HFCS - corn syrup dangers include diabetis, obesity.

HFCS, which may go by the names of chicory, inulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, and fruit fructose, is probably contributing to the obesity and diabetis epidemic. The time line, since the 1970s until now, fits with the increased consuption of HFCS as relates to diabetis and obesity in America.

Basically, when we eat HFCS, carbonyls are produced in the body and those are "bad for us".



Some quotes I found about HFCS - High Fructose Corn Syrup:


"High-Fructose Corn Syrup - produces carbonyls in the body, which are both toxic and they cause diabetis"


"The high fructose content of sugar-sweetened beverages may promote hepatic lipogenesis, and the reduced insulinogenic response may decrease the inhibitory effects of these sugar-sweetened beverages on food intake. In addition, significant weight gain may occur when carbohydrates are consumed as liquids rather than as solids."



---------------------------link #1}
http://www.living-a-healthy-lifestyle.com/dangerous-food-ingredients.html


The American government spends billions of dollars per year subsidizing corn production from which HFCS is made.
Food manufacturers began using this dangerous food ingredient in the 1970s. Before then almost all of our Sugar came from Sugar beets or Sugar cane. But manufacturers found out that deriving sugar from corn, especially HFCS, is much cheaper.
A study published in the 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that the consumption of HFCS increased 1000% from 1970 to 1990!

[scientists] have discovered that HFCS not only make consumers fat, but it also increases their hunger tremendously.

How does it do that? HFCS does not cause the protein leptin to be released to signal the brain that your stomach is full. At the same time it doesn't suppress ghrelin, the substance that tells you that you are hungry. The result? You continue to eat. HFCS is the food and beverage manufacturers' dream come true!

A research team tested eleven different sodas containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and found that they each had high levels of carbonyls. Carbonyls are found in the blood of diabetics. They are thought to cause tissue damage, and play a part in complications associated with diabetes.

Test results also show that one can of soda has 5 times as many carbonyls as diabetics have!

High fructose corn syrup is hidden by food and beverage manufacturers under many names.
Some of these names are: chicory, inulin, iso glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, and fruit fructose.

----------------Link #2}
http://www.blackherbals.com/dangers_of_high_fructose_corn_syrup_HFCS.htm


Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup - HFCS

In a recent chemical analysis of eleven carbonated soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), researchers from Rutgers University found very high levels of reactive carbonyls.

Reactive carbonyls, which have been linked to tissue damage and complications of diabetes, are elevated in the blood of people with diabetes. A single can of soda, however, has five times that concentration of reactive carbonyls. Old-fashioned table sugar, on the other hand, has no reactive carbonyls.

When people from Iceland visit the United States, the first thing they notice is the number of fat people they see. The average weight of American women (164 pounds) and men (191 pounds) has increased 25 pounds since 1960. We are the fattest people on earth, thanks to Coke, Pepsi and ADM - Archer Daniels Midland - the largest producer of HFCS.

Due to federal agribusiness subsidies, every dollar of profits earned by ADM's corn sweetener operation costs consumers $10. Of the $113.6 billion in taxpayer commodity subsidy payments distributed by the USDA between 1995 and 2004, corn drew $41.8 billion -- more than cotton, soy, and rice combined. What's wrong with this picture? Maybe it's the Iowa presidential primary. Where do the presidential candidates and your congress people stand on corn subsidies? Who sucks up to ADM?

The occurrence of new cases of type 2 diabetes has doubled over the past three decades, according to a report in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation - June 2006. The percentage of overweight children in the United States has tripled since 1980. The epidemic of type 2 diabetes cases across the nation is likely to lead to a substantially higher incidence of strokes among middle-aged adults and newly diagnosed diabetics.

"Most, but not all, of the increase in diabetes occurred in people who were obese - those with a body mass index of 30 or more," according to the National Lung, Heart, and Blood Institute in Framingham, Massachusetts.

A person with diabetes has a 50 percent chance of having a heart attack compared with a risk of 5 percent for people without diabetes or who don’t know if they have a vascular disease. In fact, diabetes puts you at the same risk for a heart attack as a non-diabetic who has had a heart attack and whose risk of another is substantially higher.


It is getting difficult to find a food product at the grocery store or McDonalds that is not loaded with HFCS. One 20-ounce bottle of Coke, Pepsi, Mt Dew, Sprite or Dr. Pepper is the equivalent of pouring 17 teaspoons of sugar straight into your body. HFCS is the leading ingredient after carbonated water in these beverages. Women who drink at least one regular soda a day are 85 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drink less. It also leads to tooth decay.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is found in fruit drinks like Capri Sun, Sunny Delight, Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and in most energy drinks. It is also found in chocolate drinks like Yoohoo, Arizona Tea, SoBe Beverages, cookies, ice cream, Campbell soup, Heinz Ketchup, Ragu, Aunt Jemima Syrup, Hershey's Syrup, Breyers Yogurt, Kraft Barbecue Sauce, Smucker's Preserves and some breakfast cereals.

High fructose corn syrup masquerades under the name of crystalline fructose in Glaceau Vitamin Water and some energy drinks. Naive teenagers guzzle this "poison" because they think it is good for them. Then they go on a diet and wonder why they are still gaining weight.

Have you seen the new commercials on TV for Capri Sun? The ad suggests that Capri Sun is now healthy for you because they have added antioxidants. As long as they continue to sweeten Capri Sun with HFCS, they are lying to you.

People who use HFCS as a sweetener increase their triglycerides 32 percent relative to people who use mostly sugar, according to University of Minnesota professor John Bantle. The body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than sugar. It blunts the body's ability to recognize when it is full and increases a person's appetite.

High Fructose Corn Syrup puts people at risk for metabolic syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions - increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels - contributes to your risk of serious disease. In combination, your risk is even greater."


URIC ACID:
There is a a rise in uric acid in the bloodstream that occurs after fructose is consumed. The temporary spike of HFCS blocks the action of insulin, which typically regulates how body cells use and store sugar and other food nutrients for energy. If uric acid levels are frequently elevated, over time features of metabolic syndrome may develop, including high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood cholesterol levels.


BETA-CELL DECLINE:
Overweight Hispanic-American children who consume lots of sugary foods and drinks show signs of pancreatic beta cell decline - a forerunner of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Southern California came to that conclusion after studying 63 overweight Hispanic children, ages 9 to 13, all without diabetes. The team tracked the children's eating habits and also took blood samples before and after giving them sweets.

Beta cells in the pancreas create insulin in response to sugar obtained from food. When beta cells start to function less effectively, they produce less insulin, leading ultimately to diabetes.



DEMENTIA:
The leading theory about the cause of Alzheimer's Disease implicates insulin. Insulin concentrations in the brain drop significantly in early Alzheimer's and continue to fall as the disease worsens, suggesting that Alzheimer's Disease may be Type 3 diabetes. Researchers found that insulin is not just produced in the pancreas, but also in the brain.

If you wish to prevent diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, the prudent thing to do is to read the label of food items and beverages before you buy them at the store. If you see High Fructose Corn Syrup or crystalline fructose - Don't Buy It!

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