So, have you seen these ads?
“Oh… that has high fructose corn syrup in it.”
“So?”
“Well, you know what they say…”
“Like what?”
UH DUH DUH DUH DUH
(drool) duh duh duh duh duh
duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
…duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
…yer pretty
First off, let me say this:
I do not believe HFCS is at all to blame for the recent rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes rates.
I do not blame any food product or additive.
I blame people’s poor choices.
My favorite line from the ads:
It’s made from corn.”
So is ethanol fuel. That doesn’t mean it’s “natural”, or as safe to consume as corn. Both are the result of manipulating the chemistry of cornstarch into glucose, and from that point you are a couple steps away from making either HFCS or ethanol fuel.
By saying “It’s made from corn”, they are absolutely implying that HFCS is natural.
I won’t go into it much here, but “natural” means nothing. If by “natural”, someone means that it is made from a plant, or from a substance or organism that mother Earth provides for us, then everything is natural. Everything around you at all times is made from “natural” ingredients, but that doesn’t always mean that the result is natural.
Let me be clear that I am not saying that HFCS is harmful because it is created using chemistry. By that same argument, pure water can be made using hydrogen and oxygen through chemistry. I am just trying to point out that the Corn Refiners Association’s argument is BUNK!
—————————————————-
THE REASON PEOPLE SAY IT IS BAD…
…and what our retarded consumer’s from the commercials above failed to know, is that it is NOT the same as plain old sugar. Otherwise known as sucrose.
Now, pay attention class:
Sucrose is made of 50% fructose, and 50% glucose, and together they form a single molecule.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is generally made of 55% fructose, and 45% glucose, and they form separate molecules.
The fact that HFCS is composed of separate molecules linked together, rather than a single molecule, is significant because of the way the body handles it. Sucrose goes through a longer, more complex process of breaking down before it reaches the liver. The separate fructose in HFCS seems to bypass that complex breakdown and goes straight to the liver.
There in the liver, the higher levels of fructose that took the expressway actually damage your metabolism! High levels of fructose in the liver causes an increase in the enzyme PDH. Different levels of PDH tell cells whether they should burn sugar or burn fat. The more PDH present on the cell surface, the more the cell will tend to burn sugar instead of fat.
This can lead to:
- increased fatty acids
- increased LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
- increased triglycerides (which induces visceral fat and clogged arteries)
- decreased glucose tolerance, and
- too much insulin in the blood (which can both lead to type 2 diabetes)
Some argue that because sucrose is broken down inside the body (due to it’s acidic environment) into it’s components fructose and glucose, that sucrose ultimately has the same effect on the liver. This idea seems to remain debated upon. The fact remains, however, that due to HFCS’s higher levels of fructose, it’s faster delivery to the liver, and it’s higher prevalence in foods, there is more than likely something significant going on here.
Going back to the “natural” argument… Sucrose is naturally found in plants. The manner in which the fructose and glucose in HFCS are seperate, yet together, is NOT found in nature.
—————————————————-
Let’s assume that HFCS is not any more harmful than regular table sugar, and has the same effect on your body.
Because HFCS is so inexpensive, compared to sugar, items such as soda and “fruit juice” (containing less than 10% juice), are MUCH cheaper. Since that Big Gulp you pick up at the Kwik-E-Mart is only a few cents more than the regular size, you go ahead and get the half gallon of empty liquid calories.
The countless other processed foods that contain it can be super-sized cheaply. Consumers think they are getting a better deal, but what they’re really getting is fatter.
My second favorite line from the ads:
It’s fine in moderation!”
YES! We know how I feel about that word! “Moderation” is an extremely vague term, and they conveniently neglect to reveal any negative effects if you happen to consume more than a “moderate” amount. What does it even mean? Moderate – compared to a lot? How much is a lot?
How are people supposed to follow an idea of moderation, when HFCS hides in SO MANY food products?
It’s in:
- salad dressing
- ketchup
- fruit “juice”
- baby foods
- cereal
- cereal bars
- pop tarts
- granola bars
- breads (even some 100% whole grain breads)
- crackers
- BBQ sauce
- cream cheese
- BK Apple Fries caramel sauce
- canned goods
- jelly
- ice cream
- yogurt
- tomato sauce
- apple sauce
- canned fruit
- cough syrup medicine
- mayonnaise
- cookies
- shake -n- bake
- almost all frozen dinners or prepared foods
- Uncrustables
- pickles
…and soda.
Soda companies are the biggest con artists in the world.
Soda remains one of the most commercialized, egregious examples of charging people lots of money for something that isn’t even good for them.
Just think about what they are selling us! They make insane profits (in the billions) selling us sugary, flavored water. Isn’t it amazing? As cheap as soda is, we’re still getting ripped off. What’s strange is, Coke and Pepsi products sold in most other countries are made with sugar, not HFCS.
Why?
In the European Union, HFCS is highly regulated, compared to the U.S. They mostly get their sugar from beets, which is what used to be used in the U.S., along with sugar cane. The reason for this is to protect the farmers, and to not drive up the price of sugar. Unfortunately, the U.S. government handled the invention of HFCS a little differently. Tariffs were imposed in 1982 on imported sugar to protect the corn farmers. Corn was one of the biggest crops in the U.S., and also had the best funded lobbyists. Americans pay a much higher price for sugar as a result. Coke and Pepsi quickly switched to HFCS in 1984 to keep their profits high.
MANY other food producers followed. Calorie dense convenience foods became more and more prevalent, and much more affordable.
Have you ever heard of people from other countries coming to the U.S. and commenting that all foods taste sweet? I have. HFCS is in foods that normally wouldn’t even contain sugar. This is because of its preservative and consistency enhancing qualities.
The HFCS Facts website (paid for by the Corn Refiners Association, that happened to pay for those commercials as well) lists some benefits:
- Sweetness
- Flavor Enhancement
- Freshness
- Soft Texture
- Browning
- Stability
- Pourability
- Fermentability
Notice NONE of these are for your nutritional benefit. While a lot of them may help to bring production and transportation costs down – which equals a lower grocery bill for the consumer (and for the manufacturer) – none of the benefits have anything to do with health.
A lot of the products that contain HFCS have only been invented in the past few decades since it has overtaken regular sugar as a sweetener. Most of these are things we don’t need to eat in the first place.
Let’s say that given the information, you believe that HFCS has no ill effects, and is the same as sugar. That’s fine. But check out the list of foods that contain it.
Are any of them fresh fruit?
Are any of them fresh vegetables?
Are any of them whole foods?
No. They are all processed, packed with preservatives, and probably a red flag that you should maybe reconsider the food choice you are about to make.
There are alternatives. There are other choices.
This frustrates me a lot. People tell me that HFCS is bad for you, so I’d like to avoid it, but it’s in everything, it seems. Don’t drink soda, I’m told. Okay, I don’t think I’ll ever completely stop drinking soda, but I can try to cut back. So I started looking at different flavored teas when I went shopping. They all seem to have HFCS. Either that, or aspartame, which I have a feeling is frowned upon as well. I’m at a loss at what else to try. Fruit juices have sugar, and I don’t like coffee. Am I doomed to just water and skim milk?
Also–I’ve been buying granola bars to use as snacks when I’m on campus, because they’re easy to throw in my bag. Well, the kind I’ve been buying has HFCS in them. So when I went shopping last night, I tried to look for something new, but it seemed like they all had HFCS in them–or just corn syrup, or something called High Maltose Corn Syrup, which I’m assuming is bad too. I finally found a few brands that didn’t have HFCS in them, but they all had more calories than the brand I had been buying–anywhere from 30 to 90 more calories per bar. So in that case, which is worse? HFCS, or more calories?
Yeah..
“In moderation”..
thankyou!!!!
That’s the thing that stood out most to me in the commercial.
My wife is from the Philippines, and she has commented often on the food being too sweet here.
As for the “moderation” thing, while calories in versus calories out is the primary consideration, where those calories come from does have an effect on how the body uses them.
Not the pickles!!!!
Damn.
I started making my own salad dressings a few months ago. It’s unbelievable how much better they taste, they’re better for me, and have nothing that is not natural.
Another example (to add to people from other countries) is our parents and grand-parents. My parents constantly complain about how sweet everything is here (yes, we’re off the boat from another country). I can’t taste it but I’ve been hear most of my adult life. They still can.
Yup, the pickles!
It may be others as well, but the Claussen brand has several products with HFCS. Namely the relish.
Brit,
It’s pretty frustrating, isn’t it?
I would say that the few extra calories is better than the HFCS. If you are in the habit of exercising regularly, your body needs those calories, and knows what to do with them. Don’t worry so much about counting calories that diligently. I would concentrate more on getting more fiber, and protein.
I know it sounds weird, but if you are having trouble finding things like granola bars due to a limited selection of good ones where you live, you can always order them on the internet! You’ll probably save money too. Check this out:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sc_bm_br_16310101_1_58?ie=UTF8&node=16323941&no=16310101&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Wow, I don’t usually buy much online, but those Larabars in cherry, apple and lemon (Lemon! Love!) look reeeeaaaaally good.
*looks at page again*
…and also hella expensive. $21.46 for 18 bars?! (Not even including shipping.) And here I was grumbling about paying $2.67 for 6 Kashi bars.
Yup, some bars are pretty pricey.. which is why I make my own! hehe
That’s actually a good price for those Lara bars.
Look for the items that qualify for free super saver shipping. If you spend over $25, shipping is free.
Clif Bars makes a lot of good ones, and they’re not as expensive.
HFCS also is created through a rather disturbing process involving bacteria and fungus, among other things:
The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Oh, thanks for putting that link up, DD.
FYI everyone should check that out.
High fructose corn syrup and table sugar (sucrose) differ by the slightest “thing”. They are exactly the same molecule. They only differ in that the molecule is attached at different axions. Aguably that is all it would take for the body to have a diiferent reacting but highly unlikely. All this hoopla about HFC isl BS. Its the topic de jour. Haven’t we seen a tousand red flags; What causes cancer this week which is soon repealed? Or whatever…
If anything its MSG that has caused the increase in diabetes and obeasity. Intrevenous MSG will cause a rise in insuline which causes hunger from which the calories are stored as fat. I’m not buying that ingested MSG is vastly different.
HFCS is bunk!!!
@Mr. Not-So-Right:
I suggest reading “The Schwarzbein Principle” by Diana Schwarzbein, who is an endocrinologist who treats diabetes patients. She goes into detail about how the body processes sugars and why she dislikes HFCS.
Here’s a small clip from the Wikipedia article on HFCS:
Chi-Tang Ho et al. found that soft drinks sweetened with HFCS are up to 10 times richer in harmful carbonyl compounds, such as methylglyoxal, than a diet soft drink control.[22] Carbonyl compounds are elevated in people with diabetes and are blamed for causing diabetic complications such as foot ulcers and eye and nerve damage;[23][24] Furthermore, a study in mice suggests that fructose increases obesity.[25] Large quantities of fructose stimulate the liver to produce triglycerides, promotes glycation of proteins and induces insulin resistance.[26] According to one study, the average American consumes nearly 70 pounds of HFCS per annum, marking HFCS as a major contributor to the rising rates of obesity in the last generation.
I think it’s hard to simply say it’s all “bunk”.
Interesting timing for Mr. Not-So-Right to show up and defend HFCS. I just ran across this (the article was linked from Yahoo!’s main page):
Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Really Good for You?
His statements are similar to the ones in the article from the CRA (Corn Refiners Association). Could he be on their payroll?
I don’t think the first link worked, here’s a second attempt:
Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Really Good for You?
Good points DD! Intresting idea about him being an inside man.
@ Mr.
There really doesn’t seem to be enough information for us to have a definite answer about it. But there is definitely enough for us to be suspicious, and to not ignore it. Even if it were safe, notice most of my post was about it’s negative impact apart from the chemical properties.
It may sound like it would be a sad way to live to always worry about your food. To always be avoiding specific things just because there is a possibility (albeit a strong one) that it could be harmful. I don’t see it as “watching out” for bad things, I only see it as “seeking out” good things.
Avoiding HFCS really isn’t difficult. It only is if you’re in the habit of eating pre prepared, processed foods that are mostly chosen for convenience and to satisfy a craving. Healthy foods that are fuel to live and thrive do not have it.
If we are writing or reading these blogs we have a common question. Is it good for you? I would like to pose another question. When you consume say 3 tablespoons of HFCS, how much corn would you have to eat to consume an equivalent amount of sweetener?
Thanks to Digital Dame for the posting
Okay, I’m not going to defend HFCS, but this: “a rather disturbing process involving bacteria and fungus” is an absurd thing to get worked up about. Bacteria and fungi are not, per se, bad things (in fact they are beneficial in many cases). If you’re worried about food produced by processing with bacteria or fungi, I hope you don’t drink alcohol. Or eat yogurt, bread, or many cheeses (e.g., swiss, blue, brie). Because all of those things wouldn’t exist without the use of bacteria or fungi (yeast is a fungus).
I’ll also just add, I’m not necessarily convinced that HFCS is that much worse for you than eating the same amount of sugar. But I don’t think eating sugar is good for you, either. As McBloggenstein posted above, HFCS is usually found in highly processed foods that overall aren’t great things to be eating. It’s usually added to make up for a lack of flavor (often in “low-fat” foods). When you eat something with HFCS in it, you are going to miss out on all of the nutrients you’d get if you ate whole, natural foods instead, and of course in addition to the HFCS, processed foods are usually full of preservatives and other artificial additives.
Sam, you make a good point about the bacteria. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything. However, one thing that article that DD posted says is that two of the enzymes used in the HFCS making process are genetically modified.
Again, I’m not saying that this is necessarily a bad thing, I don’t know. But most people probably don’t know that, and some people try to avoid genetically modified foods. Unfortunately, most corn has been tampered with as well.
Well, that’s certainly something to consider, if people want to avoid genetically modified foods. I personally don’t think consuming such foods is anything to be worried about from a health perspective (full disclosure – I’m a molecular biologist), but what I do find troubling is how genetically modified crops may affect the ecosystem, and, from a policy standpoint, how companies like Monsanto are basically forcing farmers to use their crops or go out of business. But those are entirely different issues…
Of course certain bacteria and fungi are beneficial, otherwise we wouldn’t have penicillin, among other things. HFCS is just such a weirdly unnatural product, with no nutritional value. I also try to limit the amount of refined white sugar I eat, and don’t use artificial sweeteners. I don’t see any value in chemically engineered food. Will anyone even know what “real food” tastes like anymore? This is just one item in a growing list of bizarre things we are being sold as “food”. I’ll stop before I get too far off-topic here.
Yeah, I think Monsanto’s “terminator seed” is a topic for whole ‘nother post.
HFCS “…in moderation…”
Problem is…
We AREN’T consuming it in moderation, it’s in EVERYTHING we eat! Go to the grocery store, check every aisle! It’s there! Every meal! Every snack! Every sip! (unless it’s water…)
[...] September 24, 2008 by McBloggenstein The idea to write this post spurred from a recent post I did on High Fructose Corn Syrup. [...]
okay this was actually pretty funny haha! It is true this natural BS is that total BS. Companies use that argument constantly to justify their arguments which means nothing since cow shit is also natural.