At the beginning of the 20th Century table sugar (sucrose) was the main source of sweeteners in the diet of Americans. Sucrose is made up of 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Another sweetener that was not introduced until the 1970’s is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) that has the same number of calories as sucrose, but can contain as much as 80% fructose and only 20% glucose. Up until the later part of the 20th Century folks consumed no more than about 15 grams of fructose per day that was obtained from fruits and vegetables. At the end of the 20th Century less than 30 years after the introduction of HFCS the daily consumption had suddenly jumped to over 80 grams of fructose per day. This change in the balance of fructose and glucose has had negative health consequences in terms of glucose metabolism that are a concern for anyone trying to improve their senior health.
Parallel with this fivefold increase in the consumption of fructose has been the appearance of a number of unhealthy symptoms in the general population that are typical of an unbalanced metabolism. Our bodies are used to a sweetener with a 50/50 balance of sucrose and glucose, but the current high dietary intake of HFCS has upset that balance. The typical high intake of fructose which is found in all soft drinks and 40% of the sweeteners added to foods and beverages should be of concern for seniors who are concerned about avoiding diabetes. This imbalance of fructose upsets the metabolism of glucose in the liver and can induce insulin resistance that is a hallmark of type 2 diabetes. For seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps against developing diabetes, eliminating or at least seriously reducing their intake of fructose by avoiding foods and beverages containing HFCS is a high priority.