Glucose- what's IN that ?

ozchick · Post by **ozchick** » Wed, 01 Oct 2008 4:09 pm

Tried googling. Still confuzzed. I'm apparently allergic to corn. So when I look at food-bars that contain glucose (that stickly stuff like honey), I don't know if it has corn in it or not. Someone told me that glucose is made from corn. Any glucose-knowledgeable peoples on here ?

Post by **Strong Eagle** » Wed, 01 Oct 2008 6:15 pm

Glucose is commonly referred to as "blood sugar" because is the major form of sugar/monosaccharide found in the body.

The chemical composition of glucose is C6H12O6. Like the sugar (sucrose - C12H22O11) you eat, it really doesn't matter where it came from... if it has this formula there is nothing but glucose or sucrose... the source is indistinguishable... could be corn, sugar beets, sugar cane... but you could not tell where it came from.

Wind In My Hair · Post by **Wind In My Hair** » Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:17 pm

Ode To Sugar (dedicated to sweet Ozchick)

Oh Sugar, nothing comes close
To your special way of putting on
Pounds of fat with just one dose

You call yourself glucose and sucrose
And hide behind such pretty names
Well, you can go fructose

Get away from in front of my nose
You and your sneaky little ways
Make me obese to my toes

Oh Sugar, you bring on such woes
Trying to understand you
Makes poor Ozchick comatose

ozchick · Post by **ozchick** » Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:46 pm

Wind In My Hair wrote:Ode To Sugar (dedicated to sweet Ozchick)

Oh Sugar, nothing comes close
To your special way of putting on
Pounds of fat with just one dose

You call yourself glucose and sucrose
And hide behind such pretty names
Well, you can go fructose

Get away from in front of my nose
You and your sneaky little ways
Make me obese to my toes

Oh Sugar, you bring on such woes
Trying to understand you
Makes poor Ozchick comatose

Well well W.I.M.H. aren't you the wordy one !

Mm.....my turn_

Wind In My Hair
Do not despair
Glucose and I are ok
I don't have to eat it
In fact I can beat it
By staying with sugar - ok ?!

Wind In My Hair · Post by **Wind In My Hair** » Fri, 03 Oct 2008 4:57 pm

ozchick wrote:Wind In My Hair
Do not despair
Glucose and I are ok
I don't have to eat it
In fact I can beat it
By staying with sugar - ok ?!

Ok honey!

Thaiclan · Post by **Thaiclan** » Fri, 03 Oct 2008 7:58 pm

Maybe you are not thinking of glucose and instead high fructose corn syrup? - which is yes made from corn and imo should be avoided at all costs even if you aren't allergic to corn!
Its in a lot of preserved foods ( sauces, choccie bars, some cereals, ketchup etc). Currently in the US the corn industry is promoting it vigorously as "all natural and healthy" as there has been a huge backlash against it in recent times.

EADG · Post by **EADG** » Fri, 03 Oct 2008 9:54 pm

it's in bloody everything

hard to avoid

I once heard a theory about yellow food, that it is liked to bile and is not good for you. And so goes corn syrup.

I don't say I subscribe to that theory, but there may be something to it.

ozchick · Post by **ozchick** » Sat, 04 Oct 2008 9:06 am

Strong Eagle wrote:Glucose is commonly referred to as "blood sugar" because is the major form of sugar/monosaccharide found in the body.

The chemical composition of glucose is C6H12O6. Like the sugar (sucrose - C12H22O11) you eat, it really doesn't matter where it came from... if it has this formula there is nothing but glucose or sucrose... the source is indistinguishable... could be corn, sugar beets, sugar cane... but you could not tell where it came from.

Yeah well THIS is clearly the reason why I can't be comfortable with any ingredient that says Glucose yeah ? There's usually no derivative written next to 'glucose' on packaged products. Thanks for this Strong Eagle. 'I'm not at all happy with this but at least I understand the issue now and will search for products which DO list the derivative for the glucose ingredient.

Splatted · Post by **Splatted** » Sat, 04 Oct 2008 6:52 pm

I don't think you're allergic to glucose. You simply can't live if this is the case, as the body makes this sugar when it digests (or rather metabolises) everything, including proteins in even fats (in certain fasting states).

Could it be "glutens" you're allergic to instead? It sounds like glucose .. kinda..

EADG · Post by **EADG** » Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:25 pm

Splatted is right on both counts. There are no-gluten alternatives at places like Jasons. A lot of people have reduced gluten from their diets, but it's not easy.

ozchick · Post by **ozchick** » Sun, 05 Oct 2008 1:00 pm

Splatted wrote:I don't think you're allergic to glucose. You simply can't live if this is the case, as the body makes this sugar when it digests (or rather metabolises) everything, including proteins in even fats (in certain fasting states).

Could it be "glutens" you're allergic to instead? It sounds like glucose .. kinda..

No, glucose isn't the problem. The problem is 'corn' which is often used to make the glucose. Glucose made from anything other than corn is fine. The rooster reckons that glucose made from corn should be fine in its 'broken'down molecular state..mm...I don't know about this but am gonna contact the allergy dudes for a lowdown on whether corn in glucose is a problem Gee if I didn't have to think about glucose and its ingredients I could eat a whole lot more interesting stuff.

Ma'am · Post by **Ma'am** » Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:45 pm

From Wikipedia:

Commercial
Glucose is produced commercially via the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. Many crops can be used as the source of starch. Maize, rice, wheat, potato, cassava, arrowroot, and sago are all used in various parts of the world. In the United States, cornstarch (from maize) is used almost exclusively.

You also need to check ingredients for 'starch' or 'sago'. While glucose can be derived from starch (and will be on the label as glucose) a product may contain 'starch' proper, which is used to thicken foods. As mentioned above starch can be found in many plants, including corn. Sometimes a label will state 'starch, from wheat' or 'starch, from corn' but it depends on the labelling laws of each country.

Again from Wikipedia:

[edit] Etymology
Starch derived from Middle English sterchen, meaning to stiffen, which is appropriate since it can be used as a thickening agent when dissolved in water and heated. In several languages, starch is known as sago or sagu; consequently, in English sago now refers to several different starches (see Sago (disambiguation)). Starch is basically long chains of glucose molecules.

Post by **jpatokal** » Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:40 pm

ozchick wrote:No, glucose isn't the problem. The problem is 'corn' which is often used to make the glucose. Glucose made from anything other than corn is fine.

Glucose is glucose is glucose, it doesn't matter what it's made from. It's like vodka: you can make it from potatoes or wheat or virtually anything, but at the end of the day, only alcohol and water are left.

taxico · Post by **taxico** » Sat, 11 Oct 2008 8:22 am

WARNING: MEDICAL ADVICE AHEAD...

there will be corn protein (residual) left in the finished product, so there's no way to tell unless it's specifically written CORN FREE. this isn't happening anytime soon.

even sucrose can be derived from corn. best bet? before buying, call up the manufacturer and ask.

in fact, you shouldn't just avoid dextrose (aka glucose) & fructose or dextrin/maltodextrin...

you should basically avoid all the sweet stuff like caramel, syrup, confectioner's sugar (much more, as you know it), & all malt-based products.

be wary of gum containing xanthan and sweets with citric acid, sorbitol or artificial sweetners, and icecream/sauces with di/mono-glicerides.

there're many edibles that aren't sweet-tasting made from corn (or possibly have been cross-contaminated in the same production facility).

eg, baking stuff (baking powder, vanilla extracts) MSG, binding materials in pills, trans-fats, vegetable: broth, protein, oil (and more), alcohol, vinegars, ascorbic acid (boy, this is found everywhere, and used in vitamin C), and even table salt (not sea salt).

the list goes on and as i love to eat, my sympathies go out to people allergic to corn. that list is not exhaustive (i'm definitely not able to remember everything) but not everything triggers a reaction, so if you can bear the consequence, feel free to try.

just make sure you are DEFINITELY allergic to corn by visiting a doctor (if you've not already done so).

in general, patients have to become patient (pun intended), avoid OR becareful with: processed foods & baked goods & sweet stuff & chinese food & junk food & dairy products.

patients should also be careful when taking medications/supplements. i hope this helps.

taxico, m.d.

Post by **jpatokal** » Sun, 12 Oct 2008 2:36 pm

taxico wrote:there will be corn protein (residual) left in the finished product, so there's no way to tell unless it's specifically written CORN FREE. this isn't happening anytime soon.

This is quite true. However -- and ozchick, correct me if I'm wrong -- your allergy is not like a peanut allergy, where one whiff of peanut swells your head up into a basketball and you need to be rushed to the ER. Instead, if your "allergy" just means getting an upset stomach from eating corn-based foods, then the minute amounts of corn residue left in industrial glucose are way too small to have any impact, and you can quite safely ignore them.

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Glucose- what's IN that ?

Glucose- what's IN that ?

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