If you take a look at most candy, cereal, bread, frozen food, yogurt, baby food, granola bar, salad dressing, cracker, condiment or other processed food package, you’re sure to see high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) on the ingredients list. It might even be easy to equate commonality with safety, assuming that that if high fructose corn syrup really was damaging to your health surely the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would ban it, right? Wrong.
The average American currently consumes 55 pounds of HFCS every year, which is a higher per capita consumption than any other country. If you’re currently consuming high fructose corn syrup (and most people are without even realizing it), you might want to reconsider after reading the following reasons to avoid it like the plague:
Diabetes—Research at the University of Southern California and Oxford University found that high fructose corn syrup is linked with diabetes, which may explain the rapidly growing rate of diabetes. Their research, published in the medical journal Global Public Health, showed that HFCS consumption is linked to a 20 percent higher prevalence of diabetes than those who don’t consume it. They also determined that this higher incidence of diabetes occurred regardless of the total amount of sugar consumed or obesity levels.
Fatty Liver Disease—Consumption of high fructose corn syrup has also been linked to fatty liver disease. The sugary substance must be metabolized by the liver, which puts a tremendous strain on this already hard-working organ.
Reproductive Disorders and Cancer—High fructose corn syrup is largely made up of genetically-modified corn since it is inexpensive to grow and has a high crop yield. But GMO foods have been linked in research to reproductive disorders and cancer.
Obesity—Because high fructose corn syrup requires little to no digestion, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, the sugar causes rapid spikes in insulin production, which is the body’s fat storage hormone. Not only does your appetite increase, so does your weight. It’s no surprise that the high consumption of high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity.
Energy Depletion—Sugar found in high fructose corn syrup requires greater amounts of energy to be absorbed by the gut than other types of sugar. Each molecule requires two molecules of phosphorus from our body’s ATP, which is our body’s energy currency. The result: energy depletion.
Chronic Inflammation—According to Dr. Mark Hyman, high fructose corn syrup perforates the gut lining, allowing partially-digested food, fecal matter and harmful bacteria to cross the intestinal wall directly into the blood. The result: inflammation and an overactive immune system caused by the body’s own immune system attacks on these substances perceived as foreign invaders.
Learning Impairment—In another recent study by the University of Southern California, researchers found that daily consumption of beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, impairs learning and the ability to remember information, particularly when consumption occurs during adolescence.
Increased Blood Pressure and Heart Disease Risk—A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that even people who eat an otherwise healthy diet but consume high fructose corn syrup are at risk of an increase in blood pressure by up to 32 percent. The study, conducted at the University of Colorado, found that the inflammation caused by HFCS leads to inflammation in the bloodstream, which causes the blood vessel walls to tighten, resulting in blood pressure increases.
The average American currently consumes 55 pounds of HFCS every year, which is a higher per capita consumption than any other country. If you’re currently consuming high fructose corn syrup (and most people are without even realizing it), you might want to reconsider after reading the following reasons to avoid it like the plague:
Diabetes—Research at the University of Southern California and Oxford University found that high fructose corn syrup is linked with diabetes, which may explain the rapidly growing rate of diabetes. Their research, published in the medical journal Global Public Health, showed that HFCS consumption is linked to a 20 percent higher prevalence of diabetes than those who don’t consume it. They also determined that this higher incidence of diabetes occurred regardless of the total amount of sugar consumed or obesity levels.
Fatty Liver Disease—Consumption of high fructose corn syrup has also been linked to fatty liver disease. The sugary substance must be metabolized by the liver, which puts a tremendous strain on this already hard-working organ.
Reproductive Disorders and Cancer—High fructose corn syrup is largely made up of genetically-modified corn since it is inexpensive to grow and has a high crop yield. But GMO foods have been linked in research to reproductive disorders and cancer.
Obesity—Because high fructose corn syrup requires little to no digestion, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, the sugar causes rapid spikes in insulin production, which is the body’s fat storage hormone. Not only does your appetite increase, so does your weight. It’s no surprise that the high consumption of high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity.
Energy Depletion—Sugar found in high fructose corn syrup requires greater amounts of energy to be absorbed by the gut than other types of sugar. Each molecule requires two molecules of phosphorus from our body’s ATP, which is our body’s energy currency. The result: energy depletion.
Chronic Inflammation—According to Dr. Mark Hyman, high fructose corn syrup perforates the gut lining, allowing partially-digested food, fecal matter and harmful bacteria to cross the intestinal wall directly into the blood. The result: inflammation and an overactive immune system caused by the body’s own immune system attacks on these substances perceived as foreign invaders.
Learning Impairment—In another recent study by the University of Southern California, researchers found that daily consumption of beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, impairs learning and the ability to remember information, particularly when consumption occurs during adolescence.
Increased Blood Pressure and Heart Disease Risk—A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that even people who eat an otherwise healthy diet but consume high fructose corn syrup are at risk of an increase in blood pressure by up to 32 percent. The study, conducted at the University of Colorado, found that the inflammation caused by HFCS leads to inflammation in the bloodstream, which causes the blood vessel walls to tighten, resulting in blood pressure increases.
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