Those of you who have read my posts have probably seen this ingredient listed in a number of the drinks reviewed: High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS for short. It is also known as “Glucose/Fructose” in Canada and “Glucose Fructose Syrup” in the United Kingdom. Now I know what you’re thinking: Brett, how come you’re telling us this? Simple.
Since countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Canada do not produce real sugar, they find other ingredients to replace sugar. HFCS is a cheap substitute, as it is expensive to import real sugar, which comes from beets or canes.
But there is a downside to having HFCS as an ingredient. While companies might be saving money by using HFCS instead of real sugar, HFCS is not good for you. The reason HFCS is not good for you is because unlike natural sugar (sucrose), HFCS does not have a bond between glucose and fructose, whereas natural sugar does. Due to this bond, your body must break it down before being utilized. But since there is no bond in HFCS, it can be utilized more easily. Even Dr. Oz has mentioned in his show how harmful HFCS is to humans and how it has increased obesity worldwide.
I know I have reviewed energy drinks containing HFCS in the past and may continue to do so, but I have also primarily reviewed numerous energy drinks that contain real sugar or no sugar at all. Some examples of drinks that contain natural sugar are Rockstar and Beaver Buzz. One brand of energy drink I like that contains no sugar is Xenergy. I have reviewed Xenergy’s entire line of energy drinks in the past and have mentioned it is the official energy drink of UFC…and we know those guys only have a single digit of body fat on them, and with good reason!
I’d say in time: HFCS, or “Glucose/Fructose” in Canada and “Glucose Fructose Syrup” in the UK, will be eliminated, just like trans fats were from foods. So in the meantime: Please check the ingredients on anything you buy. Not just energy drinks. Everything!
Sources: Broken Secrets
Brett's Energy Drinks 