Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages and Processed Foods

(www.borganic.org) If you think consuming products with high fructose corn syrup is a good way to avoid sugar, think again. You are better off with sugar! Of course, you probably know by now that any aspartame type sweetener is out of the question. But high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is also a very poor choice.

HFCS is a sweet deal for food processors and soft drink companies because it`s cheaper than sugar and even sweeter. It`s also easier to convince an unsuspecting consumer public that it`s healthier, even if it usually comes from GMO corn. But health hazards from GMO corn aren`t the only issues.

Why HFCS is Bad for You

Fructose in fruits and vegetables comes as part of a digestible whole food package that contains much less fructose than soft drinks and other processed foods. The digestive system is not familiar with high amounts of isolated fructose such as HFCS.

Dr. Andrew Weil states, "The body doesn`t handle large amounts of fructose well. You can maintain life with intravenous glucose, but not with intravenous fructose; severe derangement of liver function results. There is also evidence that a high intake of fructose elevates levels of circulating fats (serum triglycerides), increasing the risk of heart disease ..."

Our cells use glucose for energy by metabolizing carbohydrates. With glucose from cane or beet sugar, 20% is passed onto the liver to be metabolized. But the gut doesn`t know what to do with isolated high fructose. So it passes 100% of the isolated fructose into the liver.

Consequently, the liver metabolizes the high fructose content into mostly fats and triglycerides. High amounts of HFCS are apt to create non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and possibly cirrhosis. Insulin resistance is another manifestation of HFCS metabolic damage.

HFCS creates even more metabolic damage because it has no effect on ghrelin, which
stimulates appetite, and interferes with the brain`s leptin communication, which lets you know you`ve had enough to eat. This leads to overeating. Glucose suppresses ghrelin and doesn`t interfere with leptin. So hunger cravings are satisfied easily with glucose from even regular sugar.

Metabolic disorders from HFCS have been shown to induce diabetes type II and obesity, two outbreaks of bad health that have increased dramatically since 1975 when HFCS was introduced. Ironically, these two epidemics and rising heart disease have occurred despite successful campaigns of increased exercise with decreased fat intakes over the last three decades.

Processing HFCS leads to substantial levels of mercury.

Wait, There`s More!

As if HFCS is not enough, the food and beverage industry has recently one upped HFCS with crystalline fructose. It`s further refined and more potent than HFCS, which is 45% sucrose and 55% fructose. Crystalline fructose is 100% pure fructose, making it even more difficult to metabolize, and it`s more toxic with traces of chloride, lead, and arsenic.

Crystalline fructose is now being used in some sports drinks, flavored waters, and even so called health beverages.

What To Do

Simply avoid beverages and foods with high fructose corn syrup or crystalline fructose. Make your own fruit juices. Drink pure water with a pinch of organic unprocessed salt to rehydrate after exercise. For the sweet tooth, use stevia or raw organic honey and raw organic sugar in moderation instead.

Sources used for more information:

Dr. Robert Lustig lecture (gets into HFCS about 30 minutes in)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnn...

Reviews HFCS and explains crystalline fructose
http://thegoldenspiral.org/2009/01/...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin

By Paul Fassa

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