High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) dominates as a sweetener in many of our food products today. Derived from corn, it has been used since the 1970’s. It is added in tomato sauces, salad dressings, jams, chocolate syrups, yogurts, beverages, cereal bars, breads, cakes and snacks, etc. It is cheaper to produce because of the high corn yield by farmers. It has been a very popular additive in our foods and so has its correlation to damaging health.

HFCS has been linked to:

- Interference with the absorption of some minerals
- Playing a role in elevated cholesterol levels
- Increase in triglyceride levels (the liver produces it in order to
metabolize it)
- Interference of white blood cells
- Diabetes
- Interference of metabolism of amino acids
- Diarrhea
- Aging (through oxidative damage to cells)
- Mineral loss especially copper where HFCS effects are greater in its
decreased levels
- Obesity

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 76, glucose is metabolized in every cell in the body but all fructose must be metabolized in the liver, thus the production of triglycerides.

And to add insult to injury many brand name foods have been found to contain mercury. Mercury is present in mercury-contaminated caustic soda and hydrochloride; used to manufacture HFCS.

It is true that table sugar (sucrose) has its adverse health effects but HFCS goes through high levels of processing and uses genetically modified enzymes.

We are addicted to sugar. We have the power to influence how manufactures process foods. If more people protest having imperfect additives (HFCS for one) and less sugar added to our foods and we decide not to buy them, manufacturers will listen. I inadvertently have also been consuming enough of the product. Although I don’t purchase juices that contain HFCS, I never thought to look at the whole wheat bread, tomato sauces, and some other products that I use. So, I have switched brands and am more scrupulous on reading ingredient labels. I have also started informing manufacturers why I am no longer using their products.