Friday, September 19, 2008

High Fructose Corn Syrup is GOOD for you!

See the commercial? It's good! Great, even. Of course, like anything else use it in moderation.





It says to get the facts. Yes, let's get the facts here, shall we?

  • A 2004 study showed that people who eat foods or drink beverages, especially soda, containing HFCS are more likely to be obese.
  • A 2007 study suggests that HFCS may cause liver damage.
  • Two studies from 2006 showed no adverse affects (or affects differing from other sweeteners) from HFCS. However, these studies were funded by The American Beverage Institute and the Corn Refiners Association.
  • Studies have linked HFCS with the rise in diabetes and insulin resistance.
  • HFCS may affect your appetite-- its consumption may cause people to feel more hungry than usual.
  • The corn industry claims HFCS is "all natural," but its manufacture involves a lot of chemistry to change the it from 100% glucose to different ratios of a fructose to glucose mixture (the ratio depends on how it will be used). One of the "natural" ingredients used to produce HFCS is a genetically modified enzyme. That, along with with amount of processing, means, at least in my mind, that HFCS isn't strictly a natural ingredient.
So, is it really an all-natural ingredient that is good for you? Are you really going to trust an association whose primary mission is to sell more corn products to be 100% honest in their marketing? Because, personally, if I had a product that did some good stuff but may also cause some harm in some people, I would totally downplay the negatives in order to sell my product. It's the American Way!

2 comments:

Les said...

Mmmmm, root beer.

Blonde African Americans said...

Well done, I like your little musings -Raphael