DANGEROUS: High Fructose Corn Syrup
What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?
On May 30, New
York City’s mayor Michael Bloomberg shocked soda industry trade
groups and soda-drinking citizens alike by announcing his proposal to
ban sales of sweetened beverages exceeding 16 ounces in the city’s
restaurants, delis, movie theaters and sports arenas. It’s a novel
idea. So far the boldest restrictions attempted (without success) by
other cities to curb soda consumption have come in the form of modest
beverage taxes. But Bloomberg’s dose-makes-the-poison approach
targets portion size rather than just product.
He unveiled
his plan with spiffy visual aides depicting amounts of sweetener
found in small to large sizes of soft drinks. Sugar cubes were
stacked like Mayan temples in front of gargantuan fast food fountain
soda cups, and appropriate units of individual sugar packets were
piled before their correspondingly sized beverage cans and bottles. A
few decades ago these visuals would have been literal representations
of the drinks’ contents, but today, in the United States, they are
mostly figurative. There’s little or no sugar in a big gulp. Our
modern sodas are sweetened with a mysterious substance
called high-fructose corn syrup.
High-fructose
corn syrup (HFCS) is swimming in sticky controversy, with some
claiming it to be a contributing or even driving factor in the
country’s disastrous obesity rates (thus the Bloomberg
administration’s crackdown on super-sizing). It’s rapidly
becoming the most reviled food ingredient since MSG. What exactly is
this stuff? How did it become the nation’s staple soda sweetener?
And is it really more evil than sugar?
Chemistry
before history
To properly
discuss HFCS, we first need to do a brief review of sugars in
general. I’ll keep it quick and painless, I promise.
Basically,
you’ve got your monosaccharides (single sugars) from which longer
chains (disaccharides and polysaccharides) are built. For our
purposes today, glucose and fructose are the only monosaccharides
that matter. Readers, meet glucose and fructose:
Image Credit:
Christopher King (L), Ayacop (R)
They’re
structural isomers of one another, which means they contain the same
atoms (chemical formula C6H12O6) but those atoms are arranged
differently.* See how their double bonds occur at different spots
along the chain? In chemistry, such small structural differences can
result in big differences in function. Just as the words “cat”
and “act” contain the same letters but have different meanings,
glucose and fructose behave differently in the lab and in your body.
The ordering of atoms affects what shape rings they form (they spend
most of their time as rings) and even how they taste, but more on
that in a bit.
When one
glucose molecule bonds to one fructose, a disaccharide called sucrose
is formed. This is what we refer to as “table sugar” and what
Bloomberg used to showcase the egregious volume of sweeteners found
in large drinks. Prior to the advent of HFCS, sucrose was the
predominant sweetener in U.S. Soda.
The Benefits
Enhanced
Flavor
According to the Fructose Information
Center, some are starting to prefer HFCS in their healthy
meal choices
because of the flavor it supplies to what otherwise would taste bland
in an attempt to maintain low calorie status. Because HFCS just as
sweet as table sugar or other sweeteners, it is said to enhance the
flavor of fruits, spices and even dairy products.
Competitive
Pricing
According to
the High Fructose Corn Syrup website, HFCS is relatively inexpensive
compared to other sugars and sweeteners. They also note that that
sucrose prices are higher due to a combination of foreign sugar
import tariffs and quotas for domestically grown sugar. Because corn
is the most widely grown crop in United States, it is cheaper for
both the food manufacturers to obtain for their products, and for the
public to purchase.
Extended Shelf
Life
HFCS has a longer shelf life than its
competition because of the extensive processing it went through. HFCS
acts as a preservative and can maintain sweetness and flavor in food
products over an extended period of time, without spoiling. HFCS also
has the ability to control moisture; keeping baked goods
from
drying out, frozen foods from being damaged by freezer burn, and
maintaining texture, says Sweetsurprise.com.
from
drying out, frozen foods from being damaged by freezer burn, and
maintaining texture, says Sweetsurprise.com.
Dangers and
Side Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup
It’s made
from corn silly! It’s good for you!
Has anybody
seen those ads? The ones put out by the Corn Refiners
Association? I have.
Not only are
there numerous dangers of high-fructose corn syrup, there’s
actually dangers of high-fructose corn syrup commercials – I
laughed so hard when I saw those I nearly fell out of my chair. The
high-fructose corn syrup dangers all stem from the fact that it is
completely devoid of nutrients, extremely sweet and addictive, and
loaded with an isolated, refined form of fructose that is very
difficult for the human body to properly process.
Astute
researcher Gary Taubes calls fructose “the most lipogenic
carbohydrate,” meaning that it has a tendency to get converted to
fat more than any other type of carbohydrate food. This
conversion takes place in the liver, where fructose is converted into
triglycerides.
No wonder
metabolic syndrome, a disease of having too much insulin production,
high triglycerides, high blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol has
become so common with the increased use of high-fructose corn syrup.
These abnormalities all go together and can be easily traced right
back to the refined fructose molecule. Consider simply that to
study drugs that lower triglycerides or blood pressure, lab rats are
fed enormous quantities of fructose to induce those metabolic
changes. Enough said.
High-fructose
corn syrup, because it is so highly refined – like cocaine or
heroin, has an extremely addictive, drug-like quality as well.
High-fructose corn syrup side effects include a common list of opiate
side effects, as ultra-sweet-tasting refined substances like
high-fructose corn syrup trigger a strong release of an opiate
substance known as beta-endorphin.
Beta
endorphin, although normally a healthy neurotransmitter that makes us
feel good, euphoric during exercise, and free of pain – can turn
against us when the ingestion of high-fructose corn syrup, other
refined sugars, and any highly sweet-tasting substance spikes
endorphin levels far too high. This shuts down receptor sites,
creates withdrawal symptoms, and thrusts the naturally
addiction-prone people into a powerful addictive trap.
Any number of
withdrawal symptoms can develop, such as negative thinking,
depression, increased physical pain, and tendency to develop even
stronger addictions to even more powerful substances – like alcohol
or hard drugs.
Plus, common
ingestion of high-fructose corn syrup leads to addictive eating
behavior and the weight gain associated with eating a large quantity
of fructose, which has unique fattening capabilities, while
simultaneously draining our bodies of precious nutrient stores
important for the prevention of all degenerative and infectious
diseases.
In other
words, the danger of high-fructose corn syrup is that it makes
us all weaker, more prone to disease, more likely to become
overweight or obese, and more unhappy. In no universe can a
nutrient-devoid substance be ingested in such great quantities and
not have a powerful net-negative effect.
White sugar
has these same qualities as well, and has long been known to be the
greatest nemesis of human health, but high-fructose corn syrup might
just be worse than white sugar. There is an undeniable
correlation between its widespread use beginning in the late 70′s
and the massive rise in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and countless other
health problems in the United States, where it is used in greatest
abundance.
Join
180DegreeHealth, and you’ll never have to drool and nod your head
in agreement at the Corn Refiners Association propaganda. Plus,
you’ll learn many of the great secrets of overcoming addiction –
thus not wanting junk food, as well as how to realistically displace
all such garbage with your own, decadent home cooking.
Top 10 side
effects
1. Obesity
HFCS limits
your body’s ability to produce insulin and leptin, making it
difficult to metabolize food and regulate appetite. The pancreas
remains insulin resistance to all types of fructose, including HFCS,
severely hindering appetite control.
2. Diabetes
Due to obesity
and an irregular fluctuation of insulin, HFCS leads to diabetes in
many people. Continual pancreatic damage remains the main cause of
diabetes.
3. Tooth
Infections and Decay
Foods rich in
sugars and sweeteners like HFCS rot teeth by decaying the enamel
coating.
4. LDL
Cholesterol and Triglycerides Increase
Sugars
metabolize into fat, therefore increasing your unhealthy cholesterol
levels along with the fat storage's in your body. Since
high fructose corn syrup does not cause the secretion of insulin or
leptin, foods with high levels of the sweetener become nearly fully
absorbed and metabolized into fat and cholesterol.
5. Increased
Risk of Heart Attack and Heart Disease
High amounts
of HFCS often result in higher cholesterol, which in turn blocks
arteries and the flow of blood to and from the heart. This process
weakens the heart muscles and the ability for new oxygen to circulate
throughout the body. The increase in fat storage's also
harms heart health.
6. Anemia
In order for
your body to digest HFCS and other sugars that contain no vitamins or
minerals, you must use other storage's of the valuable
nutrients, depleting your body of its natural amounts.
7. Poor
Immunity
HFCS interfere
with the creation of hormones and enzymes in your body that normally
defend major diseases.
8. Lack of
Calories
Even
though foods that contain high levels of HFCS provide a ton of
calories, those calories have no nutritional value at all.
This often gets labeled as the empty calorie phenomenon.
9. Fatigue
High levels of
sugar cause your body to release greater amounts of hormones and
endorphins that slow the body down.
10. Mood
Swings and Withdrawal
What to do to stop eating it?
Too much sugar
and HFCS will cause your body to crave more, and when trying to cut
back, the desire and cravings only increase
Educate
Yourself
You may be
wondering what’s the big deal? You may have seen the great
commercials by the Corn Refiner’s Association where they tell you
that high fructose corn syrup is fine in moderation. But what’s
‘moderation’? Would you consider your intake moderate if
you knew it was in 90% of the products you eat every day? If your
child’s typical breakfast contains juice, boxed cereal &
yogurt, did you know all 3 can contain HFCS? Move on to lunch where
they have a sandwich with bread, snack crackers or perhaps carrots &
dressing – bread, crackers & salad dressing that are loaded
with HFCS. It’s easy to see how a person can end up with HFCS being
in close to every meal they consume. Did you know that consumption of
HFCS can trick your body into thinking you need things sweeter than
they actually are (what’s sweeter, fruit or fruit snacks?) which in
turn leads you to consume more empty, processed calories? This is a
fantastic article all about the real effects of HFCS &
how they affect you & your children.
Start to Read
Labels
The fastest
way to find out where HFCS is lurking is to start reading labels. I
recommend this for any food you buy that comes with a
label. If you’ve never turned over a package & read what’s
listed inside, now is the time to start. Carve out some extra time
for you to go to the store without all the kids. There’s no use in
being distracted & frustrated, trying to read 5 different boxes
of crackers with your toddler screaming he just wants the ones shaped
like Cars characters. Where are you most likely to find HFCS? In
anything that’s living in the inner aisles of your grocery store.
Anything packaged, boxed or bagged but don’t stop there. Even
things that are refrigerated or frozen can contain HFCS.
Eat a Rainbow
So now you’re
both cranky. The kids are upset you didn't
Make Your Own
I hear ya.
You’re saying, “Right, fruits & veg, I got it. But my kids
wants SNACKS!” Have no fear, you know I've got more up my sleeve!
Of course you can scan each box & package on the shelf searching
for one that contains all of your approved ingredients. Or, you can
just jump on your opportunity to shine! Instead of those crackers
your kids love so much, how about making your own crackers! Kids love
to help in the kitchen & they are always more likely to eat what they've helped to make. Use cookie cutters to let them create
shapes & letters for the snacks. If whipping up a batch of
crackers isn't your speed (it’s not for everyone) why not go a
completely different route. Think of things that aren't crackers or
cookies. Pack boiled eggs. Make your own popcorn using coconut oil &
popcorn seeds. Get creative making your own trail mix using nuts,
dried fruits & chocolate chips. Here’s a great post
on portable, kid approved snacks especially for traveling.
Set an Example
As a mom,
there’s nothing worse than the daunting task of being ‘Snack Mom’
for your kid’s school or sporting event. The last lady made her own
frozen fruit pops & home made granola. The lady before that
brought Hawaiian Punch & prepackaged, double chocolate muffins as
big as your kids head. You want to be somewhere in the middle without
spending 1/4 of your grocery bill, right? Plus, you want the kids
to eat the darn snacks you brought! Here’s yet another
opportunity to feed your kids (& their buddies) without breaking
the bank & without compromising your new ‘No HFCS’ rule
(because you totally just made that rule after reading this, right?).
Go for inexpensive & easy. Carrots, oranges, grapes, bananas.
They all make great snacks for hungry kids. Blue corn tortilla chips
are nice & crunchy. It’s not uncommon for coaches & parents
to request no sports drinks or sodas so stick with water! See if you
can bring cups for kids & bring large jugs of water. By being the
Snack Mom who’s so easy & breezy (Yeah, I just rolled in with
water & orange slices and I’m totally accessorized today too…)
you’ll definitely show people you care about what your kids eat,
without saying a word, & you think others should too.
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