Health Epidemic In America Research Paper

The United States is currently under attack by a commanding disease that is seeking to bring this great nation to an early demise. This disease sucks the energy out of many individuals and takes control of the body by sparking heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. With the help of major junk food companies, this outbreak continues to claim thousands of lives each year. In our country today, this epidemic trails tobacco use in the second leading cause of preventable death. Many researchers have studied this horrible plague, and the only cure is the motivation to live a healthier lifestyle. Although the profits from major junk-food companies contribute significantly to America 's economy, the nation is blind to the

High fructose corn syrup is a by-product derived from corn and a sweetener used in a plethora of food items, such as beverages and processed food. High fructose corn syrup differs than table sugar in composition: high fructose corn syrup is made of either 55% of fructose and 45% glucose, or 58% fructose and 42% glucose, while white table sugar is composed of 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Although there is a small difference between the compositions, the body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than table sugar, which contributes to a myriad of health problems such as obesity, liver scarring, and diabetes. Therefore, high fructose corn syrup is detrimental to our health and can cause severe damage to our bodies.

Epidemics of any scale have both threatened the Earth’s people and frightened them in ways unfathomable. Whether it be a global outbreak of swine flu or an isolated incident of a cold in a small village they all shake the community on some level. But imagine an epidemic that people willingly promote the growth of an outbreak, one that is being pushed on a national scale to everyone on every social and economic tier. Obesity has been viewed as a social epidemic and is even noted to have a serious rate of infection through the connection of social networks. The Fat Acceptance Movement, or FAM, has been the main sponsor of this epidemic by claiming it’s acceptable to be obese despite the evidence that’s stacked against their claims. Obesity acceptance needs to be stopped as it is a slow suicide for the obese, and hurts the nation as a whole overall through social distraught and secondary economic misfortune, in the sense that everyone loses in some way.

Studies show that high fructose corn syrup fat. The article “sweet confusion” Say’s that high fructose corn syrup started out as a scientific achievement. After high fructose corn syrup was made most factories started using it instead of sugar cane because it was a lot cheaper. Which is bad because now the factories are mainly only using high fructose corn syrup, which is also really bad for you and they have yet to find that out. This done by “After factories started using high fructose corn syrup obesity rates grew rapidly.” (Beil, Laura, 2013) So then people began to wonder if the unnatural sweetener was the effect of why the rates were growing.“Beil then exams science designed to look for any health effects specific to fructose.” (Beil,

Most all sodas or soft drinks consist of the basic, carbonated water, sugar, and caffeine. Colas, in particular, were originally just a mixture of extracts of the coca leaf and the cola nut blended with sugar water (1). Though, nowadays, the natural sugars that were originally used, have been replaced by high fructose corn syrup. According to ConsumerReports.org,in 2009 the average american consumed approximately 35.7 pounds of high fructose corn syrup showing the great prevalence of this overused, unhealthy ingredient (3). Though, why would so many producers put an ingredient so detrimental to the consumer’s health in their products? High fructose corn syrup is not only cheaper than organic sugars, but it is also sweeter meaning much less

In recent years, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been at the center of a nutritional battle. Some say that it is to blame for the rise in obesity in America, but others believe that it is not the culprit. Currently, two out of every three Americans are considered obese or overweight; and nearly one out of six children, ages 6-19, fall into this category. High fructose corn syrup is an artificial sweetener made from corn and a mixture of 42-55% fructose and the remaining, glucose. It has become wildly popular for its ability to alter the taste and texture of foods at a cheaper price. High fructose corn syrup cannot be contributing to obesity because the use of HFCS has decreased in recent years in response to media attacks, yet new cases

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has replaced Cane Sugar (sucrose) in the U.S to such an extent that it has become a part of our daily diet. HFCS is a key ingredient in juices, sodas, breads, cereals, and almost every other product at a grocery store. According to Economic Research Service, HFCS accounts for about 57% of total sweetener consumption today.

Obesity is contributed by the consumption of more calories than are expended as well as type II diabetes, which are linked to obesity. The U.S. Department of Agriculture data indicates that consumption of HFCS has been decreasing, while obesity and diabetes are rising. Other studies indicate that many other parts of the world that do not have access to HFCS and are still seeing a rise in obesity (“About High Fructose Corn Syrup,” 2016).

This article was created by thirteen collaborators who are highly educated in the nutritional field. In this source, the authors thoroughly explain why high fructose corn syrup should be avoided and what exactly happens in our body when we consume products containing high fructose corn syrup. This source appears credible because it comes from the American Medical Association, in the Medicine and Public Health Division, which is a widely known and trusted source. This academic journal provides the point of view of corn manufacturers, as well as consumers, to show why it is such a popular component in many foods. However, it does mention that there is little evidence as to how exactly our bodies react differently to HFCS and sucralose. The article

Although this "sweet" reality is true, HFCS isn't only used in beverages. It is used in many processed foods that we eat too. It is true that from 1970 to 2000 sucrose consumption had drastically dropped and HFCS consumption drastically rose. However, it is largely believed by the public that HFCS surpassed sucrose as the primary sweetener a long time ago. This is yet another misconception. Rather, since 1998, sucrose and HFCS consumption have been nearly the same ranging in at around 250 Calories per day (White, 2008). In response to Bray et al. (2010) which argued that the US obesity rates increased in accordance with US high fructose corn syrup consumption from 1970 to 2000, White (2008) counters with the fact that after the year 2000, obesity

In the United States there are numerous Americans that suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, too much sugar intake, and being overweight. Additionally, there are numerous debates as to which sweetener, honey, fructose, or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is consequentially better for people. Many argue that each have different metabolic effects on individuals, while other experts claim all three have basically the same effects. While this topic is quite controversially and a fairly new concept, most experts and researchers tend to agree that reducing any type of sugar intake can decrease excessive body weight and the chance of suffering from diabetes, obesity, and an array of other health complications. The Institute of Medicine suggests no more than 25% of daily energy should be consumed as sugars. (Raatz, Johnson, and Picklo, 2015). However, the American Heart Association has different scales based on gender and calorie intake. There are other suggestions as well, which in turn leads to confusion for the average consumer.

Many concerns have been raised about potential health problems of HFCS. But there is insufficient evidence to say that HFCS is less healthy than other types of sweeteners. HFCS is a corn-based sweetener and because of its low cost, it is used widely in candies, baked goods, and soft drinks. In general, Americans consume too much soda and other sugary beverages. In conclusion, I believe over consumption of added sugar of all kinds, not just HFCS, is bad and can contribute to weight gain and other related health

All human beings share the innate liking of sweetness since we experience from mother’s milk. Now, sugar and sugar rich foods are the most popular and worldwide consuming (McGee 645). High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was introduced to the food and beverage industry as a substitution to sucrose because of its higher degree of sweetness and the decreasing use of sugar supply during World War II (White). Over a half century, scientists still dispute the safety of HFCS to health. Some studies point out that HFCS has equivalent effects as sucrose and does not account for risk factors for health at normal consumption levels. However, several studies conducted by Standhop, Akar, Hoebel, and Collison have shown that HFCS shows greatly problems in health. Therefore, people should be aware of sugar consumption from HFCS because HFCS introduces health symptoms as cardiovascular disease and risk factors of type II diabetes.

High fructose corn syrup is a corn starch that has been processed to make most of its glucose into fructose, thus making it a glucose-fructose compound. It helps contribute to a lot of today’s health problems. High fructose corn syrup’s fructose is metabolized in the liver. This leads to fat storage in the liver which may eventually cause non-alcoholic liver disease and many more health problems. Without even noticing it, high fructose corn syrup is in a lot of the average American’s diet. This is because it is a very cost effective way to sweeten food. Although most people would consider themselves free of high fructose corn syrup by avoiding the more obvious foods like soda or candy; high fructose corn syrup is in even the most basic of foods like yogurt. With more knowledge on the subject avoiding high fructose corn syrup is as easy as looking at a food label where it is clearly marked. High fructose corn syrup causes both major and minor health problems.

And time and time again, studies demonstrate that HFCS makes us gain weight more than regular sugar.