years ago I lived on them.

Yeah, I don't tend to like the sweet taste of sodas any more, and do find ready meals often taste too salty/sweet. tbh, not sure how much of that is psychological, though - I do like eating pretty salty cheeses or smoked meat/fish, and very sweet baklavah or battenberg cake...obviously those are 'naturally' salty/sweet, though

 

[Art Vandelay]

In my local supermarket, they sell "High Juice" squash. If you look at the ingredients it's 50% sugar!

I buy the "no sugar added" squash and its 0.5% sugar (and I don't like sugary drinks anyway)

Your squash has an ingredients list?

I rather doubt that there's any squash with less than 1% sugar (although, again, that's not exactly a meaningful number).