hostmelissa
08-12-2008, 06:37 PM
There has been a huge increase in the use of high fructose corn syrup during the last thirty years. High fructose corn syrup is in soft drinks, fruit juices and other beverages especially aimed at children.
Until the 1970s most of our sugar came from beets or sugar cane. Sugar from corn (corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and high fructose corn syrup) became popular because it is so cheap to produce.
Here's the danger. High fructose corn syrup is manipulated to contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose and even as high as 80 % fructose and 20 % glucose. Twice the fructose means that high fructose corn syrup is doubly as dangerous compared to sugar.
Here are some of the things you should be concerned about when it comes to high fructose corn syrup.
1. Pure fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and robs the body of its micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use
2. High fructose corn syrup is a leading cause of obesity. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin; which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.
3. High fructose corn syrup is linked to diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Eating refined sugars causes our bodies to produce excessive amounts of a hormone called insulin to manage the level of sugar in our blood. This leads in the short term to cycles in blood sugar, variable moods, snacking and over-eating, and it damages the immune system. Over time, excessive consumption of refined sugars leads to a collection of undesirable conditions, together known as metabolic syndrome, which include the build up of cholesterol and fats which clog our blood vessels, hormone imbalances and the inability to metabolize sugar; and these significantly increase our chances of suffering in later life from obesity, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various hormone-induced cancers.
Until the 1970s most of our sugar came from beets or sugar cane. Sugar from corn (corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and high fructose corn syrup) became popular because it is so cheap to produce.
Here's the danger. High fructose corn syrup is manipulated to contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose and even as high as 80 % fructose and 20 % glucose. Twice the fructose means that high fructose corn syrup is doubly as dangerous compared to sugar.
Here are some of the things you should be concerned about when it comes to high fructose corn syrup.
1. Pure fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and robs the body of its micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use
2. High fructose corn syrup is a leading cause of obesity. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin; which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.
3. High fructose corn syrup is linked to diabetes, heart disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Eating refined sugars causes our bodies to produce excessive amounts of a hormone called insulin to manage the level of sugar in our blood. This leads in the short term to cycles in blood sugar, variable moods, snacking and over-eating, and it damages the immune system. Over time, excessive consumption of refined sugars leads to a collection of undesirable conditions, together known as metabolic syndrome, which include the build up of cholesterol and fats which clog our blood vessels, hormone imbalances and the inability to metabolize sugar; and these significantly increase our chances of suffering in later life from obesity, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various hormone-induced cancers.