For every scientific study showing one thing, there is at least one other study showing the opposite result.

Considering the onslaught of studies showing how harmful high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) can be, it was only a matter of time before there was a study showing that HFCS is no worse than any other sweetener.

The study isn’t very interesting, so here are the key points I picked up:

• A consensus is emerging that HFCS is indistinguishable from sucrose in its metabolic effects.
• Many people are confusing pure fructose (fruit sugar) with high fructose corn syrup.
• High fructose corn syrup contains the same sugar composition as other fructose/glucose-based sweeteners like sucrose (table sugar,) honey, or fruit juice concentrates.
• Per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup has declined in the United States in recent years, but obesity rates continue to rise.
• Excess consumption of any type of calories will contribute to weight gain.

Eating too much will make you gain weight! Wow! Talk about breaking news. Can you believe it??

Good thing we have studies like this to set us straight. Now I know I can safely eat my Oreo cookies instead of choosing green tea with honey, since they’re the same thing…

However, I’m waiting on their next headline. Maybe something like “Study shows Twinkies no worse than Ho-Hos or Ding Dongs.”

Editor’s Note: I don’t actually recommend you eat Oreos or Twinkies, etc.

Want more info? Then read more about the study from the Corn Refiners Association, a totally unbiased third-party.

Editor’s Note 2: The more high fructose corn syrup is produced and consumed, the more money the Corn Refiners Association stands to make. So they are as biased as possible!

What a sham. It’s studies like these that make science look bad. I can’t even begin to tell you how bad this is, so I’ll direct you to some hilarious commentary at USA Today (in the comments section.) LOL!

Today’s question is about sugar-free energy bars for diabetics…

I’m diabetic. I’m looking for a sugar-free bar. Does Larabar make what I’m looking for?

Jack

Well, looking at the Larabar I happen to have sitting on my desk, the only ingredients listed are dates, pecans, and almonds. So there is no added sugar, but the bar still contains 16g sugar (which would be from the dates.)

To confirm this, the wrapper even states “No added sugar” (as I mentioned in my review of Larabars.)

To go one step further, I took a look at the Larabar website to see if they offered any advice on this subject. I found that the Larabar contains “no added sugars or sweeteners,” and that it presents “no significant blood sugar raise for diabetics.”

From what I can see, it looks like the Larabar is indeed what you are looking for.

But just in case you are searching for more options, there is another bar out there called the SoLo GI bar, because it is low on the Glycemic Index. It does contain sugar, but their FAQ page states, “SoLo bars are excellent for diabetics, because they help manage blood sugar throughout the day.”

Aside from those bars, it’s going to be difficult to find any conventional energy bars that don’t contain sugar, since sugar is the body’s main source of energy – hence the name, “energy bars.”

But both those bars taste great, so at least you have two good bars!

(I thought that would answer the question, but there is a “Part 2″ to this question…)

Which Larbar are you looking at? Is this true of all Larbars? Or, do you have a sugar-free or reduces sugar bar. Do you understand what I need to know? Do all of the Larbars contain dates. Surely your developers have this nutritional information. The sugar is not listed on all Larbars.

Sixteen grams per serving is twice what a half cup of milk contains. Let me know, as I like your product and would like to enjoy it often.

Dude, I don’t work for Larabar. I just eat Larabars. If you need to get in touch with their “developers” you will have to call or email Larabar directly.

But thanks for giving me an idea of what a customer service rep must deal with every day!

One day I was watching the morning news and saw a segment about avoiding sugar or cutting calories by cutting out sugar. They had an expert on as a guest, and if I remember correctly, it was someone from Good Housekeeping magazine.

Good Housekeeping is pretty big, but you never know if the news shows are getting real “experts” or just someone that will create controversy to boost their ratings…

They starting going over drinks like fruit juice, sports drinks, and soda, while offering comparisons of nutrition facts such as sugar content. You know, drinks that seem like the healthy option (juice) up against the evil, unhealthy option (soda.) The segment really focused on sugar content and calories though, leaving out any other health benefits (or drawbacks.)

What was the conclusion?

That fruit juice is bad for you because it has so many calories. We’re talking about orange juice and apple juice here, and they say it’s the unhealthy option!

Worse, they went on to recommend that you stay away from juice, and instead go for the drinks with artificial sweeteners. The recommended lineup included Diet Pepsi.

Are you kidding?! Diet Pepsi instead of apple juice?!

No thanks, I’ll take my fruit juice and Gatorade and the extra calories, along with the health benefits. You can keep the diet sodas full of aspartame, and the resulting cancer, for yourself.

Although I’ll admit that claiming that diet soda is healthier than fruit juice was a great way to catch people’s attention!

Photo credit: Maulleigh

After a couple small attempts at this, I think I figured it out for the third time!

If you remember, the whole point of this is to find something to give me more calories in a mountain bike race without adding solid food. We’re talking about a 2.5-3 hour race, maybe a 6 hour. I think there will be a lot more testing though, if I try to figure out the proper nutrition method for a 24 hour solo attempt…

So really, I just needed to add a couple hundred calories to my 2 bottles of Gatorade. And that is what I did on day 3 testing. I took 2 bottles of Gatorade/maltodextrin mix out for a 2 hour ride. And it went great! (Well, from a nutrition standpoint it did, I was a bit sluggish because I was fighting off a cold…)

In the end, the main finding is that I can combine Gatorade and maltodextrin powder and use it successfully while riding.

If you’ve been reading a while, you know that I’ve been planning out a nutrition strategy for training and racing. Last week was the first day I tested the addition of maltodextrin powder to my normal fluid intake.

I did a little less than two hours on my mountain bike over hilly terrain, but no serious efforts. I used a bottle of Gatorade/maltodextrin powder and a bottle of water. Everything went fine. Granted I didn’t use that much maltodextrin, but I was doing the unthinkable – mixing simple and complex carbs! Uh oh!

My next ride I will be using quite a bit more maltodextrin, so keep reading to see what happens!