Honest, effective advice for six-pack abs, naturally and effectively

High-Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS, is harming your health. While sugar (sucrose) is not exactly your friend, its replacement, HFCS, is definitely your enemy.

HFCS is an intentionally manufactured sweetener that is artificially synthesized from corn. Syrup has been made from corn since the late 1800s, and the enzyme catalyzed isomerization of dextrose to fructose was first done commercially in 1967, according to the Corn Refiners Association. By the 1980s, HFCS had replaced sucrose in all major soft drinks. By 2000, it dominated the sweetener market, and is now in almost every processed food product that uses a sweetener.

The problem with HFCS is what it does to your body and the way it messes with your mind. The fructose in HFCS is a simple sugar that metabolizes (burns) very quickly. In contrast, glucose, a complex sugar used naturally by your body to transport energy, metabolizes slowly. This is one part of why eating HFCS actually increases appetite while sucrose tends to suppress it.

Numerous studies have shown that soft drinks sweetened with HFCS increase appetite and lead to overeating. It appears that HFCS interferes with the hunger hormone ghrelin and leaves us feeling hungrier. It makes us think we have not eaten enough, and so compels us to eat more. This is perfect for the fast food industry, and perfectly terrible for us. Just look at all the foods that contain HFCS now - foods we were always told were healthy for us.

Even more serious, over-consumption of HFCS and sucrose leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body produces insulin but does not use it properly to regulate blood sugar levels. As a result, the pancreas makes more insulin to try to compensate. When this condition goes on too long, the result is type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. Type 2 is now the most common form of diabetes in the US and it is appearing in children at ever-earlier ages.

It is ironic and sad that the forms of diabetes had to be renamed using arbitrary numbers because the descriptive names had become inaccurate. Juvenile diabetes, which was previously the only kind of diabetes seen in children, was renamed Type 1. Adult-onset diabetes, once only seen in overweight adults, has now been diagnosed in children as young as 4 years and is now known as Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a defect in the immune system that results in the death of insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with obesity. Losing weight is the single most effective way to prevent or halt the progression of Type 2 diabetes.

Things that help fight the insidious cravings for more food:

• Avoid soft drinks sweetened with HFCS
• Avoid processed foods containing HFCS
• Replace HFCS with sugar where possible
• Reduce consumption of sweets of all kinds
• A spicy diet high in Cayenne reduces insulin levels by increasing insulin sensitivity
• A teaspoon of cinnamon daily helps regulate blood sugar

HFCS Propaganda

One of the promoters of HFCS is the USDA. The agency relies on outdated and incorrect nutritional information provided by the food processing industry to justify its recommendations of HFCS. In the eyes of the USDA, high-fructose corn syrup is nutritionally equivalent to table sugar and has no known health issues. Consequently, the agency has been a cheerleader for the product for decades.

This overview of USDA Propaganda: corn sweetener trade with Mexico is typical of the propaganda issued by the agency. Note the wide range of foods that contain HFCS and how effectively it has replaced sugar as the sweetener of choice for industry.

Sources

• Science News
• Alternatives, a health newsletter by Dr David Williams
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
• Corn Refiners Association
• USDA