High Fructose Corn Syrup, So What, I Will Tell You What!
Have you seen the Corn Refiners Association commercials on TV about the safety of high-fructose corn syrup?
The essential message is that high-fructose corn syrup is made from corn, has no artificial ingredients, has the same calories as sugar, and most of all, is okay if you eat it in moderation.
Without getting too geeky on you, HFCS is no more natural than bio diesel or urethane which all come from corn. I doubt you would like to eat the latter.
Although it comes from corn, it is manufactured by using enzymes (two natural, one synthetic). The process increases the fructose content of corn syrup to about 90%. Then it is then blended with a 100% glucose corn syrup to end up with the various mixes used in everything from baking to soft drinks.
By the way, table sugar (sucrose), a disaccharide, is comprised of a molecule of fructose and glucose that are bound together. It is a product of refinement and like HFCS, is not natural either. The difference is that it is not chemically altered as is HFCS.
What about the calorie count?
Although the same calorie count as table sugar, if you do the math, 3-6 servings a day can mean 500-1000 empty calories a day. That translates to 2 lbs of body weight a week, each and every week.
There is no RDA of daily sugar intake because we technically do not need it. The USDA recommends that sugar make up not more than 8% of our daily intake of calories. This is about 40 g of sugar a day or about 10 teaspoons.
How Much High Fructose Corn Syrup in Your Drink
Hmmm, so if we are to take high-fructose corn syrup in moderation, it would mean not taking it at all or eating nothing else with sugar in it.
A single serving of punch has 43 g of sugar in it. Way, way beyond moderation. Not only that, I bet you can’t drink just one, two or three. See, it does not register as satiation. Drink all you like but it does not help you feel full. So you can drink more and not feel it till the weight starts building up.
The AMA is a bit more conservative recommending no more than 32 grams of sugar daily. So, moderation means no soda, no punch and no high-fructose corn syrup. Or eat nothing else in the day that has sugar in it.
Other problems due to our bodies not being able to process high fructose corn syrup:
Unlike glucose, fructose does not result in the stimulation of the production of insulin, resulting in it being stored in the liver as triglycerides.
Increased diabetes because of the livers accumulation of triglycerides that contribute to reduced insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance.
HFCS does not help with the appetite control hormones like glucose does. It encourages obesity.
Best (or worse) of all, it seems that HFCS plays games with the body’s magnesium balance, thereby accelerating bone loss.
But, I am not a dietitian nor a Madison Avenue Advertising agency. I am just a lowly nurse, trying to make a few people aware of the ulterior motives of some and the ulterior health concerns that could make their lives better.
Good health to you.
Tags: HFCS, high frutcose corn syrp, how much htigh frutcose corn syrp in your drink, sugar intake