The Terrible Two: #2: HFCS

Okay, I know it's been a while since the last post, so in case you have forgotten, the Terrible Two #1 was trans fat, that is, any type of hydrogenated oil.

Now for #2: HFCS which is high fructose corn syrup.
Why is this bad, you ask?  If you've seen the commercials for this substance, they have reassured you that it is just another type of sweetener and that in moderation, this is perfectly fine.  However, those ads are sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) and they are quick to tell us that this substance is safe because it is one of the lifelines of their business.   Corn is a huge crop in America and many farms receive government subsidies to grow it!  The CRA website is sweetsurprise.com, if you are interested. 

However, I'm telling you that this substance is proving more and more to be very detrimental to our health.  A recent study found that pancreatic tumor cells were "fed" by fructose and the tumor cells used this sugar to grow and multiply.  Cancer Research August 1, 2010;70:6368.

According to Dr. Linda Ojeda PhD, author of Her Healthy Heart and Menopause Without Medicine, fructose can "profoundly affect the cardiovascular system."  She reports a 1993 USDA study finding that fructose increased LDL (bad) cholesterol.  Also fructose, like any excessive amount of sugar, is easily converted into triglycerides which increases risk for heart disease.  Her Healthy Heart, Hunter House Inc. Publishers, 1998.

In his book, Anticancer, A New Way of Life, Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, states about HFCS, "This concentrate is to sugar a little like what opium is to poppies.  Removed from its natual matrix (there is fructose in all fruits) and mixed with glucose, it can no longer be handled by the insulin our bodies produce, at least not without collateral damage.  It then becomes toxic." 

Because HFCS is such a concentrated form of sweetener, plus it is incorporated into MANY packaged foods, our bodies are overwhelmed with the sugar overload.  This, in turn, causes high insulin levels and the release of IGF (insulinlike growth factor).  This promotes fat storage, cell growth and inflammation.  Tumors develop from an abnormal cell that is fed and allowed to grow without inhibition.  We have a new generation of children who eat most foods from a box or the freezer and heated in the microwave.  Most of these are filled with sweeteners and products that are meant to increase the shelf life. Can we possibly conclude, then, that this is part of the cause for rising rates of cancer, especially in our children and young adult populations?  Research is ongoing, but very suggestive.

In his own research, Dr Joseph Mercola has found a link between a high fructose intake and high levels of uric acid.  This combination, he states, is related to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease. (mercola.com)  We know that high uric acid levels are associated with gout as well.

Please do your best to cut back sugars and foods that come from a package, and if at all possible, avoid hydorgenated oils and HFCS.