Seattle-area food cooperative PCC Natural Markets has removed all products containing high-fructose corn syrup from its shelves, and has announced that it will no longer carry any product sweetened with the controversial ingredient.

“I’m completely happy about that,” said PCC shopper Karen Hunt. “I try hard not to add that to my family’s diet; I just don’t think we need to do that. I’m sure there’s a lot of arguments on both sides, but I just sort of feel intuitively that it’s better not to.”

High-fructose corn syrup has drawn criticism both as a sweetener in general and also due to its specific biochemical properties. Studies have indicated that high-fructose corn syrup may be worse for the body than similar sweeteners, and that it may interfere with the brain’s ability to tell when it is full. Environmentalists have also criticized the techniques used to produce the sweetener.

Because it is so cheap to produce, critics also say that high-fructose corn syrup has encouraged food manufacturers to add empty calories to staples such as breads and cereals, simply to add a bit of sweetness and make the food taste more appealing.

Among the products no longer carried at PCC are Wheat Thins, Kellogg’s Raising Bran and Sara Lee whole-grain bagels.

PCC is the first major retailer to ban high-fructose corn syrup since Earth Fare, a 13-store natural foods market in North Carolina, did so in 2004.

“You look at how pervasive [high-fructose corn syrup] is, then you start asking yourself, ‘How is this stuff produced, anyway?’” said Troy DeGroff, Earth Fare’s sales and marketing director. “It’s not in keeping with natural processes or the tenets of a healthy store. It’s our obligation to remove this. We need more retailers who are willing to take a stand”

PCC has also banned trans fats and milk produced from cows treated with growth hormones, and does not provide plastic bags for shoppers.

(source)

High Fructose Corn Syrup mentioned in Healthy & Fit magazine’s “10 Steps to Improve Your Nutrition Today” article:

- Learn How To Read Labels

With so much mis-information about so called “diet” or “low-fat, low–carb” foods comes a lot of junk food. Just because it says that the food is low in something, or is in the “diet” category doesn’t mean that it is good for you. Most of the time those so called health foods are the worst for you. They added in a bunch of unwanted crap such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and sugar alcohols to save calories, carbohydrates, and fat. Make sure you can pronounce just about everything on the ingredient list, and more importantly look for foods with the smallest ingredient list.

An excerpt taken from a recent interview with Mike Adams, founder of the Consumer Wellness Center and online retailer – Better Life Goods.

There are basically three types of shoppers who go to the grocery store and it is characteristic of how they shop. One type are the people who buy anything without reading the label. So they’re just buying what they think is going to taste good and usually whatever’s been advertised and marketed to them or their children.

The second type is someone who reads the front of the boxes. So they’re looking at the health claims that have been made by the manufacturers of those food products, or that have been approved by the FDA. The type of people who read the back of the boxes, they read the ingredients. They are actually looking at what’s in the food and not what claims are being made on the front.

Then there’s one additional type that’s outside of this whole system and that’s the type that doesn’t buy anything in a box. It’s all fresh produce. So here’s the deal. If you’re a type one person, I guarantee you that you’re going to be diagnosed with cancer someday. You’re going to have diabetes. You’re going to have heart disease. You’re going to have depression and mood disorders. Marriage problems probably will result from that. Life is not going to be very good if you’re a type one shopper. Even if you’re a type two shopper it’s not going to be very good either, but you’re going to be confused. You’re going to think, “Oh. I’m buying healthy foods. Look, this says made with whole grains.” But you didn’t read the back. You didn’t realize it was also made with high fructose corn syrup and refined white flour and it’s only 5% whole grains. Do you see what I mean?

So that’s going to produce some really negative health effects. If you’re a type 3 shopper, then you’re starting to get into health. You’re reading the ingredients. So that’s my number one tip is to start reading the ingredients of products before you buy them and then finally, some day you can get into being a type four shopper, where you’re just buying non-processed foods, fresh produce by the way.

Good to see local news stations reporting the dangers of HFCS!
Let’s hope this trend continues.

—

06/16/2008

Why has the obesity rate skyrocketed in America? Nobody knows for sure, although new theories constantly emerge.

Recently, some experts have pointed the finger of blame at high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener that has replaced sugar in many foods and beverages. According to this argument, high-fructose corn syrup reacts with the body’s metabolism in a unique way that causes weight gain.

So, what is high-fructose corn syrup, the newest villain in the battle of the bulge?

What Is It?

High-fructose corn syrup is a concentrated liquid made from corn starch, with added amounts of two substances: fructose (the sugar found naturally in fruit) and glucose. These substances help make high-fructose corn syrup about 75 percent sweeter than regular table sugar.

Today, the average American consumes 2.5 times as much added sugar as recommended by federal dietary guidelines. Nearly half of those sugars come from high-fructose corn syrup, according to the American Dietetic Association. This sweetener is used because it has several advantages over sugar, including being sweeter, less expensive, and more easily mixed into foods and beverages.

Soft drinks and fruit drinks such as lemonade are a major source of high-fructose corn syrup. The sweetener is also found in cookies, gums, jams and jellies, and baked goods. Even healthful foods, such as low-fat yogurt may have significant amounts of high-fructose corn syrup.

High-fructose corn syrup prevents freezer burn and is often found in frozen foods. It is also used to keep breads brown and soft.

High-Fructose Theories

In recent years, some experts have sounded the alarm that high-fructose corn syrup may be responsible for rising obesity rates. Food manufacturers began using high-fructose corn syrup in large quantities in the early 1980s – just about the time that obesity rates began to climb.

Some experts believe this is no coincidence. They argue that consumption of fructose changes hormonal patterns inside the body. As a result, appetite levels increase. The body also becomes predisposed to storing greater amounts of fat, according to this theory.

However, it remains unclear whether high-fructose corn syrup does more damage to your waistline than other sweeteners. To date, studies are mixed about whether or not high-fructose corn syrup increases fat in the body more than other sweeteners.

In fact, many experts believe that high-fructose corn syrup may be responsible for higher obesity rates only because Americans consume much greater amounts of calories than in the past. According to this theory, there is no unique effect of high-fructose corn syrup on the body.

Until further research settles the question, most experts simply advise people to avoid consuming excess amounts of high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. Decreasing your intake of soft drinks – which has grown five-fold in the past 50 years in America – is a good start.

You can keep your calorie intake down by eating and drinking fewer products loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. But remember, nothing helps you maintain a healthy weight as effectively as eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly.

HFCS is not ‘natural’, says FDA

By Lorraine Heller

Products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered ‘natural’ and should not be labeled as such, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

The decision is likely to cause a massive stir in the food and beverage industry, where a discreet battle has been raging over the status of the controversial sweetener.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn, and used primarily to sweeten beverages. The trade group Corn Refiners Association and numerous industry members have long maintained that HFCS is a natural sweetener.

However, the sugar industry is more critical, as HFCS comes into direct competition with sugar as a sweetener. Industry group Sugar Association, as well as consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest categorically maintain that HFCS cannot be considered natural because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in the manufacturing process.

The debate raged on for one simple reason: FDA does not define the term ‘natural’, and it has therefore been left open to different interpretations.

However, in response to an inquiry from FoodNavigator-USA.com, the regulatory agency examined the composition of HFCS, which it said is produced using synthetic fixing agents.

“Consequently, we would object to the use of the term ‘natural’ on a product containing HFCS,” the agency’s Geraldine June said in an e-mail to FoodNavigator-USA.com. June is Supervisor of the Product Evaluation and Labeling team at FDA’s Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements.

FDA on ‘natural’

FDA has received two petitions to define the term ‘natural’ – one from the Sugar Association, and one from bakery firm Sara Lee.

Although the agency had not provided a formal response to these petitions, it told this publication that it has no plans to define the term in the near future, due to limited resources. “We’re not sure how high of an issue it is for consumers,” it said.

Nevertheless, FDA does have a longstanding policy regarding the use of the term. This states that a ‘natural’ product is one that has not had any artificial or synthetic substances added to the product that would not normally be expected to be in the food – including artificial flavors or color additives, regardless of source.

FDA also does not currently restrict the use of the term ‘natural’ except on products that contain added color, synthetic substances and flavors as provided for in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 101.22.

FDA on HFCS

Although FDA provides no definition or detailed guidelines for the use of the term ‘natural’, it said it has a system in place for manufacturers with doubts to approach it and ask for guidance on the use of particular ingredients.

Under this system, FoodNavigator-USA.com submitted an inquiry about HFCS.

FDA responded that HFCS is prepared from a high dextrose equivalent corn starch hydrolysate by partial enzymatic conversion of glucose (dextrose) to fructose using an insoluble glucose isomerase enzyme preparation.

The glucose isomerase enzyme preparation is fixed (rendered insoluble) using safe and suitable immobilization/fixing agents, it said.

“The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural’,” said Geraldine June.

“Moreover, the corn starch hydrolysate, which is the substrate used in the production of HFCS, may be obtained through the use of safe and suitable acids or enzymes. Depending on the type of acid(s) used to obtain the corn starch hydrolysate, this substrate itself may not fit within the description of ‘natural’ and, therefore, HCFS produced from such corn starch hydrolysate would not qualify for a ‘natural’ labeling term,” she concluded.

HFCS and industry

Although FDA’s conclusion may not be welcome by some industry members, who would have liked to have promoted their HFCS-containing products as ‘natural’, it will at least prevent any future misinterpretations.

Last year for example, both Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft faced lawsuits after making ‘natural’ label claims on beverages that contained high fructose corn syrup. Both companies changed the labeling of their products before any legal action was taken.

The market for ‘natural’

The quest for natural foods and beverages has burgeoned on the back of an overall consumer move towards healthier nutrition.

According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, ‘All Natural’ was the third most frequent claim made on food products launched in the US in 2007, appearing on 2,617 products. It ranked fourth most popular claim for beverages, used on 542 items.

In Europe, 878 ‘All Natural’ food products and 509 beverage products were launched last year.

Additionally, the Natural Marketing Institute reported in 2004 that 63 percent of US consumers have a preference for natural foods and beverages. In 2006, a Harris Interactive survey found that 83 percent of people wanted a government definition of the term.
Update: June 17, 2007

WASHINGTON , DC - The Corn Refiners Association today applauded a federal ruling that rejected a claim that products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) cannot be labeled natural. The decision, issued on June 13, 2008 by U.S. District Court Judge Mary Cooper, holds that FDA regulation of beverage labeling preempts additional labeling requirements under state law.

]]> http://cornsyrupkills.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/fda-says-corn-syrup-not-natural/feed/ 0 cornsyrupkills http://cornsyrupkills.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/americas-unhealthiest-drinks-exposed-vitamin-water-bad/ http://cornsyrupkills.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/americas-unhealthiest-drinks-exposed-vitamin-water-bad/#comments Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:09:55 +0000 cornsyrupkills http://cornsyrupkills.wordpress.com/?p=31 Continue reading →]]> Most of you have likely heard about this article already, but it is still worth posting.

Full list here.

The 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America

Americans have a drinking problem, and not the type you might think. As the authors of the best-selling book Eat This, Not That!, David Zinczenko and co-author Matt Goulding get e-mails all the time from readers who claim they eat carefully, they work out consistently, but they still can’t get the needle on the scale to budge. “What gives?” goes the collective, exasperated refrain from the stagnant dieter.

What most people don’t know is that the biggest roadblock between you and the body you want isn’t found at the end of a fork, but at the bottom of a glass. As a country we take in 21 percent of our daily calories from beverages and, according to the FDA, the average American takes in 82 grams of added sugars every day (most of it in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup). That’s 20 teaspoons, which contribute an empty 317 calories to our already calorie-saturated diets.

Sure, some of that comes from soda, but even if you’ve traded regular Coke for diet, whole milk coffee drinks for low-fat lattes, and you barely touch the booze, you could still be taking in 20 percent or more of your calories from beverages. Add in a few of those other indulgences-or consume one of the liquid disasters listed here—and you can suddenly be sucking in a few days’ worth of calories through a straw! (You read that last sentence right.)

To give you a better idea of the drinks most responsible for sabotaging your health, fitness, and weight-loss goals, we created a list of America’s Unhealthiest Drinks. Read up on them using the index at left, then sip responsibly.

______

9. Worst “Healthy” Drink

Glaceau VitaminWater (20 oz bottle)

130 calories
33 g sugar (actually High Fructose Corn Syrup… disguised as “Crystalline Fructose“)

Vitamins and water might sound like the ultimate nutritional tag team, but what the label doesn’t say is that a bottle of this stuff carries nearly as much sugar (even worse, high fructose corn syrup) and calories as a can of Coke. Makes sense, though, since this so-called functional beverage is produced by our often-sugar-crazy friends at The Coca-Cola Company.

ScienceDaily — Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

HFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found ‘astonishingly high’ levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages. These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are “bound” and chemically stable, the researcher notes.

Reactive carbonyls also are elevated in the blood of individuals with diabetes and linked to the complications of that disease. Based on the study data, Ho estimates that a single can of soda contains about five times the concentration of reactive carbonyls than the concentration found in the blood of an adult person with diabetes.

Ho and his associates also found that adding tea components to drinks containing HFCS may help lower the levels of reactive carbonyls. The scientists found that adding epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound in tea, significantly reduced the levels of reactive carbonyl species in a dose-dependent manner when added to the carbonated soft drinks studied. In some cases, the levels of reactive carbonyls were reduced by half, the researchers say.

“People consume too much high-fructose corn syrup in this country,” says Ho. “It’s in way too many food and drink products and there’s growing evidence that it’s bad for you.” The tea-derived supplement provides a promising way to counter its potentially toxic effects, especially in children who consume a lot of carbonated beverages, he says.

But eliminating or reducing consumption of HFCS is preferable, the researchers note. They are currently exploring the chemical mechanisms by which tea appears to neutralize the reactivity of the syrup.Ho’s group is also probing the mechanisms by which carbonation increases the amount of reactive carbonyls formed in sodas containing HFCS. They note that non-carbonated fruit juices containing HFCS have one-third the amount of reactive carbonyl species found in carbonated sodas with HFCS, while non-carbonated tea beverages containing high-fructose corn syrup, which already contain EGCG, have only about one-sixth the levels of carbonyls found in regular soda.

In the future, food and drink manufacturers could reduce concerns about HFCS by adding more EGCG, using less HFCS, or replacing the syrup with alternatives such as regular table sugar, Ho and his associates say. Funding for this study was provided by the Center for Advanced Food Technology of Rutgers University. Other researchers involved in the study include Chih-Yu Lo, Ph.D.; Shiming Li, Ph.D.; Di Tan, Ph.D.; and Yu Wang, a doctoral student.

This research was reported August 23 at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, during the symposium, “Food Bioactives and Nutraceuticals: Production, Chemistry, Analysis and Health Effects: Health Effects.”

For many years, Dr. Meira Fields and her coworkers at the US Department of Agriculture investigated the harmful effects of dietary sugar on rats. They discovered that when male rats are fed a diet deficient in copper, with sucrose as the carbohydrate, they develop severe pathologies of vital organs. Liver, heart and testes exhibit extreme swelling, while the pancreas atrophies, invariably leading to death of the rats before maturity.

Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose. Dr. Fields repeated her experiments to determine whether it was the glucose or fructose moiety that caused the harmful effects. Starch breaks down into glucose when digested. On a copper-deficient diet, the male rats showed some signs of copper deficiency, but not the gross abnormalities of vital organs that occur in rats on the sucrose diet. When the rats were fed fructose, the fatal organ abnormalities occured.

Lysl oxidase is a copper-dependent enzyme that participates in the formation of collagen and elastin. Fructose seems to interfere with copper metabolism to such an extent that collagen and elastin cannot form in growing animals–hence the hypertrophy of the heart and liver in young males. The females did not develop these abnormalities, but they resorbed their litters.¹

These experiements should give us pause when we consider the great increase in the use of high fructose corn syrup during the past 30 years, particularly in soft drinks, fruit juices and other beverages aimed at growing children, children increasingly likely to be copper deficient as modern parents no longer serve liver to their families. (Liver is by far the best source of copper in human diets.)

“The bodies of the children I see today are mush,” observed a concerned chiropractor recently. The culprit is the modern diet, high in fructose and low in copper-containing foods, resulting in inadequate formation of elastin and collagen–the sinews that hold the body together.

BINGEING ON FRUCTOSE

Until the 1970s most of the sugar we ate came from sucrose derived from sugar beets or sugar cane. Then sugar from corn–corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)–began to gain popularity as a sweetener because it was much less expensive to produce. High fructose corn syrup can be manipulated to contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose, or up to 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose.² Thus, with almost twice the fructose, HFCS delivers a double danger compared to sugar.

(With regards to fruit, the ratio is usually 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, but most commercial fruit juices have HFCS added. Fruit contains fiber which slows down the metabolism of fructose and other sugars, but the fructose in HFCS is absorbed very quickly.)

In 1980 the average person ate 39 pounds of fructose and 84 pounds of sucrose. In 1994 the average person ate 66 pounds of sucrose and 83 pounds of fructose, providing 19 percent of total caloric energy.³ Today approximately 25 percent of our average caloric intake comes from sugars, with the larger fraction as fructose.⁴

High fructose corn syrup is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. It is cheap to produce, sweet and easy to store. It’s used in everything from bread to pasta sauces to bacon to beer as well as in “health products” like protein bars and “natural” sodas.

FRUCTOSE FOR DIABETICS?

In the past, fructose was considered beneficial to diabetics because it is absorbed only 40 percent as quickly as glucose and causes only a modest rise in blood sugar.⁵ However, research on other hormonal factors suggests that fructose actually promotes disease more readily than glucose. Glucose is metabolized in every cell in the body but all fructose must be metabolized in the liver.⁶ The livers of test animals fed large amounts of fructose develop fatty deposits and cirrhosis, similar to problems that develop in the livers of alcoholics.

Pure fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals and robs the body of its micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use.⁷ While naturally occurring sugars, as well as sucrose, contain fructose bound to other sugars, high fructose corn syrup contains a good deal of “free” or unbound fructose. Research indicates that this free fructose interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper and chromium. Among other consequences, HFCS has been implicated in elevated blood cholesterol levels and the creation of blood clots. It has been found to inhibit the action of white blood cells so that they are unable to defend the body against harmful foreign invaders.⁸

Studies on the Maillard reaction indicate that fructose may contribute to diabetic complications more readily than glucose. The Maillard reaction is a browning reaction that occurs when compounds are exposed to various sugars. Fructose browns food seven times faster than glucose, resulting in a decrease in protein quality and a toxicity of protein in the body.⁹ This is due to the loss of amino acid residues and decreased protein digestibility. Maillard products can inhibit the uptake and metabolism of free amino acids and other nutrients such as zinc, and some advanced Maillard products have mutagenic and/or carcinogenic properties. The Maillard reactions between proteins and fructose, glucose, and other sugars may play a role in aging and in some clinical complications of diabetes.¹⁰

Fructose reduces the affinity of insulin for its receptor, which is the hallmark of type-2 diabetes. This is the first step for glucose to enter a cell and be metabolized. As a result, the body needs to pump out more insulin to handle the same amount of glucose.²¹

OTHER EFFECTS

Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, has compiled a list of the harmful effects of fructose in her books Lick the Sugar Habit, Healthy Bones, Heal Yourself With Natural Foods, The Curse Of Louis Pasteur and Lick the Sugar Habit Sugar Counter. She points out that consumption of fructose causes a significant increase in the concentration of uric acid; after ingestion of glucose, no significant change occurs. An increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart disease.¹² Furthermore, fructose ingestion in humans results in increases in blood lactic acid, especially in patients with preexisting acidotic conditions such as diabetes, postoperative stress or uremia. Extreme elevations cause metabolic acidosis and can result in death.¹³

Fructose is absorbed primarily in the jejunum before metabolism in the liver. Fructose is converted to fatty acids by the liver at a greater rate than is glucose.¹⁴ When consumed in excess of dietary glucose, the liver cannot convert all of the excess fructose in the system and it may be malabsorbed. The portion that escapes conversion may be thrown out in the urine. Diarrhea can be a consequence.¹⁹ A study of 25 patients with functional bowel disease showed that pronounced gastrointestinal distress may be provoked by malabsorption of small amounts of fructose.²⁶

Fructose interacts with oral contraceptives and elevates insulin levels in women on “the pill.”¹⁷

In studies with rats, fructose consistently produces higher kidney calcium concentrations than glucose. Fructose generally induces greater urinary concentrations of phosphorus and magnesium and lowered urinary pH compared with glucose.¹⁸

In humans, fructose feeding leads to mineral losses, especially higher fecal excretions of iron and magnesium, than did subjects fed sucrose. Iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc balances tended to be more negative during the fructose-feeding period as compared to balances during the sucrose-feeding period.¹⁹

There is significant evidence that high sucrose diets may alter intracellular metabolism, which in turn facilitates accelerated aging through oxidative damage. Scientists found that the rats given fructose had more undesirable cross-linking changes in the collagen of their skin than in the other groups. These changes are also thought to be markers for aging. The scientists say that it is the fructose molecule in the sucrose, not the glucose, that plays the larger part.²⁰

Because it is metabolized by the liver, fructose does not cause the pancreas to release insulin the way it normally does. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. This may be one of the reasons Americans continue to get fatter. Fructose raises serum triglycerides significantly. As a left-handed sugar, fructose digestion is very low. For complete internal conversion of fructose into glucose and acetates, it must rob ATP energy stores from the liver.²¹

Not only does fructose have more damaging effects in the presence of copper deficiency, fructose also inhibits copper metabolism–another example of the sweeteners double-whammy effect. A deficiency in copper leads to bone fragility, anemia, defects of the connective tissue, arteries, and bone, infertility, heart arrhythmias, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks, and an inability to control blood sugar levels.²²

Although these studies were not designed to test the effects of fructose on weight gain, the observation of increased body weight associated with fructose ingestion is of interest. One explanation for this observation could be that fructose ingestion did not increase the production of two hormones, insulin and leptin, that have key roles in the long-term regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.²³

HYPERSENSIVITY

The magnitude of the deleterious effects of fructose varies depending on such factors as age, sex, baseline glucose, insulin, triglyceride concentrations, the presence of insulin resistance, and the amount of dietary fructose consumed.²⁴ Some people are more sensitive to fructose. They include hypertensive, hyperinsulinemic, hypertriglyceridemic, non-insulin dependent diabetic people, people with functional bowel disease and postmenopausal women.²⁵

Everyone should avoid over-exposure to fructose, but especially those listed above. One or two pieces of fruit per day is fine, but commercial fruit juices and any products containing high fructose corn syrup are more dangerous than sugar and should be removed from the diet.

REFERENCES
1. Fields, M, Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1984, 175:530-537.
2. Appleton, Nancy, PhD, Fructose is No Answer For a Sweetener, http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/5/fructose.htm.
3. Beatrice Trum Hunter, Confusing Consumers About Sugar Intake, Consumer’s Research 78, no 1 (January 1995): 14-17.
4. Fallon, Sally and Mary Enig, Nourishing Traditions, New Trends Publishing, Washington DC, 2001, p. 23.
5. Hallfrisch, Judith, Metabolic Effects of Dietary Fructose, FASEB Journal 4 (June 1990): 2652-2660.
6. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2002 Vol. 76, No. 5, 911-922.
7. Appleton, Nancy Ph.D., Fructose is No Answer For a Sweetener, http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/5/fructose.htm.
8. http://www.mcvitamins.com/cornsyrup.htm.
9. H. F. Bunn and P. J. Higgins, Reaction of Nonosaccharides with Proteins; Possible Evolutionary Significance, Science 213 (1981):2222-2244.
10. William L Dills Jr., Protein Fructosylation: Fructose and the Maillard Reaction, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58 (suppl) (1993): 779S-787S.
11. Hunter.
12. J. MacDonald, Anne Keyser, and Deborah Pacy, Some Effects, in Man, of Varying the Load of Glucose, Sucrose, Fructose, or Sorbitol on Various Metabolites in Blood, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 31 (August 1978)): 1305-1311.
13. Hallfrisch, Judith, Metabolic Effects of Dietary Fructose, FASEB Journal 4 (June 1990): 2652-2660.
14. D. Zakim and R. H. Herman, Fructose Metabolism II, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 21: 315-319, 1968.
15. A. E. Bender and K. B. Damji, Some Effects of Dietary Sucrose, World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 15 (1972): 104-155.
16. J. J. Rumessen and E. Gudmand-Hoyer, Functional Bowel Disease: Malabsorption and Abdominal Distress After Ingestion of Fructose, Sorbitol, and Fructose-Sorbitol Mixtures, Gastroenterology 95, no. 3 (September 1988): 694-700.
17. Hunter,Beatrice Trum,Confusing Consumers About Sugar Intake, Consumers’ Research 78, no 1 (January 1995): 14-17.
18. A. E. Bergstra, A. G. Lemmens, and A. C. Beynens, Dietary Fructose vs. Glucose Stimulates Nephrocalcinogenesis in Female Rats, Journal of Nutrition 123, no. 7 (July 1993): 1320-1327.
19. R. Ivaturi and C. Kies, Mineral Balances in Humans as Affected by Fructose, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sucrose, Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 42, no. 2 (1992): 143-151.
20. Roger B. Mc Donald, Influence of Dietary Sucrose on Biological Aging, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 62 (suppl), (1995): 284s-293s.
21. H. Hallfrisch, et al.,The Effects of Fructose on Blood Lipid Levels, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 37: 5, 1983, 740-748.
22. Klevay, Leslie, Acting Director of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, N.D.
23. Observation by Nancy Appleton, PhD.
24. Hollenbeck, Claire B., Dietary Fructose Effects on Lipoprotein Metabolism and Risk for Coronary Artery Disease, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 58 (suppl), (1993): 800S-807S.
25. Appleton, Nancy Ph.D., Fructose is No Answer For a Sweetener, http://www.mercola.com/2002/jan/5/fructose.htm.

SOFT DRINKS IN THE SCHOOLS

High fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener used in soft drinks, now readily available to children in school vending machines. The soft drink industry increased US production from 22 to 41 gallons of soft drinks per person a year between 1970 and 1997.

Teenagers and children, the industry’s main tragets, are among the largest consumers. In the past 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States. Teenage boys now drink, on average, three or more cans of soda per day, and 10 percent drink seven or more cans a day. The average for teenage girls is more than two cans a day, and 10 percent drink more than five cans a day. A typical 20-ounce Coke contains zero fat, zero protein and 67 grams of carbohydrates, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

There are an estimated 20,000 vending machines in schools nationwide, according to the National Automatic Merchandising Association. The USDA collected data on vending machines in schools and reported that 88 percent of high schools, 61 percent of middle schools and 14 percent of elementary schools have food or beverage vending machines for student use. Thirty-four percent of high schools and 15 percent of middle schools permit students to use school vending machines at any time, and 6 percent of elementary schools allow students to use vending machines during lunch.

About the Author

Bill Sanda, BS, MBA, served as Executive Director and Director of Public Affairs for the Weston A. Price Foundation. Bill was a partner and co-owner of The McAdam Group, a lobbying company specializing in elements of education policy, and was a consultant to Primezyme, Inc., a nutrition and healing clinic. He has extensive experience in Washington D.C. politics and government, having served as a professional staff member in the US Senate.

Some hopeful new stats and local ideas, but a long way to go

June 9, 2008

The public will pay — in the tax bill for Medicaid (because the incidence of obesity is highest among the poor) and for government workers’ health insurance and in their own insurance premiums. They’ll pay in the loss to the economy of a great deal of productivity.

Childhood obesity gets a lot of talk. But until that talk is followed up with real action, to help overweight kids trim down and prevent others from starting down that path, we won’t make a dent in the problem. That action has to take place on a number of fronts:

• Schools need to stop offering high-fat, high-calorie menu choices. They still are. Some rationalize that they’re just letting students make their own choices. We don’t let them decide whether they’d rather learn long division or play with fire, and we shouldn’t invite them to make bad nutritional choices — especially in a place that’s supposed to be good for them.

• Schools need to make sure every student gets a workout every day, with the kind of physical education that’s fun, active and the groundwork for a lifetime of fitness. Jones Middle School in Hampton is showing the way, with a program that replaces the old calisthenics-and-kickballs routine with a revved-up cardio workout, with lots of kid appeal. And every elementary class should have recess every day — with real, muscle-moving play.

• We need a major educational campaign — big, effective, carried out on many fronts — to convince parents to turn off the television, unplug the computer, hide the video game and get the kids moving.

• And a mirror campaign to urge them to stop giving their children fast-food gunk and sodas laced with high-fructose corn syrup and opt for a healthier diet. And nutrition programs aimed at kids, like the one organized by the nurse at Bethel Elementary School in Gloucester, may help, too.

• And maybe we should consider not allowing food stamps to be used to buy any of the worst kinds of “food.” Why should taxpayers have to pay for unhealthy choices?

• Localities need to find ways to help children get active — especially poor children, who are more likely to be overweight and less likely to have access to healthy physical activities. Neighborhood playgrounds — inviting, supervised, convenient — are a low-cost solution.

One of the researchers refers to childhood obesity as a “massive tsunami” headed toward the United States. The fact that it’s slowing down a little doesn’t mean that the danger is any less real.

This site will be covering all there is to know about the dangers associated with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), how the general public is mostly unaware of its long term health effects and how you likely have no idea just how much high fructose corn syrup you are pummeling your body with each day!

We’ll discuss reasons why the U.S. is the only country where big-named cola companies use high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to sweeten their drinks instead of cane sugar, how this change to HFCS in the early 80′s relates to the extreme rise of obesity in this country, why high fructose corn syrup is BANNED in Europe, what high fructose does to your body once it’s ingested and how you will feel 110% better if you cut HFCS out of your diet completely. (this includes your children!)

In the meantime, stay away from foods and drinks with HFCS!
This includes obvious garbage like soda/cola (there is soda out there which uses cane sugar instead of HFCS), many fruit juices, many condiments like mainstream ketchup and even lots of bread.

Make sure to check out the links on the right side of this page to read up on the latest news and studies concerning high fructose corn syrup. We will make you think twice about ever putting high fructose corn syrup into your body or your child’s body and you (and your body) will certainly thank us for it!

Stay tuned and feel free to leave a comment.

Remember – READ THE LABEL.