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Our Health and High Fructose Corn Syrup

            High fructose corn syrup also known has HFCS is an alternative sugar that we have been using since the 1970's. It is corn that has undergone enzymatic processing to change its glucose and fructose ratio from 50-50 to 55-45 to produce a desired sweetness. Because the U.S. government has heavily subsidized the corn industry it has made HFCS extremely cheap to produce, therefore is commonly used in most processed foods. Critics have claimed that HFCS is linked to health problems, such as obesity, and fatty liver.
             One of the main topics that critics bring up is that our bodies does not process HFCS and table sugar the same way. One of these critics is Dr. Mark Hyman he states "that corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from natural or a naturally occurring substance" (drhyman.com). HFCS consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. The unbound form is key, since there is no bond between them, the sugar doesn't need to be broken down by your stomach and goes straight into your blood stream. Hyman states that "fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called "fatty liver" which affects 70 million people" (Hyman). .
             Many critics claim that HFCS has a direct link to obesity because since the 1970's we have introduced HFCS into all of our products. All the producers have incentives to use lots of HFCS because it's so cheap with the farm subsidies. The consumer votes for sugar by purchasing products that are high in sugar and in turn companies continue to make more and more products that are sugar based such as our cereal, cookies, snack bars, canned foods and even milk. HFCS is also easy for manufactures to use because it is in a nice and easy to use liquid form.


Essays Related to Our Health and High Fructose Corn Syrup

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup

What is high fructose corn syrup? ... Can it really be that bad for our health? ... With these two factors in place the amount of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in our diets has skyrocketed. ... The term high fructose corn syrup refers to the HFCS 55 which is 55% fructose and 45% glucose (Bray). ... The final thing that makes high fructose corn syrup more detrimental to our health is its use in everyday food items. ...

  • Word Count: 1324
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. The Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on Developing Countr

The most common process for making High Fructose Syrup from corn involves four major steps. ... (Fructose) I believe that the use of high fructose corn syrup is not good for developed countries. ... High fructose corn syrup is used in so many of the products consumed in the United States. This may be a contributing factor to some of the health issues faced by our country. The used of high fructose corn syrup and the risk of heart attack have been linked in some studies. ...

  • Word Count: 289
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Reducing Added Sugars

What many people do not know is most added sugar comes from high fructose corn syrup. You find a vast amount of corn syrup in sports drinks, soda, and fruit punch. ... The reduction of sugar will increase the corn industry which in turn will lead to more corn syrup in foods and drinks. High fructose corn syrup consists of a large amount of added sugar. ... It is best for the nation as whole if we take added sugar away and focus more on our overall health....

  • Word Count: 985
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Fast Food...Good Food?

A secret ingredient that producers include in almost everything is high fructose corn syrup, also known as the hidden devil. High fructose corn syrup is found in all fast foods and is a much cheaper and dangerous alternative to cane sugar. ... Obviously, high fructose corn syrup is highly responsible for increased obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. ... Clearly, health is overall on the decline. ... If healthy food is a lifestyle and the demand is high, obesity will go down and costs will follow the decline due to high demand. ...

  • Word Count: 1682
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography

5. Herbivore or Carnivore?

A good example of that is high fructose corn syrup. ... An artificial sweetener called high fructose corn syrup was created. ... Note that financial health, not human health was the deciding factor in this decision. Today, you can find high fructose corn syrup as well as any corn product in a vast vast majority of our foods. ... Legumes are high in fiber, carbs and protein. ...

  • Word Count: 1822
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Disappearing Bees

" Our high demand for cheap produce causes large corporations investing in local farms to spray pesticides for a faster growth of crops. While at the same time causing environmental pollution, disappearing of honeybees, and even health effects in consumers. ... One interesting fact that I found was that many bees are being fed high fructose corn syrup because they cannot survive on their own honey anymore. ... If bees are not surviving our nature what will happen later down the road to humans? The heavy use of pesticides large corporations are investing in should not be allowed, it is ...

  • Word Count: 477
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography

7. The Sugar Addiction

Though most people consider refined sugar harmless (and laugh at the notion that it is dangerous) it is believed to be a root cause of many common health problems: hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, indigestion, myopia, seborrhea dermatitis, gout, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, depression, and anxiety. ... This explains why many people may struggle to control the ingestion of high sugar foods when constantly subjected to them. ... Refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have no protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants or fiber so displace other nutritious parts of our diet or ...

  • Word Count: 2214
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. The Sustainability of Food

The effects all this pollution can have on our health may be reflected in high rates of asthma and other respiratory symptoms as well as increased school absence days for children. How far one's food travels has serious consequences for one's health and the climate. ... High-fructose corn syrup is found in almost all high processed food and drinks. ... Grains are also dangerously high glycemic. ... United States citizen's health has drastically gone down. ...

  • Word Count: 1788
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. The Safety of Genetically Modified Foods

High profile patent lawsuits by Monsanto, as well as films, i.e. ... People want to know that genetically modified foods are safe to eat and have no long-term health risks. ... If high concentrations of corn proteins are present in human hair due to the transference through table and plate bound livestock, what is to say that the DNA insertions cannot be transferred as well? ... About a dozen long-term studies of different genetically modified crops have failed to find such stark health effects. ... This hidden danger that has been put on our plates, unknowingly, due to the mass over-producti...

  • Word Count: 1697
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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