Obesity and ...3

According to Heath Herrera, M.Ed., CSCS, and owner of Fitness Revolution in San Marcos the home of HH Fitness Boot Camps, beverages loaded with sugar, such as soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks, will contribute directly to weight gain. Period. That’s no surprise since it is fairly common knowledge that the consumption of too much sugar leads directly to weight gain. A 20-ounce glass of cola can contain the equivalent of 16 teaspoons of sugar, which is nearly three times the maximum daily sugar intake recommended by the American Heart Association. And if the sugar is in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), more of it may be stored as fat. Estimates are that eating 120 calories of glucose results in approximately one calorie being stored as fat. On the other hand, eating 120 calories of HFCS (which can be half glucose and half fructose), can result in 40 calories being stored as fat. That’s because fructose is processed in the liver, and unlike glucose, most of it gets shuttled into fat storage.