What REALLY Is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup really the “same as” sugar from sugar cane?

The Corn Refiners Association is bombarding us, with TV advertisements saying, “That the body does not know the difference; Sugar is Sugar”. They state, “Know the facts.”

Really? Let’s check out some of the facts they don’t want you to know about!

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an ingredient in a ton of our food: processed, made-to-order salads, cookies, crackers, canned foods, condiments (IE ketchup), and a host of others. Simply read the ingredient list on their labels!

You will be shocked!

One problem is that HFCS is made from Genetically-Modified Corn.

A recent study, published Sept. 19, 2012 in Food and Chemical Toxicology found that Genetically Modified Corn causes tumors! And with HFCS in nearly everything these days, the ramifications from this are scary, to say the least.

 

High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Number One

The Number One source of calories in the Standard U.S. Diet that is, contributing to:

• Weight Gain, Obesity & Diabetes

 “The high glycemic index of HFCS in our study does not support the use of HFCS as a substitute for fructose.”

And as recently as 2010, a Princeton University study published in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior found the following:

 “High-fructose corn syrup is associated with increased weight gain in mice compared with table sugar. And the Mayo Clinic reported that humans may actually process high-fructose corn syrup differently from other sugars, though research is still not totally clear on how.”

• Cardiovascular Disease & High Triglyceride Levels 

“Consumption of HFCS-sweetened beverages for 2 wk at 25% E increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease comparably with fructose and more than glucose in young adults.”

• And some studies even point to increased reports of Arthritis.

Now, this is nothing less than Food Fraud!

There are many popular name-brand food manufacturers who contribute to this on-going problem such as:

• Quaker
• Hunts
• Yoplait
• Nutrigrain
• Smuckers

Now, as mentioned, HFCS is found in almost everything! Including most bread, ice cream, cereal, luncheon meats, sauces, pizza, soups, and on and on. Be Aware! This is only a small list, and HFCS may not be in all food products so a good idea is to always read the labels.

Researchers of Environmental Health Journal conducted studies along with The Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and found that much of HFCS was tainted with detectable trace amounts of mercury, which is known to be a potent brain toxin.

An article entitled, Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury in The Washington Post in 2009 reported those findings:

“Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.”

However, as bad as these findings are, even if mercury was to be eliminated from HFCS, the health issues surrounding this so-called “sugar” are staggering!

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, Chairman of The Institute for Functional Medicine, and was awarded its 2009 Linus Pauling Award for Leadership in Functional Medicine, states the following in his article, ‘5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You’:

HFCS leads to inflammation throughout the body.

“High doses of free fructose have been proven to literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria and partially digested food proteins to enter your blood stream and trigger the inflammation that we know is at the root of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia, and accelerated aging.

Naturally occurring fructose in fruit is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber that doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as the free high fructose doses found in “corn sugar”.”

Furthermore, this type of fructose leads to Fatty Liver Disease:

“Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people.”

And this “Food Fraud” is completely endorsed by the FDA (The Fear & Denial Association) and the AMA!

So to state, “That the body does not know the difference, Sugar is Sugar”, is nothing less than a total misrepresentation of the facts!

Sugar in and of itself was never really a problem until manufacturers started to cheapen their food by substituting sugar from sugar cane with the highly processed, inexpensive illusion of sugar with a total disregard of all the major health problems it causes!

And people wonder why cardiovascular diseases (including stroke) are the number one killer in the United States, with cancer following as a close second?

There is hope however… with Therapeutically Designed Protocols all degenerative diseases can be overcome!

Always Choose Your Health!

References

• 5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You: Dr. Mark Hyman
• My Healthy Kitchen.com
• HealthierTalk.com
• Baseline of Health Foundation 
• Study says genetically modified corn causes tumors, but other scientists skeptical about research
• Effects of high-fructose (90%) corn syrup on plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and normal subjects.
• A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain
• Consumption of Fructose and High Fructose Corn Syrup Increase Postprandial Triglycerides, LDL-Cholesterol, and Apolipoprotein-B in Young Men and Women

Related Articles

• High Fructose Corn Syrup Debate Gets Sticky
• 5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You
• High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes: What the Experts Say
• The Not-So-Sweet Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup