Filling in the Studdering Gaps

I don’t know if you (any of you) have seen the 2 new commercials on TV concerning the safety of High Fructose Corn Syrup: (here they are)

Now. This left me with my jaw on the floor, completely shocked by this so called sweetsurprise. (And isn’t true that sweets give us caveties?) What a sick ad campaign, just because the public only seems to know en masse, what they’re told. These ads must assume we consumers have vacuous heads. I feel sorry for the those who know no better (it isn’t their fault btw), who only get the media news as their information… in their honor: let me fill in the silence.

Following are some (of many) websites and articles describing the dangers and issues that arise from consuming HFCS. I will list their sources and summarize their arguments; I hope this helps.

1) from the Dangers of Modern Foods at the Weston A. Price Foundation

(The title is a clue: The dangers of modern foods… we are an ancient species and our bodies are composed of a delicate, complex and perfect system of communication. Also, don’t forget — we are what we eat.)

When  male rats are fed a diet deficient in copper (as the US population is notably likewise deficient, also magnesium, chromium and anemic) with sucrose as the carbohydrate, they developed severe pathologies of vital organs: Liver, heart and testes exhibit extreme swelling, while the pancreas atrophies, invariably leading to death of the rats well before maturity {…}  When the rats were fed fructose, the fatal organ abnormalities [also] occurred.

They write that until the 1970’s most of the sugar we ate came from sucrose derived from sugar beets or sugar cane.  Then sugar from corn–corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and especially high fructose corn syrup –gained popularity as a sweetener because it is much less expensive to produce (see the film, King Corn). Beacuse HFCS can be manipulated to contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose, or up to 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose. Thus, with almost twice the fructose (which is popular due to cost), HFCS delivers a double danger when compared to sugar. ** (With regards to fruit, the ratio is usually 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, (however most commercial fruit juices add HFCS, too). In favor of natural fruit, remember that it contains fiber thereby slowing down the metabolism of fructose and other sugars, whereas the fructose in HFCS is absorbed very,very quickly.)

They continue that “In 1980 the average person ate 39 pounds of fructose and 84 pounds of sucrose. In 1994 the average person ate 66 pounds of sucrose and 83 pounds of fructose, providing 19 percent of total caloric energy. Today approximately 25 percent of our average caloric intake comes from sugars, with the larger fraction as fructose.”

Why is this a problem?

“Pure fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and robs the body of its micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use. While naturally occurring sugars contain fructose bound to other sugars, high fructose corn syrup contains a good deal of “free” or unbound fructose.”  Research indicates that this free un-bound fructose interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper and chromium. “Among other consequences, HFCS has been implicated in elevated blood cholesterol levels and the creation of blood clots.  It has been found to inhibit the action of white blood cells so that they are unable to defend the body against harmful foreign invaders.”

In other words, it attacks the immune system’s ability to keep you healthy. And if you are diabetic or have a heart condition, you are giving your body zero support in being able to properly heal, and are instead adding to the pathology.

“Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, has compiled a list of the harmful effects of fructose in her books Lick the Sugar Habit, Healthy Bones, Heal Yourself With Natural Foods, The Curse Of Louis Pasteur and Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter. She points out that consumption  of (HFCS in particular) causes a significant increase in the concentration of uric acid; after ingestion of glucose, no significant change occurs. An increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart disease. Furthermore, fructose ingestion in humans results in increases in blood lactic acid, especially in patients with preexisting acidotic conditions such as diabetes, postoperative stress or uremia. Extreme elevations causes metabolic acidosis and can result in death.”

Did I mention that these kinds of things accumulate in the body? even if you eat it “like sugar” in “moderation”?

Lastly, “Fructose is absorbed primarily in the jejunum before metabolism in the liver.” In general, fructose is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a greater rate than is glucose; this is why you want to eat your fruit and drink your vegetables…

“When consumed in excess of dietary glucose, the liver cannot convert all of the excess fructose in the system and it may be malabsorbed.” This may cause diharrea and is a main suspect in intestinal bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut.

Further: Fructose interacts with oral contraceptives and elevates insulin levels in women on “the pill.”

2) Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup by Healthmad.com

“HFCS is not the run of the mill corn syrup found on the grocery store shelf, nor is it the fructose naturally found in fruits and honey. HFCS is a highly refined clear liquid derived from corn starch. Food manufactures love to use it because of its long shelf life and it’s low cost.

Since HFCS’s widespread introduction in the 1980’s North American obesity rates have skyrocketed. Obesity has been linked to may heath issues including heart disease and many forms of cancer. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin; {Insulin} acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.

HFCS is found in almost everything we eat today. However, the worst culprit has to be soft drinks. A single 12 oz can of cola has up to 13 tsp of sugar, most of it fructose from HFCS. There is HFCS hidden in many of our other food as well, like ketchup, relish, cookies, and most alarmingly in low-fat diet foods. Manufactures substitute HFCS for the fat in food like mayo and salad dressings, then mark them as diet foods.

3) HFCS at Treelight

“HIgh Fructose Corn Syrup was introduced into the American Food Supply in the 1970’s, at roughly the same time as partially hydrogenated oils. Since then, we’ve had epidemic levels of obesity, the highest rates of disease, and the lowest life expectancy of any industrialized nation. Those facts are not a coincidence [...] In short, it is clear that both partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup should be illegal. They are that deadly. The problem is, they do not kill quickly. If they did, there would be an uproar…”

Remember:

• It has been genetically modified
• It makes you fat
• It interferes with thyroid function
• It’s in nearly everything

4) High Fructose Corn Syrup cause severe Liver Damage (Natural News)

“Researchers fed mice a diet that was 40 percent fat and high in high fructose corn syrup for 16 weeks. In contrast to other studies, where mice have been fed a regulated amount, the animals in the study were allowed to eat as much as they wanted. They were kept sedentary and prevented from exercising.

“We wanted to mirror the kind of diet many Americans subsist on, so the high fat content is about the same you’d find in a typical McDonald’s meal, and the high fructose corn syrup translates to about eight cans of soda a day in a human diet, which is not far off with what some people consume,” said Brent Tetri, M.D., an associate professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University Liver Center.

To the researchers’ shock, it took only four weeks for the first signs of serious health problems to emerge.

‘We had a feeling we’d see evidence of fatty liver disease by the end of the study,’ Tetri said. ‘But we were surprised to find how severe the damage was and how quickly it occurred. It took only four weeks for liver enzymes to increase and for glucose intolerance — the beginning of Type 2 diabetes — to begin.’”

That’s just four. Go do your research yourself… and be careful to see who provides the funding. Eat well.

Silence Filled.