Addictive as Cocaine, Fructose Fuels Cancer and Obesity as American Diet Staple

Fructose, a staple in the diet of many Americans, is continually being pegged by scientific research as a significant player in the development and spread of cancer. Furthermore, a growing number of studies are finding fructose, and the processed foods in which it is contained, to be as addictive as cocaine. With highly-popular fructose tied to obesity and cancer growth, is it any wonder that the health of American citizens is in decline?

One new study, published in the Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets, analyzed the link between refined sugar consumption and cancer. What the researchers found was that excess fructose consumption can actually damage the body in a number of ways beyond the development of cancer, including:

• DNA damage
• Inflammation
• Altered cellular metabolism
• Increased production of free radicals

Research published in the journal Cancer Research reached similar conclusions, finding that the way in which sugar is metabolized stimulates cancer growth. Even more concerning is the fact that the scientists performed the study using cells from one of the deadliest forms of cancer – pancreatic cancer. The researchers reported:

 Importantly, fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different … These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation.

As if the carcinogenic nature of fructose wasn’t threatening enough, 50 percent of high-fructose corn syrup has actually been found to contain toxic mercury.

The negative effects of excess fructose – particularly high-fructose corn syrup – are clear, so why would anyone willingly choose to consume heavy amounts of fructose on a daily basis? Well, besides the fact that many individuals are unaware of the adverse health consequences, people are routinely consuming significant amounts of fructose due to it being highly addictive.

Related Read: Foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup

Consumers Addicted to Carcinogenic High-Fructose Corn Syrup

In fact, a large body of research is threatening the structural integrity of the $1 trillion food and beverage industry by revealing just how addictive fructose can be. Food addiction is becoming quite a popular topic in the scientific community, and the results may lead to big changes. This year alone, 28 studies and papers were published on the subject of food addiction, according to a National Library of Medicine database. One such study found that fructose and sucralose are even in the same league as cocaine.

“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it,”said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.”

Manufacturers of processed foods which contain high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup, fructose, or sucralose are not only endangering the health of consumers, but are also contributing to massive addiction to these health-destroying ingredients. It is very possible that as more research comes out on the manner, a full-fledged consumer backlash will spawn as a result, similar to the uproar seen against tobacco companies after information surfaced linking cigarettes to adverse health reactions.