I'm not well read in the AGEs department so I can't comment on that. But I think there are several things that need to be considered. It's my understanding the the process of making HFCS is a chemical process involving a series of steps using alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, xylose isomerase all which are enzymes hence the "ase".
All the studies I've seen regarding fructose and heavily quoted by the paleo clan cite papers done with HFCS. I think we can agree quite consistently that HFCS is detrimental to your health.
But here's were I'm coming from (bare w/ me): If we look at the process of full hydrogenation we are essentially taking a carbon chain and completely saturating it with hydrogen and so it appears chemically like a long chain fatty acid. This is quite different from partial hydrogenation i.e. industrial trans fats. In fact in rat studies that use fully hydrogenated peanut oil the "manufactured" oil behaves just as we would expect natural saturated fat to work i.e. mitochondrial respiration is restored. However one thing that wasn't taken into account and correct me if I'm wrong but hydrogenation the process itself generates a lot of free radicals, in other words there are some impurities generated as by products of the chemical process, that wouldn't be in natural SF, so my line of thinking is that drinking peanut oil wouldn't be sustainable in the long run even with the initial benefits noted in the study.
Wouldn't it stand to reason that HFCSs could very well be detrimental to health because of manufacturing impurities rather than the fructose itself? And that it's the particular combination of crap in HFCS that makes the poison instead of the individual components?
In my point of view I can say for sure that when I add PUFA into my diet via vegetables along side my ice cream and oranges and various other fruits I feel a distinct change for the worse. But when I leave all but the sweet potatoes out, I can eat all the saturated fats, fruits and sugar I want and can still see the veins on my abs. Bring the vegetables in and like clockwork I start retaining water and gaining weight and can feel my blood sugar elevate. But I can drink a cup of sugared tea and a half a liter of vanilla ice cream and remain normal. In fact I'm so intrigued by this I'm going to order a blood glucose tester and test my levels at different intervals.
So I think PUFA/sugar combination is bad, but just like hydrogenation and the process of turning corn starch into HFCS, I think there is more to it than just the individual components. I think in the end we'll find that fruit or sugar is rather harmless and that it's the rancid plant fat that causes the disruption of thyroid hormones and inhibits your body from being able to do it's job with those things. I think though that eliminating certain groups of food because of an association with another group is irrational, it's like saying your an asshole because you have a friend who did an asshole thing i.e. guilt by association, while there is an association and this brings into question your own reputation I don't think this justifies you as an asshole until you yourself do an asshole thing. If that were the case then we couldn't eat anything because we all know a least one person who is an asshole.
Hope that makes sense.
Thoughtfully,
