High Fuctose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Friend or Enemy?? We eat every day, rarely thinking about what’s going into our bodies. Take soda, for example, when was the last time you read the label before taking a sip? For me, it is never. One of the first ingredients listed on the can is HFCS or high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient is a secret additive to many products in today's market. High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the cheapest to make and hardest to get rid of in the body. Since its introduction to food products in the 70's it has slowly been added to most foods, even ketchup.

The past fifty years has seen a spike in the consumption of sugar, that number totaling a tripling increase. However, sugar is not the only risk factor here, alcohol and tobacco can also be attributed with the spike, albeit not as prevalent as sugar. The biggest question that Lustig et al. poses to its’ readers is this: “What aspects of the Western diet should be the focus of intervention”? (par. 3) The current USDA has been deemed “boogeymen” of diets, as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Lustig et al. all believe that our attention should be turned towards “added sugar”, which is a sweetener that has fructose in it. Perhaps the biggest controversy from the past fifty years has been none other than a severe culprit that experts know as high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Diabetic and Obesity Dangers Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.

If you had to choose in between skittles or and apple right now what would you choice? I would choses Skittles even though I know they are bad for me. That’s one reason I think changing food policies would influence people's food choices than just education. 1.

Pollan states, “In the United States most of the corn we consume is invisible, having been heavily processed or passed through food animals before it reaches us. Most of the animals we eat (chickens, pigs and cows) today subsist on a diet of corn, regardless of whether it is good for them” (pollan 1). Food companies hide all of these corn products in the food and drinks as sweeteners and syrups. The livestock eat a corn diet, which isn’t good for them, forcing us to give them antibiotics so they don’t get sick. We then eat these livestock that are drugged and full of corn. The most successful way we’ve found to sneak it into our food and drinks is through high-fructose corn syrup. This is a substitute for sugars and is extremely cheap. It’s so cheap that majority of snack and drink companies use it to save money and increase profit. Pollan says, “Nearly 10 percent of the calories Americans consume now come from corn sweeteners; the figure is 20 percent for many children” (Pollan 2). We eat these foods and drink these drinks and expect us to be fine. “A recent study at the University of Minnesota found that a diet high in fructose (as compared to glucose) elevates triglyceride levels in men shortly after eating, a phenomenon that has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease” (Pollan 2). The food companies are feeding

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an artificial sweetener commonly used in the United States. As its name implies, this

H.F.C.S. has replaced regular table sugar, honey, and similar sweeteners or anything similar at an alarmingly high rate. Prolonged consumption of H.F.C.S. as we are now learning can cause long-term damage to the body.

Processed Foods and its Link to the Increasing Obesity Epidemic Savannah Eisert English 214-54 Melanie Wise 15 April 2013 Eisert 1 Processed Foods and its Link to the Increasing Obesity Epidemic Lunchables, Twinkies, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, or even a trip to McDonald’s after school are just few of the memorable foods as a child that always seemed so exciting and delicious. As a child, I wondered why these scrumptious foods were always just a treat, but never an every day meal on my diet that I could enjoy. But what I did not know was the dirty truth behind these foods: what they are really made out of. Behind food corporation doors lies the truth about processed foods,

Abstract: This research essay will investigate the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The liver is effected because the fructose—as it is being metabolized deposits fatty acids into the liver, it also develops cirrhosis, which has the same effect normally seen in alcoholics. High Fructose Corn Syrup increases cholesterol which blocks the inner walls of the arteries and may be fatal if not treated. High Fructose Corn Syrup was believed to be beneficial to diabetics, but studies show the they may actually promote more diseases. Obesity is a major problem, as High Fructose Corn Syrup does not release leptin—which is what signals the brain to stop eating, so society is prone to over consumption. It also alters the heart's use of other

With more intake, a person is susceptible to gain weight, and with less intake, susceptible to lose weight over a given period of time. This is known as the Calorie-in Calorie-out effect. The source of the calorie, however, determines whether it is healthy for the body or not. The same amount of calorie coming from oats and chips are not comparable at all. In the USA, most people rely on processed and fast food, rich in artificial preservatives, Trans fat and sodium content. Fast foods, famous for their low price, large portion and taste are responsible for overeating and weight gain too (Food and Diet). With these foods, we get much more sodium, fat and cholesterol than required by our body, resulting in chronic heart disease, high cholesterol level in blood and gradual accumulation of fat leading to obesity. In addition to that, widespread use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an artificial sweetener in soft drinks, beverages and desserts is proved to have been related with high-calorie intake and increment in obesity, as mentioned by an article in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Bray).

Warning that America's health was at risk because of all of these new substances in food could reverse many health gains achieved in recent decades, the startling news report prompted scientists into new research pertaining to the causes of obesity. The process through which high fructose corn syrup is made is quite complex. “Specialized enzymes turn the majority of the glucose molecules that are found in corn into fructose, which makes the substance substantially sweeter” (Guggenheim 148). This ninety percent fructose syrup mixture is then combined with regular corn syrup, which is one hundred percent glucose molecules, to get the right percentage and balance of fructose and glucose. The final product is a translucent and clear liquid with high viscosity that is roughly as sweet as sugar. “The name high fructose corn syrup is misleading because it is high in fructose only in relation to regular corn syrup, but not to sugar” (“High Fructose Corn Syrup Facts”). The version of high fructose corn syrup used in carbonated beverages and other sweetened drinks consists of fifty-five percent fructose and forty-five percent glucose, very similar to plain white sugar, which is fifty percent fructose and fifty percent glucose. The form of high fructose corn syrup used in other products like baked goods, fruit preservatives, cookies, yogurts, and other food products are forty-two percent fructose and fifty-eight percent glucose, is actually lower in fructose than white

Obesity and its subsequent ailments are regarded as the leading cause(s) of death in the United States and many other parts of the world. As such, much deserved attention and controversy has been brought worldwide. Many people place blame for this relatively recent epidemic on the shoulders of high-fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener whose use has increased for many years alongside the rates of childhood and adult obesity. While they are not entirely incorrect in assuming a widespread increase in added sugars would result in more calories per product, more calories consumed, and therefore more calories stored in bodily tissue, high-fructose corn syrup alone is not solely to blame for this phenomenon.

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

Damaging the Food Culture with High Fructose Corn Syrup The food culture that we have are practices, beliefs, and ways we use to make food and consume it. Furthermore it is how we understand it as a whole and how it can shape us. Certain foods all around us can change people individually or as a group, the ability to express ourselves with food is endless.Some people may love the food for flavor , some may love to take pictures of the food and some people may just eat it because of their religion. People in the food culture can express whatever they want with food in many other ways, for example financial status, power,creativity, etc. It is amazing what people can do when it come to this,but what people do not know are its dangers. Sometimes people only see the good part behind the food and are oblivious to what it really is. The audience can maybe overlook how the food was made and in many ways overlook what is good for them and what is not. Many of the foods nowadays are made in labs and in so many different ways we can not think of. A certified dietitian named Katherine Zeratsky says “High-fructose corn syrup — can contribute unwanted calories that are linked to health problems, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, etc”. All of these health problems dealing with the chemical high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This product is in sodas, Fruit drinks, Syrups, and even more. We consume this everyday and it is cheaper to make it that real sugar and it apparently taste better.

It is not a secret that obesity is an epidemic in the United States, and with obesity rates still slowly increasing, the government is getting something wrong. The USDA has tried multiple times to come out with diagrams to help show people what they should eat. Each diagram tends to promote the cheapest to produce foods. Although the Government tries to help, they are simultaneously making things worse. Julie Gunlock found that “There is a growing scientific consensus that HFCS [High-Fructose Corn Syrup] likely contributes to the obesity and diabetes epidemics in America, both major contributors to the overall degradation of health in the U.S. The body metabolizes HFCS differently than cane- and beet-based sugars, leading to lower insulin production and an increase in triglyceride fats in the bloodstream”(Gunlock). Almost every beverage at the common convenience store has HFCS, and in most cases it is the third or even second ingredient on the list. Which means there is an extremely high amount in that drink, because when you read the ingredients on a label, the ingredients that make up the majority of the product are listed first. A common argument against this is that it is the individual's fault for being overweight. As Bootie Cosgrove-Mather