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It’s no secret that high fructose corn syrup is detrimental to your health. Unfortunately, it’s also no secret that it has replaced other forms of sugar in a disturbingly large number of manufactured foods. Even worse is that most high fructose corn syrup is made from genetically modified corn.
Since the late 1980s, HFCS has replaced regular table sugar, honey, and similar sweeteners in practically everything. Prolonged consumption of HFCS is now the topic of much debate and we are learning that it can cause long-term damage to the body.
A number of studies conducted over the past few decades indicates that consumption of HFCS is connected with a wide range of health concerns. Here are a few of the more important health dangers of high fructose corn syrup you should know about:
High Fructose Corn Syrup Dangers
1. Significant Risk of Weight Gain & Obesity
The list of studies that show HFCS to cause increased weight gain over other forms of sweeteners is much too long to put into this post. One of the better, and more recent ones, was conducted at Princeton University[1], and found that rats that were fed HFCS gained fat 300% more quickly than those fed an equal (or slightly larger) dose of fruit-derived sugar.
2. Increased Risk of Developing Type-2 Diabetes
Over the years, consumption of high-fructose corn syrup can lead to a huge increase in the likelihood of developing diabetes.[2] The worst part about it is how easily this life-long condition can be avoided in most cases. Excessive amounts of soda, energy drinks and junk-food simply aren’t worth losing a foot or going blind or harming your children.
3. Hypertension and Elevated “Bad” Cholesterol Levels
High-fructose doesn’t just make your body fat. It makes your heart fat too. There is a strong link between the irresponsible consumption of high fructose corn syrup and elevated triglyceride and HDL (bad cholesterol) levels.[3] Together these can cause arterial plague build-up and eventually lead to dangerous heart conditions including hypertension, heart disease, and even stroke.
4. High Fructose Corn Syrup & Long-Term Liver Damage
This is a big one that a lot people overlook. Like anything else you eat or drink, HFCS is processed by your liver, gallbladder and kidneys. And it’s especially destructive to your liver. When combined with a sedentary lifestyle, permanent liver scarring can occur.[4] This greatly diminishes the organ’s ability to process out toxins and, over time, can lead to an expansive range of other negative health concerns. Another study suggests that HFCS may also cause fatty liver.[5]
5. Mercury Exposure from HFCS
Even if you were already aware of previously mentioned risks associated with corn syrup, there’s a good chance that you didn’t know it also often loaded with alarmingly high levels of mercury. In a study conducted just last year they found mercury in over 50 percent of the samples tested.[6] Mercury exposure can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage – especially in young, growing bodies. This is especially worrisome with the abundance of HFCS in children-target foodstuffs.
Alternatives to High Fructose Corn Syrup
The dangers of high fructose corn syrup are both numerous and severe. Some estimate the more than one-third of the American food supply has been polluted by it. If you’re looking to cut back on your exposure to corn-sugar, I urge you to start really reading product labels if you don’t already. As an alternative, I would personally recommend zylitol, stevia or raw local honey as a sweetener.
More Articles About Nutrition:
- Is Agave Nectar Safe?
- The Health Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners
- The Effects of Genetically Modified Foods
- 10 Foods You Can Eat During a Colon Cleanse
April 4th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
the problem with HFCS is the genetically modified corn that they use…eww
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March 1st, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I do get migraine headaches from eating High Fructose. It took me quite awhile to figure it out and now that I have, I no longer get the headaches and have become a “label reader”.
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Wideawake replied on May 11th, 2012:
Me too. I get a headache immediately after eating HFCS..I go to great lengths not to eat it. I suspected it was because the HFCS was made with GMO corn.
I suffered from migraine my whole life and I never put 2 and 2 together until I got really sick back in 2005-2006 from some really strong antibiotics and it destroyed my stomach. Doctors kept giving me garbage that didnt help. I was so sick, so I started researching everything on the stomach. After some natural remedies I was back to myself in a few weeks, after a year of going to doctors. then I started watching for triggers to my migraines and sure enough I found quite a few and HSCS was one of them.
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Wideawake replied on May 11th, 2012:
and I eat Sugar and it never bothers me, so I know when they compare HFCS to sugar and say its the same… Its hog wash..only HFCS bothers me, I bet its because its made with GMOs. Soy gives me heart palpitations, and soybean oil will make me immediately throw up within less then 3 minutes. My body reacts right away if something is bad.
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Cheryl replied on April 25th, 2012:
Good thing you figured this out. I too had migraines for many years. I started on wholefood supplements that brought my body back to balance; no migraines three week after i started eating them.
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December 13th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Beware of the negative hype regarding “high fructose corn syrup.” There is no evidence that fructose in itself is more damaging than any other form of ADDED sugar (e.g., sucrose). HFCS happens to be a common form of added sugar. You may have concerns about the corn industry and genetic engineering. Fructose itself is a simple and easily digestible form of sugar. Note that the sugars in honey are fructose and glucose, so you can detect the con spin in blogs like this one. Adding honey to your diet is adding fructose!
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brad replied on February 14th, 2012:
sounds like you must be a lobbyist fir adm
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November 20th, 2011 at 4:50 am
I had my first gout attack about 10 years ago.
At the beginning I was having attacks every 6 months. Then gradually I was getting them
every 3 months, then every month and eventually every week.
It started at my big toe and then it was moving sometimes in my knees,and generally all
around my joints, in my feet.And the pain was agonising.
I have tried all the cures you can imagine.I tried ACV, lemons, drinking a lot of water, but
to no avail.I tried water fasting, juice fasting,baking soda, again without success.
I almost gave up meat, limiting it to only once a week ,gave up alcohol completely,again
no success.
I was living on vegetables, lots and lots of fresh fruit, milk ,cheese beans and so on .My
eating habits could not be healthier ,or so I thought.But my gout was worsening.
Then I decided to increase the amount of fruit I was consuming, thinking that if some fruit
is healthy, more fruit will be more healthy.Some days I was eating fruit only ,others over 10
portions a day.
And alas my gout instead of improving it became chronic ,it was there all the time.
I was desperate I did not know what to do.
And then one day accidentally I read an article about fructose,which is contained in fruit in
large quantities.It said that it increases uric acid, in a matter of minutes.
Fructose is also present in table sugar, and in HFCS, which is used in soft drinks.
I put two and two together and realised what I was doing wrong.
I stopped eating fruit and all other sugars, for a period of 3 weeks,and by magic I saw a
dramatic improvement.Pain was gone, swelling was gone, I was fine.
I re introduced fruit again in my diet but reducing them to 1 or 2 a day, and my gout completely
disappeared.
I do eat more meat now, and occasionally have an alcoholic drink, and thank God everything
seems to be fine.
Fructose was my enemy.
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July 28th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
1. Debunked here: http://www.foodpolitics.com/
2. Flawed study – they claim that because HFCS sweetened soda contains a chemical also found in people with diabetes that it can cause diabetes – this is a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc (which is also used in many anti-smoking studies btw).
3. This item again relies on the flawed study referred to in item 1.
4. The study referenced found that rats fed either sugar or HFCS had the same reaction – increased fatty livers compared to rats fed no sweetener at all. This proves nothing in relation to HFCS and is, in fact, consistent with those who claim they are equally bad.
5. Study is correct – it did find traces of mercury which are derived from the processing but recommends that it be accounted for in our daily diet – not excluded. We consume trace amounts of mercury in many foods – it is a naturally occurring poison that humans can’t totally avoid.
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April 5th, 2011 at 5:09 am
Table sugar is a high fructose caloric sweetner. Avoid all fructose not just HFCS. This includes, yes, WHOLE FRUIT and FRUIT JUICE. I saw a quacker oats granola type “health bar” that said “no HFCS” But when I read the ingredients there were about 4 different kinds of sweetners including concentrated fruit juice which is loaded with fructose.
HFCS isn’t a special kind of fructose. It is a sweetner with 55% fructose and 45% glucose (usually). Sugar is a sweener with 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Avoid both.
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Shisalion replied on April 14th, 2011:
Table sugar is also known as sucrose, a nonreducing crystalline disaccharide made up of glucose and fructose, found in many plants but extracted as ordinary sugar mainly from sugar cane and sugar beets. The term “high fructose” is usually assigned to manufactured sweeteners such as “high fructose corn syrup.”
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michael replied on April 10th, 2011:
Whole fruit. As in a banana or apple does not contain HFCS.
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Robert replied on May 21st, 2012:
HFCS, is made up of Parts, Fructose being one of them, and that is what you say is so bad, that is what is in the Fruit, All Fruit.
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February 23rd, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Sucrose has to be broken down in the small intestine before it can be absorbed by the body. The resulting broken down sugar is almost exactly HFCS. There is very little difference chemically or nutritionally once sucrose is hydrolyzed in the intestine.
HFCS causes weight gain and resultant disease the same way that any high calorie food does- by piling on the calories. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it as a food. We just eat way too much of it.
DK
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February 9th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Its sugar….get, it?! Sugar…S-U-G-A-R… too much of it is bad for you in many ways, and it does not matter at all if it is cane or corn based. All this garbage about how sugar from cane is preferable to sugar from corn is laughable. Expert testimony? give me a break.
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Jan replied on May 2nd, 2011:
There is a big differrence between sugar and HFCS, High Fruitose Corn Syrup is a chemical (subsidized by our Gov’t) that our bodies have difficulty breaking down. It is in so many products. We will all end up with Diabetes. It is NOT safe, eat regular sugar. HELLLOOOOO…
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susan jacobson replied on April 3rd, 2011:
It’s not corn syrup that people are complaining about here. its they High Concentrate Corn Syrup. And yes, some people are having problems with the consumption of it, because its in everything and we don’t realize it until we start not feeling well. Its in bread, its in crackers, soda of course, salad dressings…etc. Its been replaced as a sweetner in cookies. Eating a any number of these items in a given day has made me, My parents and my sister all in different households in different cities so ill, that you can’t even imagine. As of the last two weeks I read every label of everything I buy. I will no longer purchase soda from a restaurant. I know its the HFCS because I didn’t have it for a week ate Oreos not realizing they had HFCS in them now and was back to square one. There is a difference!
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Ryah replied on February 11th, 2011:
Do you know how it’s made? The process of produing HFCS is so frightening that I can’t even begin to tell you what kind of toxins it’s produced with. You can’t even touch it while your making it. It’s Harmful to touch it! that’s insane? and we’re consuming it? suger is a lot better because it isn’t made with things equivelnt to rat poison.
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Robert replied on May 21st, 2012:
We don’t care how it is made, and that may make you sad, but chemically it is the same once it is in the body. so if you are fat, you eat to much sugar, no mater where it comes from.
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February 1st, 2011 at 6:04 pm
A few months ago, I went through my pantry and refridgerator and looked at the ingredients of everything in them. If it had HFCS or artificial sweeteners, it went straight into the garbage. You’d be surprised at how much stuff I through away. HFCS seems to be in everything these days… and then we wonder why people are so fat.
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January 6th, 2011 at 11:03 am
Great list! It’s good to see a list of HFCS dangers with studies to back it up. Gonna forward this to all my friends and family.
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Deionoid replied on February 9th, 2011:
good idea…but don’t stop with HFCS, you should also warn them of the disasterous health effects of exposure to hydrogen dioxide!
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M replied on April 18th, 2012:
Wow this guy is so dense, he didn’t realize he f’d up his own joke, the tard meant “dihydrogen monoxide” not “hydrogen dioxide!” Dihydrogen monoxide is water. Someone thinks they’re smart, yet not so it seems.
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January 4th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Great list. I’ve been telling my husband to lay off of the sodas because of the Corn sugar dangers. Gonna email him this article right now!
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November 17th, 2010 at 4:22 am
While watching out for HFCS don’t forget to watch out for aluminum and arsenic! Arsenic is always spotted as Methyl. In pharmaceuticals arsenic is sometimes used as an agent to bypass the liver. I don’t know why they have it in DiGiorno pizza and Eye Drops though!!!
I found aluminum on the label of every pizza and cookie dough at the store! I suppose it makes the crust rise fluffier.
How much poison is ok with you?
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October 25th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Please clarify how mercury gets into the HFCS picture.
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Dr. Edward Group replied on October 25th, 2010:
Hi Cherie!
Thank you for your question! This is a very common concern.
Here is a report published on WebMD that discusses a study done by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). They found detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup. Items it was found in included BBQ Sauce, Oatmeal Bars, Chocolate Syrup, Pop-Tarts, Jelly, Ketchup.. Here’s more information about it on The Washington Post & Natural News.
I hope this provides you clarification. Have a great day!
~Dr. G
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martina replied on December 31st, 2010:
corn starch sugar is very bad
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Deionoid replied on February 10th, 2011:
OOOOOH…..just like dihydrogen monoxide, I guess
October 21st, 2010 at 2:20 am
hi all!
I think all kinds and types of sugar taken in excess is bad, high sugar content in our system (i.e. blood that circulates our system, from kidneys,liver heart etc) causes such diseases mentioned in this article. Ones health always depends on what and how much you take. Just balance your diet and drink a lot of water.
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October 1st, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Are the fumes from the high fructose corn syrup dangerous? My husband had to go into the “sugar ” tank the other day @ work. He was only in there for a short (less than 10 minutes) time and came out feeling very sick. He is better now but he was feeling very strange and nausious for a couple of days. So I was wondering if this was coincidence or not.
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Dr. Edward Group replied on October 4th, 2010:
Hi Trina!
I would definitely say it is dangerous. I do not have any proof of this, but breathing small airborne droplets of HFCS cannot be healthy for you. Your husband may want to do a chemical and heavy metal cleanse.
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July 29th, 2010 at 9:35 am
HEY DR. GROUP!
DOES THE MERCURY COME FROM THE WAY THEY ALTER THE CORN GENETICALLY TO BASICALLY ADD PESTICIDES BEFORE IT’S GROWN?
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