I wrote a post last month titled “5 Reasons to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup“.
There are actually more than 5 reasons, however I did not wish to overwhelm you at the time. I have written a couple of other posts on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and I wish to give you as much information as possible on this topic because of the fact that this additive is so prevalent in most processed foods (including fast food, of course) in today’s society. When you consider that 97% of Americans eat at fast food restaurants, and 35% eat there at least once a week (based on 2004 stats), there is a high amount of HFCS that is being consumed.
Update 2014: I wrote this article 7 years ago and today the stats show that 50 Million Americans eat fast food Every Day and 44% eat fast food Every Day. Fast food (as well as many of the processed foods on the grocery store shelf) are loaded with high fructose corn syrup HFCS, just check the Ingredients Label and you’ll see for yourself!
Following are 5 more reasons to consider avoiding those fast and processed foods that contain high fructose corn syrup:
- Pure fructose contains no nutritional benefits for the body. There are no vitamins, enzymes, or minerals contained in the additive HFCS, therefore it depletes the store of valuable micronutrients in the body in order to assimilate itself in the attempt to provide a physiological use to the body.
- Fructose can cause complications with the (dangerous) disease of diabetes, much more so that glucose (sugar) can.
- HFCS has been found to create elevated blood cholesterol levels, as well as blood clots. As you know, blood clots can be fatal if they travel into the brain or heart.
- It has been discovered that HFCS inhibits the white blood cells (the defense team of the body), so much so that they cannot do the vital job of defending the body against harmful foreign invaders. This could mean not only more sickness, but also leaving the body open to all sorts of disease.
- Fructose can lead to type-2 diabetes (an obesity related disease), since it “reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor”. This is the first step for glucose to enter a cell and be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to pump out more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose. According to the CDC, “diabetes has paralleled the obesity epidemic” and is expected to continue to rise exponentially. This prediction makes perfect sense when you consider the “normal” diet of the current “civilized”, albeit toxic environment.
If you would like to read the full article, this information can be found in “The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup” by Bill Sanda, BS, and MBA. Tomorrow I will provide you with an experiment in regards to high fructose corn syrup that you can try yourself.
