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High-Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS, is damaging your health. Although table sugar (sucrose) is not exactly your best friend, its substitute, HFCS, is most definitely your enemy. HFCS is a commercially manufactured sweetener that is artificially synthesized from corn. Syrup has been produced from corn since the late 1800s. The enzyme catalyzed isomerization of dextrose to fructose was first conducted commercially in 1967, according to the Corn Refiners Association. HFCS had replaced sucrose in all major soft drinks by the 1980s. As early as 2000, it conquered the sweetener market, and is today used in almost every processed food sold. The trouble with HFCS is the harm it does to your mind and body. Fructose is a simple sugar that metabolizes (burns) rapidly. By comparison, glucose, a complex sugar used naturally in your body to store energy, burns slowly. This is one reason why eating HFCS actually increases your appetite. On the other hand, sucrose suppresses appetite. Many studies have demonstrated that soft drinks made with HFCS increase appetite and encourage overeating. It seems that HFCS interferes with the hormone ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and leaves us feeling more hungry. It makes our bodies feel that we have not eaten enough. That compels us to eat more. This is perfect for the fast food industry, and perfectly horrible for everyone else. Even worse, what has now become normal consumption of HFCS and sucrose, leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a medical condition that makes the body produce insulin but does not use it properly to adjust blood sugar levels. Consequently, the pancreas makes more insulin trying to compensate. When this condition exists for too long, the result is type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. Type 2 is now the most prevalent form of diabetes in the US. It is also appearing in children at ever-earlier ages. Things that help: Eliminate soft drinks sweetened with HFCS Replace processed foods with fresh produce Replace HFCS with sugar where possible Lower consumption of sweets of all kinds A spicy diet high in Cayenne pepper reduces insulin levels A teaspoon of cinnamon every day helps regulate blood sugar levels HFCS Propaganda One of the cheerleaders for HFCS is the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The agency relies on outdated and incorrect nutritional information produced by the food processing industry to back up its blessing of HFCS. As the USDA sees it, high-fructose corn syrup is nutritionally the same as table sugar and has no known health issues. That is why the agency has been a promoter of HFCS for decades. A report on the corn sweetener trade with Mexico is very typical of the propaganda written by the agency. The number and range of foods that contain HFCS is staggering. This report also documents how effectively HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener of choice for industry. Ray Franklin has been sharing useful and interesting information with others since 1970. Any subject is fair game and he has covered topics ranging from Ecuadorian rainforests to LP turntable repairs. Each topic is an opportunity for in-depth exploration with curiosity and humor. One recently published health article is The Truth About Fat.
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