Sugar Is Not Sugar the Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup free essay sample

The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup Rhonda Sullivan DeVry University Sugar is Not Sugar: The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup Every one has seen the infamous TV commercial with the young couple sitting in a park on a blanket, innocently sharing a Popsicle made out of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The female offers her male cohort a portion of the frozen treat, responding to his hesitance with the disreputable claim hosted by the corn industry, â€Å"sugar is sugar. Ironic, this commercial enticing the general public to accept the ill-fated ingredient of High Fructose Corn Syrup, is the epitome of Eve offering Adam the apple in The Garden of Eden. High Fructose Corn Syrup has seemed to invade even the most discrete products in the current day kitchen. Hiding in ketchup, soups, and meats, to name only a few, this overused sweetener has wreaked havoc on the American people; much less the unfortunate, overweight, diseased, diabetic rats that fell victim to its studies. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is  a man made, chemically altered, and potentially neurotoxic byproduct, largely at fault for our nation’s health epidemics of obesity diabetes and cardiac disease, but if eradicated from our diet the sequelae of its morbid effects  could be alleviated. Problems Although society is starting to hear more controversial information about the ill health effects of HFCS consumption, what they are not aware of is the dangerous contaminates within it. Chemicals and enzymes used in the processing of corn into HFCS are polluting it with unsafe levels of mercury, and since this heavy metal is neurotoxic, it could very well be to blame for the rapid rise in Autism and other neurological disorders amongst our youth (Geier, King, Sykes, Geier, 2008). To first understand how mercury ends up invading the Nation’s processed food sources, people need to understand how HFCS is developed. As described by Wallinga, Sorensen, and Yablon (2009), through an industrial process, enzymes and caustic soda are used to synthesis the sweetener from corn. Caustic soda is used throughout  the process for many reasons, including its initial employment in the separation of the starch from the corn kernel (Wallinga, Sorensen Yablon, 2009). The problem is, caustic soda is produced in industrial chlorine plants, which many still use a technology relying on the use of mercury, allowing the heavy metal to seep into goods made from its use in processin g (Wallinga, Sorensen Yablon, 2009). Multiple studies done by the Environmental Health and Food and Drug Administration have found commercial HFCS, and many name brand food items with HFCS in their ingredient list, contaminated with mercury (Wallinga, Sorensen Yablon, 2009). An article written by Hyman (2011), presents us with an interesting case, in which a FDA researcher was denied a request for barrels of HFCS in order to test for contaminants. Once she represented herself as an entrepreneur to a new soft drink company, a large vat of the sweetener was sent and used as a part of her study, showing toxic levels of mercury present in some of the samples. The importance one could gather from these findings is that mercury has invaded our food sources, and in all of its forms, it is toxic to the brain (Wallinga, Sorensen Yablon, 2009). Studies show that maternal antenatal consumption of mercury-contaminated food â€Å"adversely affected the IQ, language development, visual-spacial skills, gross motor skills, memory and attention in their offspring† (Schettler, 2001 p. 814). All of these symptoms are similar to conditions of Autism, or Attention Deficit Disorder. An article, supporting mercury provocation of Autism, written by Geier, King, Sykes, and Geier (2008), provides evidence that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) may result from exposure to mercury at critical times of brain development. It goes so far as to state â€Å"mercury has been found to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining ASDs,† and these â€Å"patients who undergo protocols to reduce mercury show significant clinical improvements in some cases† (Geier, King, Sykes, Geier, 2008 p. 383). Also, it is well known through research that mercury can cause neuronal degeneration, and cell death; something that is observed in the brain of ASDs patients (Geier, King, Sykes, Geier, 2008). Schettler (2001) notes a growing rate in the incidence of developmental disabilities corresponding to the increasing prevalence of ADD and ASDs diagnoses. HFCS was first produced on a commercial scale in the 1970s, but became more widely used in the 1980s, when Coca Cola and other soda drink manufacturers started using it in their sweetened drinks (Reshanov, 2012). Bascian, Federico, and Adeli (2005) reveal alarming statistics, stating the use of HFCS has increase 1,000% between 1970 and 1990. Similarly staggering, childhood Autism diagnoses increased 800% from 1990 to 2003 (Rudy, 2009). The consumption rate of HFCS among children has mimicked the increased rate of our youth’s neurologic diagnoses, HFCS consumption is also a major contributor to the increasing numbers of people with obesity, diabetes, and elevated triglyceride levels. Just as every action has a reaction, the intake of HFCS causes a physiological strain of affects that negatively impacts the body. The digestion, metabolism, and absorption of HFCS, differ from that of table sugar, or glucose since biochemically they are different. Because the molecules that comprise HFCS are not bonded, digestion is not necessary, causing rapid metabolism in the liver (Elliott, Keim, Stern, Teff, Havel, 2002). The liver finds storage for these molecules as fat cells, and becoming overwhelmed, releases many in the blood stream. These are known as triglycerides. Elevated triglycerides inhibit insulin production (Kelpe, Johnson, Poitout, 2002), the chemical responsible for controlling our blood sugars. Leptin, our satiety hormone, is regulated by insulin, so when insulin levels are low so are leptin levels (Bascian, Federico, Adeli, 2005 Bray, Nielsen, Popkin, 2004). Obesity seems to be the most obvious epidemic as it related to HFCS consumption. It should be credited to the result of over eating due to HFCSs influence on the appetite suppression hormone leptin. When sufficient levels of leptin are circulating throughout the blood stream, the brain tells the body to no longer eat. When that hormone is diminished, the urge to continue eating is influential. As cited in Parker (2010), Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neurosciences of appetite, weight, and sugar addiction states, â€Å"when rats are drinking high fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they’re becoming obese – every single one, across the board. † He continues to add to the discussion by saying even rats that are fed a high fat diet, don’t all gain weight (Parker, 2010). Supportive studies using rats show that when fructose was injected into the cerebroventricles of the animals, enhanced food intake was observed, while the same concentrations of glucose injections resulted in a suppression of  appetite (Bascian, Federico, Adeli, 2005. Further, the accumulation of readily converted fat cells, especially in the abdomen (Parker, 2010), doubles as a cause to obesity. When these processes are understood, it is apparent how HFCS contributes to America’s obesity issue. Elevated triglycerides have been well known for a long time in the health community to be a great risk factor for cardiac disease. When a bolus of unbounded molecules directly enter the liver for metabolizing, lipogenesis occurs, causing nonfat food products to be turned directly into fat and fatty acids (Bascian, Federico, Adeli, 2005.  ) Fatty acids, or triglycerides accumulate in the blood stream, at levels that can be considered dangerous, predisposing the person to coronary artery diseases and strokes. Multiple studies done on rats have provided evidence showing the contributory nature consumption of HFCS has on triglyceride levels. For example, a study cited in Bascian, Federico, and Adeli, (2005) showed that when rats were fed a 32% fructose, glucose, or sucrose solution, the fructose fed rats had an elevated triglyceride level. Insulin resistance is directly related to the intake of HFCS. â€Å"Because fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic ? cells, the consumption of foods and beverages containing fructose produces smaller postprandial insulin excursions than does consumption of glucose-containing carbohydrate† (Elliott, Keim, Stern, Teff, Havel, 2002 p. 911). Therefore, if large amounts of HFCS were being consumed that insulin was not acting to control, the result would be uncontrolled circulating blood sugars. In human studies done by Johnson et al. (2009), with high levels of fructose ingestion, it took just one week for the subjects to develop insulin resistance. People that were already predisposed to obesity or unhealthy diets, exhibited insulin resistance after very small amounts of fructose were taken in. Again, the prevalence of these epidemics seems to mirror the widespread utilization of HFCS as a sweetener. Bray, Nielsen, and Popkin (2004) analyzed the relationship of increased HFCS consumption with the development of obesity stating that ironically, the increased use of the sweetener in the United States has mirrored the rapidity of America’s obesity. Cited in Parker (2010), The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes that in the last 40 years, since the introduction of HFCS in the American diet, rates of obesity have â€Å"skyrocketed. † They report that in 1970, about 15% of the American population was afflicted with obesity, but as of now, roughly one third of our adult population is considered obese. The increase in fructose intake in the last twenty years is also associated with the astonishing increase in diabetes diagnoses according to Johnson et al. (2009). These discoveries are beyond coincidental, and highly recognized among experts in the field of nutrition and health. Solutions By abolishing high fructose corn syrup from our diets, we could alleviate the morbidities affiliated with its use. Because of the backlash HFCS is receiving recently, many food manufactures are removing the sweetener from their products. Even though still widely found, reading food labels will allow consumers to purchase goods without HFCS in its ingredient list. Buy products that are not processed, or advertised as â€Å"organic. † Prepare meals at home using whole foods, not prepackaged. Most manufacturers have contact information on their products, allowing consumers to notify them of their discontent with the presence of HFCS in our food. People can contact elected officials, asking for hearings that address why the FDA does not protect our nation from the mercury contamination of HFCS (Wallinga, Soreson, Yablon, 2009). One step New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is taking, will propose a stop to all sweetened drinks greater than 16 ounces in size, hoping managed portions will reduce the intake of these drinks (Reshanov, 2012). This appears to be an important step in diet modification for decreased incidents of obesity, diabetes and coronary artery disease, but its presence in even small portions may not change the risk of mercury exposure to developing brains. Just don’t eat it, drink it, or support HFCS in any manner. Although sugar has a bad rap when consumed beyond moderation, it could be reclaimed into our nations diet as a primary sweetener, since it has not shown to have the detrimental effects on health that high fructose corn syrup has. Researchers from the Department of Science and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute report that male rats given HFCS sweetened water in addition to a rat chow diet gained much more weight than those that received water sweetened with basic table sugar along with the chow (Parker, 2010). Many favorite food brands have provided an alternative using sugar to sweeten a product as opposed to HFCS. Examples of these are Pepsi â€Å"Throwback,† and â€Å"Simply† Heinz. To alleviate an extensive craving, many health food stores provide candy sweetened only with cane sugar. Trader Joes is a whole foods store that has a jellybean product with flavors similar to the famous â€Å"Jelly Belly’s† jellybeans, sweetened with only cane sugar. Making home cooked goodies with sugar, also gives the option of adding some additional ingredients with nutritive value while satisfying a weak yearning. Although sugar in excess can still have some unhealthy effects, in moderation it is recognized, metabolized and processed in the body without detriment, and is unknown to harbor neurotoxic mercury or other damaging contaminants. In previously cited findings by Parker (2010), it is apparent when comparing the outcomes of fructose fed rats as opposed to rats fed typical table sugar, that the rats eating fructose suffered ill effects to their health, unlike their glucose fed counterparts. Call to Action . Without actions on behalf of our food and drug administration (FDA), the statistics for obesity, diabetes, and cardiac disease, as well as what may be the contributing factor to the rise in our nation’s neurotoxic afflictions will continue to rise. Mercury contamination in HFCS is completely avoidable, with current technology allowing most chlorine plants to no longer use it (Wallinga, Soreson, Yablon, 2009). Since HFCS was first introduced in the 1970s, its use and consumption by the American people has continued to climb with the Average American eating an estimated 60 pounds per person per year, all concurrent with the â€Å"tripling of obesity rates and a seven-fold increase in diabetes diagnoses† (Hyman, 2011 p. 1). When comparing the ingredient list from a French based McDonalds, to an American McDonalds, there is no HFCS or multiple other unhealthy ingredients in the foreign food choices (Beardsley, 2012). Why does our nation allow poor quality, harmful food additives, disregarding years of well researched information? What makes American’s settle for less, knowing the potential ill health effects? The FDA needs to recognize the negative impacts HFCS is having on the American people, and protect them. Our nation must write, call, or email legislators and representatives to make the FDA aware .