High Fructose Corn Syrup Dangers

High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, is a corn derivative used as a sweetener and preservative in most processed foods. It became popular in the 1980s as a cheap, easy-to-produce alternative to sugar made from sugar cane and beets. It is not the same as corn syrup, which is readily available in grocery stores. Although regular corn syrup isn't healthy, it is not nearly as dangerous as high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Science Behind the Dangers

• High fructose corn syrup is made up of fructose, the sugar found in fruit, and glucose, which comes from corn. When HFCS is made, the two sugars are combined, usually with more fructose. In fruit, fructose is not as dangerous, because the fiber in fruit slows down the absorption of the sugars. However, when HFCS is added to drinks and processed foods, it has the potential to cause real damage to the body because it goes straight to the liver, bypassing the pancreas, which normally processes sugar. The HFCS is then turned into fat and stored in the body.

Effects

• According to Dana Flavin, PhD, a former assistant to the associate bureau director for toxicology at the FDA, "Fructose may have less impact on appetite than glucose, so processed foods rich in fructose can contribute to weight gain, obesity, and its related consequences by failing to manage appetite." Because high fructose corn syrup is not treated as regular sugar in the body, it has the potential to cause a lot of damage. The body never gets the signal that it has enough food, so there is no feeling of "fullness" that would normally accompany a meal. The sweetener also impacts the sugar levels in blood, causing a sugar rush. After the rush has passed, blood sugar levels drop, and the body begins to crave more sugar. This cycle can repeat indefinitely if the person does not significantly cut back on his high fructose corn syrup consumption, leading to diabetes, hypertension or obesity.

Considerations

• Research about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup is ongoing. What researchers are clear on, however, is that HFCS is dangerous. It is in most processed foods, used as both a sweetener and a preservative. A 12 oz. can of soda that is sweetened by HFCS has as much as 13 tsp. of sugar. An average person drinks more than one can of soda a day, subjecting his body to dangerous levels of sugar. The extra sugar, on top of causing spikes in a person's blood sugar, also turns into fat in the liver. This excess fat is then spread around the body, most of it ending up in the abdominal cavity, where it coats internal organs and increases a person's risk of developing diabetes.

Potential

• Since the 1980s, high fructose corn syrup has been added to foods in place of more traditional sweeteners. Shortly after the change in sweeteners, Americans began gaining weight. The obesity epidemic can be traced back to the addition to HFCS in the American diet. It is estimated that one in three children born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes. The increased rates of diabetes and obesity will eventually begin to decrease the average life span in America, and around the world, if the level of HFCS used in food is not lowered drastically.

Prevention/Solution

• Avoiding high fructose corn syrup is the best way to reduce its effects on an individual's health. Because so much of the food in a grocery store contains HFCS, it can be challenging to cut back. Buy more fresh fruit and vegetables, and learn to read labels. Compare to see which foods have the lowest amount of sugars. Avoid soda and fruit drinks (and even some juices) that contain a significant amount of HFCS.
  Learn to cook, and prepare more meals from scratch. Eat fewer white products, such as bread and rice, which have a higher level of HFCS than their less-processed equivalents. Avoid processed foods, and avoid restaurants, many of which serve predominantly processed foods, to cut even more out of your diet.