High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn which is the largest crop grown in the United States. This is one of the main sweeteners put in almost everything we consume. It was introduced in the United States during the 1970s to make use of the excess corn grown by farmers. HFCS is a sweetener that is less expensive and much sweeter then table sugar. Do you wonder why you are always tired? A high intake amount of HFCS wares on your body because it is constantly trying to get rid of it and doesn't use it for creating energy like natural sugar. Most of us are unmindful of how many foods have this terrifying sweetener; it is put in all processed foods and sodas in America.
You may be asking yourself, why should I care about consuming this delicious product? How could it possibly be harmful to my body if the government allows it to be put in foods? This sugar substitute has been shown in recent studies to have negative impact on consumers’ health. America is one of the few countries that allow HFCS to be substituted as sugar in foods. At the substantial rate Americans consume sugar, the government needed to create a sugar substitute that would save them money, but didn't take into consideration the effects it would have on the people. Other countries around the world have band this type of sweetener to be supplemented in any type of foods because it is chemically manufactured. The result of consuming this unnatural substance causes harm to the human body and is one of the contributors to America being one of the unhealthiest nations in the world.
By doing my own research, I have discovered that most people do know HFCS is bad for the body because it has been a high topic of interest within the last 7 years. Unfortunately, my research also revealed not many people actually avoid foods that consist of HFCS. The reason being, many don't know it is put in all processed foods, even in products that don't need to be sweetened. I did a survey of 50 people and asked them a series of four questions about HFCS. The group of people I leaned towards in my research was people who work in the food industry. By surveying this type of group I felt it would give me the best results because they are well educated on what most foods consist of.
(Listed at the bottom of this page are the predetermined yes or no questions)
The results of my questionnaire helped build my argument that America needs to be properly informed on the effects of HFCS. Our society is used to hearing the words HFCS and bad in the same sentence but don't necessarily understand why. Even though some people may argue that it is a natural sugar because it comes from corn so it couldn't possibly cause diseases, this is false. Many nutritionists and investigators have researched that HFCS is one of the major contributors of metabolic diseases in the human body. Think about it, before the 1970s there wasn't even half as many diseases as there is in present time. Why won’t the manufacturers confess that this unnatural product is bad for your health? The answer is simple. HFCS is useful to food companies and the manufactures because they are the only ones gaining profit from its massive production that is causing our society long term health problems.
The manufacturing of high fructose corn syrup is done chemically different from table sugar. The problem is the fructose content being higher than glucose because the body processes fructose more slowly. It is stored in the liver as a fat rather than being burned for energy like glucose. There is a big difference between HFCS and regular table sugar. The ratio of regular sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. In table sugar there is a natural chemical bond between fructose and glucose that requires energy (calories) to break and has to be broken down in the small intestine, so your body has to do a little more work to digest fructose. But your body doesn't store any of this as a fat because it breaks it down naturally. The consumption of table sugar is better for your body and actually gives you more energy. The ratio of HFCS is 55% to 72% fructose and 45% to 28% glucose. In HFCS that bond is already broken down for you during manufacturing causing it to go directly to your liver where it is converted into fat. Your body doesn't see HFCS as something that needs to be broken down because it was done in the manufacturing process.
Turning corn into a sweetener is a tricky process. It is first processed into glucose using a series of enzymes. During this process all the nutrients are taken out that you could possibly even get from corn. The glucose is then converted into a high concentration of fructose using another treatment with enzymes. This process adds the sweet taste because if you have ever tried corn starch it is not sweet at all. There is nothing even remotely healthy for you in HFCS because it turns corn into something it is not meant to be. Consuming this sweetener is basically in taking empty calories that have no nutritional value to your body.
For the disadvantages of processed sweeteners, Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which takes a critical look at the food business. He writes in an article “Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup” in The New York Times that “Enzymatically Altered Corn Glucose” is a more accurate description of HFCS. He states “the name also connotes a highly-processed, novel food ingredient, which has always been the best reason to avoid it: not only because it is necessarily worse for you than sugar, but also because it is a marker for a whole class of processed foods we’d do well to keep out of our diet.” (1) Besides Pollan, there are many other nutritionists and scientists that say people should not ingest HFCS because of the high fructose content. Fructose can cause metabolic disorders in your body and does not stimulate the insulin secretion or the lepin response which are essential factors in the human body.
The body does not process HFCS the same way it processes regular table sugar. Some scientists said that HFCS may contribute to obesity by somehow disrupting normal metabolic function. HFCS prevents the pancreas from releasing insulin. Without insulin, our body could not recognize when we are full. If the body does not know when it is full, we may not stop eating until we have eaten way more calories than we actually need. The article “Nutrition & Metabolism”, by Salwa Rizkalla, who is a scientist at the University Pierre and Marie-Curie in Paris, France, provides acute studies on humans. Studies were set up to find the solution for the debate that the leading cause of obesity is HFCS because it bypasses the food intake regulatory system (insulin and leptin) and favors lipogenesis (Rizkalla). It was mainly said that energy containing drinks, particularly those sweetened with HFCS promotes energy imbalance so it plays an important role in the development of obesity (Rizkalla).
In an similar study done by Rizkalla, 12 normal weight women consumed meals with 55%, 30% or 15% of total calories as carbohydrates, fats and proteins with 30% of Kcal (kilocalorie is two units of energy) as either glucose sweetened or fructose sweetened beverages. As expected, insulin secretion and glucose excursion were lower after consuming fructose containing meals than after glucose ones (Rizkalla). After this study, the authors of this it suggested that because insulin and leptin, the main regulatory factors of food intake, were lower after fructose meals; they might increase caloric intake and that ultimately contribute to weight gain and obesity (1). Rizkalla states in her research “An increase in high fructose corn syrup, as well as total fructose, consumption over the past 10 to 20 years has been linked to a rise in obesity and metabolic disorders (1).” Therefore, those who are on opposite sides should come to agree that the HFCS is clearly related to the obesity epidemic in America.
Due to so many products containing HFCS most people don't know how much sugar they are consuming which is a huge cause of type 2 diabetes. During the developmental process of HFCS certain components are formed that easily modify the human body proteins which may lead to many diseases (Gensberger 2924). These components are toxic to living cells and affect the human body’s ability to correctly repair tissues (Gensberger 2926). Sabrina Gensberger, a scientist at The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany did research on "Identification and Quantification of Six Major Α-Dicarbonyl (α-DCs) Process Contaminants in High-Fructose Corn Syrup” provides evidence behind the effects HFCS has on the human body. She explains: “Thus, several α-DCs have been identified in sugar solutions heated in the presence and absence of amines (Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair). α-DCs are very reactive components that easily modify proteins, thus leading to the formation of advanced glycation end products. Moreover, it was reported that α-DCs are cytotoxic and may interfere with cell signaling” (2924). (Cell signaling- release by one cell of substances that transmit information to other cells)
Advanced glycation end products, known as AGEs, are substances that can be a factor in the development of or worsening of many degenerative diseases. HFCS is unhealthy for the body because in human nutrition and biology AGEs are harmful compounds that affect nearly every type of cell and molecule in the body and are thought to be one factor in aging and in some age-related chronic diseases (Peppa). They are also believed to play a causative role in the blood-vessel complications of diabetes. AGEs speeds up the oxidative damage to cells and alters their normal behavior (Peppa 1). Also, a research report published by a scientific journal “Environmental Health” led by Renee Dufault of United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota, reported “There was mercury found in 45 percent of HFCS sample they tasted. Mercury at any level is considered a neurological toxin that can be harmful to developing fetuses and young children” (Dufault 1). The consumption of mercury also causes memory loss.
Corn producers and the government are the only ones gaining profit from their productions of HFCS. The ingredient is popular for food manufacturers for practical reasons. Compared with sucrose, HFCS is cheaper, does not mask flavors, has lower freezing point, blends well and moisture better with a variety of products, which is useful in making foods and also helps maintain a longer shelf life. As a result it is now used in many foods, from cereals to soft drinks, it is even in yogurts and all types all dipping sauces. If you read the labels of your favorite packaged or processed foods, you would see that HFCS is everywhere. In the documentary film “King Corn” by Curt Ellis, who is an American filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable agriculture and healthy food said that HFCS is in thousands and thousands of products (Curt Ellis).
Advances in both the processing and service industry of food have developed more appetizing foods for their customers, but people are uneducated on the lack of nutrition and high sugar that these foods contain. Sadly, profit limits are a primary factor of why food producers do not add and continue to serve healthier food options to their customers. The Corn Refiners Association has been trying to improve the image of the harmful sweetener by promoting it as a natural ingredient made from corn. The group has petitioned the United States Food and Drug Administration to get permission for calling the ingredient “corn sugar.” Dr. Andrew Weil, best-selling author and alternative medicine pioneer said in the same New York Times article “Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup” he pledges, “I don’t like corn sugar. I’m in favor of sticking with ‘high fructose corn syrup.’ That is what it is, and I don’t agree that it’s innocuous” (1). I strongly agree with him because the sound of a new name is like the corn producers trying to make a policy to trick consumers by giving obscure knowledge about their products.
Most Americans go beyond the amount of fructose intake that is recommended by health nutritionists. The average American now consumes 70 grams of fructose every day. This is in contrast to 100 years ago when the average intake was about 15 grams and that was mostly in the form of healthy fruits (Gucciardi). So we are consuming 500% more than we did a century ago. Researchers estimate that most Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS per day, while the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300 (Gucciardi). And some, they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS. Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). America is one of the few countries that actually allow HFCS to be substituted in products instead of table sugar. This relates to America being one of leading countries for having an unhealthy population. We as a nation need to come together and take a stand for what the government is putting in our foods.
Medical and nutrition experts don't support HFCS in one’s diet. As research shows HFCS is one of the major contributors of metabolic diseases in human body. Take a stand against the manufactures and government by not supporting any food products that contain this artificial sweetener. It is very important to know other countries around the world forbid this product to be put in any foods. FDA should limit the use of HFCS syrup in food products and government should subsidies for healthy foods, like organic and whole foods to make healthier options available for Americans. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars that can be digested easily by the body that will give you that natural boost of energy. Consumers should be aware of what they are eating by reading food labels very carefully to avoid products that contain HFCS.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn which is the largest crop grown in the United States. This is one of the main sweeteners put in almost everything we consume. It was introduced in the United States during the 1970s to make use of the excess corn grown by farmers. HFCS is a sweetener that is less expensive and much sweeter then table sugar. Do you wonder why you are always tired? A high intake amount of HFCS wares on your body because it is constantly trying to get rid of it and doesn't use it for creating energy like natural sugar. Most of us are unmindful of how many foods have this terrifying sweetener; it is put in all processed foods and sodas in America.
You may be asking yourself, why should I care about consuming this delicious product? How could it possibly be harmful to my body if the government allows it to be put in foods? This sugar substitute has been shown in recent studies to have negative impact on consumers’ health. America is one of the few countries that allow HFCS to be substituted as sugar in foods. At the substantial rate Americans consume sugar, the government needed to create a sugar substitute that would save them money, but didn't take into consideration the effects it would have on the people. Other countries around the world have band this type of sweetener to be supplemented in any type of foods because it is chemically manufactured. The result of consuming this unnatural substance causes harm to the human body and is one of the contributors to America being one of the unhealthiest nations in the world.
By doing my own research, I have discovered that most people do know HFCS is bad for the body because it has been a high topic of interest within the last 7 years. Unfortunately, my research also revealed not many people actually avoid foods that consist of HFCS. The reason being, many don't know it is put in all processed foods, even in products that don't need to be sweetened. I did a survey of 50 people and asked them a series of four questions about HFCS. The group of people I leaned towards in my research was people who work in the food industry. By surveying this type of group I felt it would give me the best results because they are well educated on what most foods consist of.
(Listed at the bottom of this page are the predetermined yes or no questions)
The results of my questionnaire helped build my argument that America needs to be properly informed on the effects of HFCS. Our society is used to hearing the words HFCS and bad in the same sentence but don't necessarily understand why. Even though some people may argue that it is a natural sugar because it comes from corn so it couldn't possibly cause diseases, this is false. Many nutritionists and investigators have researched that HFCS is one of the major contributors of metabolic diseases in the human body. Think about it, before the 1970s there wasn't even half as many diseases as there is in present time. Why won’t the manufacturers confess that this unnatural product is bad for your health? The answer is simple. HFCS is useful to food companies and the manufactures because they are the only ones gaining profit from its massive production that is causing our society long term health problems.
The manufacturing of high fructose corn syrup is done chemically different from table sugar. The problem is the fructose content being higher than glucose because the body processes fructose more slowly. It is stored in the liver as a fat rather than being burned for energy like glucose. There is a big difference between HFCS and regular table sugar. The ratio of regular sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. In table sugar there is a natural chemical bond between fructose and glucose that requires energy (calories) to break and has to be broken down in the small intestine, so your body has to do a little more work to digest fructose. But your body doesn't store any of this as a fat because it breaks it down naturally. The consumption of table sugar is better for your body and actually gives you more energy. The ratio of HFCS is 55% to 72% fructose and 45% to 28% glucose. In HFCS that bond is already broken down for you during manufacturing causing it to go directly to your liver where it is converted into fat. Your body doesn't see HFCS as something that needs to be broken down because it was done in the manufacturing process.
Turning corn into a sweetener is a tricky process. It is first processed into glucose using a series of enzymes. During this process all the nutrients are taken out that you could possibly even get from corn. The glucose is then converted into a high concentration of fructose using another treatment with enzymes. This process adds the sweet taste because if you have ever tried corn starch it is not sweet at all. There is nothing even remotely healthy for you in HFCS because it turns corn into something it is not meant to be. Consuming this sweetener is basically in taking empty calories that have no nutritional value to your body.
For the disadvantages of processed sweeteners, Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which takes a critical look at the food business. He writes in an article “Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup” in The New York Times that “Enzymatically Altered Corn Glucose” is a more accurate description of HFCS. He states “the name also connotes a highly-processed, novel food ingredient, which has always been the best reason to avoid it: not only because it is necessarily worse for you than sugar, but also because it is a marker for a whole class of processed foods we’d do well to keep out of our diet.” (1) Besides Pollan, there are many other nutritionists and scientists that say people should not ingest HFCS because of the high fructose content. Fructose can cause metabolic disorders in your body and does not stimulate the insulin secretion or the lepin response which are essential factors in the human body.
The body does not process HFCS the same way it processes regular table sugar. Some scientists said that HFCS may contribute to obesity by somehow disrupting normal metabolic function. HFCS prevents the pancreas from releasing insulin. Without insulin, our body could not recognize when we are full. If the body does not know when it is full, we may not stop eating until we have eaten way more calories than we actually need. The article “Nutrition & Metabolism”, by Salwa Rizkalla, who is a scientist at the University Pierre and Marie-Curie in Paris, France, provides acute studies on humans. Studies were set up to find the solution for the debate that the leading cause of obesity is HFCS because it bypasses the food intake regulatory system (insulin and leptin) and favors lipogenesis (Rizkalla). It was mainly said that energy containing drinks, particularly those sweetened with HFCS promotes energy imbalance so it plays an important role in the development of obesity (Rizkalla).
In an similar study done by Rizkalla, 12 normal weight women consumed meals with 55%, 30% or 15% of total calories as carbohydrates, fats and proteins with 30% of Kcal (kilocalorie is two units of energy) as either glucose sweetened or fructose sweetened beverages. As expected, insulin secretion and glucose excursion were lower after consuming fructose containing meals than after glucose ones (Rizkalla). After this study, the authors of this it suggested that because insulin and leptin, the main regulatory factors of food intake, were lower after fructose meals; they might increase caloric intake and that ultimately contribute to weight gain and obesity (1). Rizkalla states in her research “An increase in high fructose corn syrup, as well as total fructose, consumption over the past 10 to 20 years has been linked to a rise in obesity and metabolic disorders (1).” Therefore, those who are on opposite sides should come to agree that the HFCS is clearly related to the obesity epidemic in America.
Due to so many products containing HFCS most people don't know how much sugar they are consuming which is a huge cause of type 2 diabetes. During the developmental process of HFCS certain components are formed that easily modify the human body proteins which may lead to many diseases (Gensberger 2924). These components are toxic to living cells and affect the human body’s ability to correctly repair tissues (Gensberger 2926). Sabrina Gensberger, a scientist at The University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany did research on "Identification and Quantification of Six Major Α-Dicarbonyl (α-DCs) Process Contaminants in High-Fructose Corn Syrup” provides evidence behind the effects HFCS has on the human body. She explains: “Thus, several α-DCs have been identified in sugar solutions heated in the presence and absence of amines (Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair). α-DCs are very reactive components that easily modify proteins, thus leading to the formation of advanced glycation end products. Moreover, it was reported that α-DCs are cytotoxic and may interfere with cell signaling” (2924). (Cell signaling- release by one cell of substances that transmit information to other cells)
Advanced glycation end products, known as AGEs, are substances that can be a factor in the development of or worsening of many degenerative diseases. HFCS is unhealthy for the body because in human nutrition and biology AGEs are harmful compounds that affect nearly every type of cell and molecule in the body and are thought to be one factor in aging and in some age-related chronic diseases (Peppa). They are also believed to play a causative role in the blood-vessel complications of diabetes. AGEs speeds up the oxidative damage to cells and alters their normal behavior (Peppa 1). Also, a research report published by a scientific journal “Environmental Health” led by Renee Dufault of United Tribes Technical College in North Dakota, reported “There was mercury found in 45 percent of HFCS sample they tasted. Mercury at any level is considered a neurological toxin that can be harmful to developing fetuses and young children” (Dufault 1). The consumption of mercury also causes memory loss.
Corn producers and the government are the only ones gaining profit from their productions of HFCS. The ingredient is popular for food manufacturers for practical reasons. Compared with sucrose, HFCS is cheaper, does not mask flavors, has lower freezing point, blends well and moisture better with a variety of products, which is useful in making foods and also helps maintain a longer shelf life. As a result it is now used in many foods, from cereals to soft drinks, it is even in yogurts and all types all dipping sauces. If you read the labels of your favorite packaged or processed foods, you would see that HFCS is everywhere. In the documentary film “King Corn” by Curt Ellis, who is an American filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable agriculture and healthy food said that HFCS is in thousands and thousands of products (Curt Ellis).
Advances in both the processing and service industry of food have developed more appetizing foods for their customers, but people are uneducated on the lack of nutrition and high sugar that these foods contain. Sadly, profit limits are a primary factor of why food producers do not add and continue to serve healthier food options to their customers. The Corn Refiners Association has been trying to improve the image of the harmful sweetener by promoting it as a natural ingredient made from corn. The group has petitioned the United States Food and Drug Administration to get permission for calling the ingredient “corn sugar.” Dr. Andrew Weil, best-selling author and alternative medicine pioneer said in the same New York Times article “Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup” he pledges, “I don’t like corn sugar. I’m in favor of sticking with ‘high fructose corn syrup.’ That is what it is, and I don’t agree that it’s innocuous” (1). I strongly agree with him because the sound of a new name is like the corn producers trying to make a policy to trick consumers by giving obscure knowledge about their products.
Most Americans go beyond the amount of fructose intake that is recommended by health nutritionists. The average American now consumes 70 grams of fructose every day. This is in contrast to 100 years ago when the average intake was about 15 grams and that was mostly in the form of healthy fruits (Gucciardi). So we are consuming 500% more than we did a century ago. Researchers estimate that most Americans eat 132 calories of HFCS per day, while the top 20 percent of sweetener consumers eat over 300 (Gucciardi). And some, they say, eat as much as 700 calories per day of HFCS. Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). America is one of the few countries that actually allow HFCS to be substituted in products instead of table sugar. This relates to America being one of leading countries for having an unhealthy population. We as a nation need to come together and take a stand for what the government is putting in our foods.
Medical and nutrition experts don't support HFCS in one’s diet. As research shows HFCS is one of the major contributors of metabolic diseases in human body. Take a stand against the manufactures and government by not supporting any food products that contain this artificial sweetener. It is very important to know other countries around the world forbid this product to be put in any foods. FDA should limit the use of HFCS syrup in food products and government should subsidies for healthy foods, like organic and whole foods to make healthier options available for Americans. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars that can be digested easily by the body that will give you that natural boost of energy. Consumers should be aware of what they are eating by reading food labels very carefully to avoid products that contain HFCS.
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