HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. Sweet and innocent…NOT. Copyright 2008 Gillian Martlew, ND
added to the NHAND Articles & Essays archives on 22 Jan 2009
The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has released a series of TV ads as part of their campaign to convince you that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not only good to eat in moderation, but that it’s made from corn, doesn’t have any artificial ingredients, and has the same calories as sugar. In other words, it’s sweet and innocent.
Here is the ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE5aSUcU3YA
What a great ad, makes you stop for a moment doesn’t it, after all it IS natural…AND it’s endorsed by the AMA and FDA. So it must be ok…..
SOME FACTS
Does HFCS grow on trees or in a field? Nope, it’s a product that’s manufactured from corn syrup by adding three enzymes, two are natural and one is synthetic. The addition of the enzymes increases the fructose (sugar) content of the corn syrup to about 90%. Still sounds pretty natural……Next this concentrated, or HIGH fructose corn syrup is mixed with a 100% glucose corn syrup to produce a variety of ‘potencies’.
So far so good? HFCS is pretty close in structure to refined table sugar, it’s comprised of molecules of glucose and fructose bound together. The only small fly (fruit fly?) in the ointment is the artificial enzyme (glucose-isomerase) used in the manufacturing process….however, the manufacturer’s exoneration of this is that this enzyme isn’t actually added to the product.
But here’s the thing. The artificial enzyme is really not the point, what does matter is that the molecular/chemical bonds of the corn syrup are broken and rearranged during the manufacturing process, a step that doesn’t happen when refining table sugar. We don’t know the implications of this yet…
The ad(s) talk about HFCS being fine IN MODERATION. It’s a highly concentrated form of sugar that is added to fruit drinks, breads, pastries, toaster pops, cereal (have you looked at a cereal package lately) bread, crackers, gum, soda, ketchup, and on and on…..can the average family or kid eat HFCS in moderation? No, because HFCS is in almost everything in the supermarket. And it’s in almost everything because it’s a whole lot cheaper than sugar.
It’s a fact that the more sugar you eat the more you want to eat, and there are studies showing that high levels of isolated fructose (HFCS) disrupt insulin and leptin levels in the blood…effectively turning off the body’s appetite control mechanisms.
And here’s what the AMA really said about HFCS, "After studying current research, the American Medical Association (AMA) today concluded that high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners…..but [the AMA] called for further independent research to be done on the health effects of high fructose syrup and other sweeteners." With a further disclaimer: "Currently, there are few available studies on the health effects of high fructose syrup and most are focused on the short-term effects." And then they added, "We do recommend consumers limit the amount of all added caloric sweeteners to no more than 32 grams of sugar daily."
The funny (sad) thing is that a single 12 oz serving of a fruit punch (like the one featured in the ad) sweetened with HFCS contains about 1/3 more than the AMA’s maxium daily recommendation….in just ONE serving.
The FDA isn’t tripping over itself to endorse HFCS either, what they said has just been adapted to suit the Corn Refiners Association and the wording of their ads. A few months ago the FDA issued this statement about HFCS, "The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term 'natural'. Consequently, we would object to the use of the term 'natural' on a product containing HFCS." They recently changed it to, "[the FDA] would not object to the use of the term ‘natural' on a product containing the HFCS produced by the manufacturing process…"
This is how the FDA defines natural….”nothing artificial or synthetic "has been added." Doesn’t matter if it started out natural or altered in its processing….as long as nothing artificial was added to the finished product.
FRUCTOSE IS NATURAL, RIGHT?
Humans have always eaten sugar in the form of root vegetables, fruit and berries, probably consuming about 16-20 grams (less than a quarter of an ounce) a day in this form. In nature, fructose is bound to fiber (in the fruit or vegetable) and fiber slows down sugar’s absorption into the blood stream. By isolating fructose from the fiber (as in HFCS, table sugar etc) it has become easy to consume huge amounts of sugar. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, annual sugar consumption in 1999 was 158 pounds per person. The AMA recommends 32 grams (just over an ounce) a day, but in 1999 we were consuming nearly 7 oz a day, and the figures are probably worse now.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT HFCS:
• Exposing the liver to large quantities of fructose causes a stimulation in the breakdown of fats which then causes triglycerides to accumulate in the liver more rapidly than normal….resulting in reduced insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance (blood sugar disturbances), and ultimately to fatty liver.
• There is concern that diets high in HFCS can accelerate the aging process through an increase in oxidative damage to cells and collagen.
• Fructose doesn't stimulate insulin or leptin production, so it isn't utilized for energy, instead it is stored in the liver as triglycerides. Because HFCS disrupts the leptin mechanism, so the appetite control center of the brain doesn’t get the right signals. HFCS is ‘addictive’ because of this, so it fosters weight gain and obesity.
• HFCS appears to affect the body’s magnesium balance, and high consumption could lead to accelerated bone loss and other problems.
• There is also concern that HFCS may affect fertility.
You may want to make this your mantra, “If a product has been artificially manipulated, if the jury is still out as to whether it’s safe…..avoid it”. You local health store carries products that do not contain HFCS.
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