high fructose corn syrup and the health risks

By now we have all seen the commercials about HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and how it is not that bad for you in moderation. The problem is HFCS is in almost everything that we eat and in some of those products, soda for example, it is not used in moderation. Most Americans are eating way more then they should.

HFCS's chemical compound is very similar to sugar and just like sugar does nothing but ad empty calories to your diet. Both sugar and HFCS makes your blood sugar spike and then drop rapidly. We all know the myth that an hour after eating Chinese food you will be hungry again. Turns out this isn't a myth, the refined carbs of the white rice act on the blood sugar the same way HFCS and sugar do. Makes your blood sugar spike and drop rapidly making you hungry again sooner then you should be.

There are studies that show a coalition between HFCS and obesity and diabetes. It is no secret that obesity causes all kinds of problems for the body and is a major player in the increase of type II diabetes. Journal of the American Medical Association did a study that lasted from 1991 to 1999 and showed that women who drank more then 1 sugar sweetened beverage per week had greater magnitude of weight gain and were at a significantly greater risk of developing type II diabetes. How many people drink 1 or less sugar sweetened beverages per week? Most people are drinking at least one per day.

The majority of the sugar-sweetened beverages are sweetened with HFCS. Although they haven’t proved that HFCS directly leads to obesity and diabetes doesn’t mean that we can eat as much HFCS as we want.

Here is what has been shown in studies. Americans are obese and this obesity is leading to higher rates of type II diabetes. They also know that over consumption of sugar, including HFCS, refined grain products like white bread, white rice, white anything, are leading to this obesity epidemic.

My challenge to you is to look at the foods you eat the most and check out the ingredients. The higher on the list the more of that ingredient it has. So if HFCS is second on the list that means HFCS is by volume the second greatest ingredient in the product.

Another problem is that many products say “made with whole grains” on the front but if on the ingredient list it says anything other then “whole grain wheat” or rice or oats, then it is considered refined. If in doubt about the whole grain factor look at the amount of fiber in the product. It should have at least 1 gram of fiber per 90 calories and whole grain products will have at least that if not more.

HFCS may not be the only thing leading to health problems but it is one of the leading offenders.