Monday, 14 November 2011
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High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Hidden Poison?
You've probably consumed this added sugar in your diet today. It has been found in cereals, sodas, fruit juice, bread, applesauce, jelly, breakfast pastries, candy bars, condiments, cakes, I could go on and on. Even Gatorade and one brand of water were found to have it! See here for a huge list of where it may be found. Needless to say, it can be found in anything, anywhere. The reason being is because it is the cheapest sweetener for companies to use. But is it such a large concern?
Some say no. Others say yes.
Some say it's just as bad as any other sugar out there, and thus recommend simply limiting your added sugar intake. The Mayo Clinic says this:
"Research studies have yielded mixed results about the possible adverse effects of consuming high-fructose corn syrup... Some research studies have linked consumption of large amounts of any type of added sugar — not just high-fructose corn syrup — to such health problems as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition, and increased triglyceride levels, which can boost your heart attack risk. But there is insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is less healthy than are other types of added sweeteners."
From Sparkpeople.com:
"The American Medical Association (AMA) has extensively examined the available research on HFCS and obesity... [they said] there is nothing unique about HFCS that causes obesity. It does not appear to contribute more to obesity than any other type of caloric sweetener. However, the AMA does encourage more research on this topic."
However, a study at Princeton found:
"Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same. In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides."
I think this is very interesting; however, some of you may know that I don't completely trust animal studies (and for good reason).
Another study has found that soft drinks containing HFCS may contribute to the development of diabetes, especially in children. The problem is that this study failed to test HFCS alone, and merely tested for sodas with the additive in it.
It is also prudent to note that HFCS is found in many already processed foods. The bottom line is that if you want a healthy diet, avoid processed foods as much as you possibly can, though you don't necessarily have to go organic all across the board. Also, avoid sodas, even the diet ones. Skip sugary or frosted cereals. Snack on fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers, peanuts, etc. instead of candy, chocolate, cookies, and pastries. Also look for added sugars such as corn syrup, splenda (found in some syrups), and, of course, HFCS. Buy more natural or organic foods, and try to limit your intake of the more processed ones. Also try to limit your intake of all sugars to 32 grams (boy, I need to do this).
What do you think about HFCS? Do you think it's as bad as everyone says? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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- From: InternetDominator@xanga
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- About Me: College student majoring in Sociology, and hoping to use it for Social Work. Also, I like to stir shit up.
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Comments (49)
this is new news? I swear I've known this forever. Isn't rocket science. The good part is, is that sugar is starting to be cheaper, since corn is being largely made for ethanol.
I don't consider myself a picky eater. A healthy one, but not too picky. I buy organic if it's convenient and not too pricey but it's not something I'm gung-ho about. High fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated anything are two ingredients I look for when reading ingredients. I make most of my food so I usually don't have a problem with these kind of ingredients but there are a few things I buy, like bread, that I keep an eye out for. Bread is tricky. Most people think, "Oh, it's brown so this is the good kind." But low and behold there's still bleached flour in it, some undesirable oil, and high fructose corn syrup.
I try not to eat sweets in general. I use a spoonful or two of Stevia in a smoothie when I want something sweet but I have this gut wrenching feeling that someone will do a study and place it among the ranks of "forbidden" sweeteners.
Would limiting sugar intake to 32g also include fruit? I only eat about a serving of fruit (usually berries or a citrus) a day but I'm curious. Because apples, grapes, and bananas are loaded with sugar. There are vegan baked goods I make where banana is the sweetener.
@FallingSafely@xanga - Old news. Like, years old.
Isn't it common sense that the more sugar you eat, the more you may gain weight? LOL I think everything in moderation is fine and I don't think they need to be wasting money on finding that out, its common sense.
A rat with unlimited sugar gained weight, really DUH! Whether it was HFCS or sugar sugar, unlimited would make you gain weight.I agree that it's not new news, but I'm always surprised at how many people have no idea what's in the food they eat. I look at labels and assume that anything very processed has something bad for me in it. If we never ate anything that was bad for us in one way or another, we'd get pretty hungry--and thin!
*FACEPALM*
A calorie is a calorie, whether it be high fructose corn syrup or sugar. They are both four calories per gram. Nutritionally speaking, they're nearly identical.
The key is moderation. If you can't moderate, just own up to it and don't blame the food you eat for having some mystical fattening properties.
@GodlessLiberal@xanga - That's not entirely true. There is a BIG difference in eating a 400 calorie chocolate cake, and a 400 calorie rice and steamed veggie lunch. BIG difference. The different types of calories are decomposed differently by your body. This is what so so many thinspo girls get wrong. They think just that: a calorie is a calorie.
It's not that simple.
@AffinityInUnderstanding@xanga - Fully agreed. I was figuring out a way to word it, and you did the job nicely.
I cannot have HFCS due to a blood condition. It is very different than sugar, and any time I have something that has it, my body flips the fuck out and I get extremely sick.
@AffinityInUnderstanding@xanga - I suppose it's different when it comes to whether you want to be healthy or not but (and this is just me inserting an interesting fact) when it comes to weight loss there is no difference in calories. A professor (if you want I'll look up where) wanted to prove this to his students so he went on a diet of purely twinkies, chips, sugary cereals (etc) for 2 months and ended up losing a ton of weight.
@MangoWOW@xanga - No doubt you can lose weight eating like a slob; but I GUARANTEE you he would have lost at least 25% MORE weight if he had consumed the EXACT same amount of calories, eating unprocessed, natural, healthy food.
@AffinityInUnderstanding@xanga - He probably wouldn't have shaved so many years off if he went the natural route, too.
@MangoWOW@xanga - Just because it worked for one person, it doesn't mean it would for everyone. That's anecdotal evidence.
@ivarahBharavi@xanga - Couldn't you technically say that about anything? Theres a lot of stuff that works for some people and doesn't work for others.
Even then, there are other people that have done the same thing. The documentary Fat Head comes to mind.@MangoWOW@xanga - Well yeah, but I'm just saying that you can't declare something that worked for one individual (or a few) as universally true until a proper study - whether statistical or scientific - is conducted.
@ivarahBharavi@xanga - Technically it already has been. I mentioned in my first comment that the difference is in how your body ends up. I don't think anyone expects to come out of a sugar and fat diet healthy, but my "interesting fact" was pointed towards weight loss. Weight loss alone is pretty much only regulated by calories. It's easy math, you need to use up as many calories as you ingest to maintain our weight, and use up more if you want to lose.
@MangoWOW@xanga - Hmmm, that's interesting. Is there a good article about the topic?
@GodlessLiberal@xanga - That's not quite true. A pound of bricks may weigh the same as a pound of feathers, but if someone were to throw them at you... A calorie may just be a unit of energy, but there is all sorts of nutritional context that make a large difference in an overall diet. Two foods may both have 100 calories, but if one contains nutrients that enhance your metabolism, then your body will be burning the calories faster.
I've read articles before on addictive properties of HFCS, as well, and of foods containing HFCS. I'm not talking about heroin-level addictions, but rather feelings of craving something above and beyond what your body needs. So not only are you just fighting your own normal cravings, but those cravings are getting some chemical reinforcements to make it harder. And we're not even talking about the products that typically contain HFCS...
I despise that commercial about HFCS, "Your body can't tell the difference, sugar is sugar." Please! *insert eye roll here* Sucrose, fructose, glucose, galactose are all metabolized differently by the body and they don't have the same exact structure. Ingesting high amounts of sugar also suppresses the immune system. I like to think of my daily 2000 calories as an investment. What do I get in return for the 2000+ calories I eat? What nutrients, health benefits, or lack of do I get? Ever since I got rid of junk and started taking good care of my body diet and exercise wise, I have so much more energy, my memory is better, I hardly get sick anymore, and my skin looks amazing.
HFCS is horrible for you, but it's also extremely hard to avoid. My dad is a long-distance runner and refuses to eat it, and shopping for food for him TO eat is hard and expensive, as we often end up having to buy organic products, or products made by specific, high-end manufacturers. And no, a calorie isn't just "a calorie". 500 calories of pizza is going to be much worse for you than 500 calories of stir-fried vegetables.
High Fructose Corn Syrup isn't really all that bad. The bad thing about HFCS is that it is in virtually EVERYTHING. When HFCS enters the body, your liver treats it as a toxin, so before the liver can complete the other tasks it is designed to do, it has to remove the HFCS from your body. This is where the evil of HFCS is. If HFCS is in nearly every processed food we put in our bodies, then of course our bodies have a difficult time removing the wastes.
It's been said before, everything in moderation. HFCS is no different.
I do think it's worse than regular sugar, but I also don't add any sugar at all to what I eat. I get plenty of sugar eating lots of fruits- which has only helped me in losing weight, not gaining it.
Right now I'm drinking a smoothie with half a banana, 2 kiwifruits, a cup of strawberries, and 2 cups of spinach. I could drink a bottle of soda for approximately the same amount of calories and still be hungry, along with enjoying a nice little crash later on, and craving more of the same.
*edit* Also, I haven't noticed that it's that hard to avoid, honestly. And I don't even buy organic stuff. If you buy mostly real food and read the labels of processed stuff, it's not too difficult. You just have to pay attention.
@AffinityInUnderstanding@xanga - thank you! i'm so tired of people saying that "hey, calories are calories no matter where they're coming from!!" that's soooooooooo false haha. and that leads to unhealthy eating habits.
@Cayllesth@xanga - Do you read a lot of labels or just stick with fresh food (or both)? I'm trying to get as much processed food as I can out of mine and my family's diet, and though it's obviously going to take some work (definitely more food prep), it will be worth it.
P.S. - Going by your profile picture, your skin is gorgeous - one more motivator for eating fresh food.
@Murphy_Rants@xanga - The only thing that bothers me about Stevia ia you're not supposed to consume it if you're pregnant - and that just raises red flags all over for me