If you`ve been roaming the aisles of your local grocery store recently, you`ve probably
noticed an encouraging trend that we`re seeing more and more of lately. On food products
not traditionally associated with natural foods that make spaghetti sauces, pizza crusts
and whole wheat breads are big banner headlines that read, "Now without High Fructose
Corn Syrup."
Is this a sign of things to come?
Whether more companies follow or not is unknown, but this is a very encouraging trend in
the meantime. So often, people unfamiliar with what makes a food natural see a loaf of bread that says "Whole Wheat"
or a cereal that says "Whole Grain" and believe it`s natural. And why shouldn`t
they? Health advocates in the media have emphasized the importance of eating foods that are whole wheat or whole grain, so food makers and
food consumers have taken notice. To a certain extent, this is good, as foods are now
being made with whole grain flour instead of highly processed refined flour.
What isn`t so good, however, is that despite these foods being listed as "whole
grain," many remain loaded with high fructose corn syrup.
And because the FDA still doggedly stands behind their belief that high fructose corn syrup is safe to consume,
there`s really no need for these food
companies to change how they make their breads, their spaghetti sauces or virtually
everything and anything else that claims to be one thing but is really something else
entirely. At least some companies are taking the dangers of high fructose corn syrup seriously.
Members of the Food and Drug Administration should take people like Natalie Rotunda
seriously, a writer and "organic food examiner" for Examiner.com, whose
daughter`s adverse reactions to foods were stopped dead in their tracks once high fructose
corn syrup was eliminated from her
diet. As Rotunda writes in a recent article of hers, "[My daughter] had no reactions
to any other type of sugar, just HFCS.
For others like me who have made such a connection, it`s all the proof we need to quit
those foods and drinks that attack the delicate workings of our bodies and the bodies of
those we love."
But the adverse reactions to high fructose corn syrup extend far beyond Rotunda`s
daughter. Study after study shows how high fructose corn syrup leads to obesity, due primarily to the fact that
it suppresses the body`s release of a key hormone called leptin. When leptin is
suppressed, the body is unable to convert sugar into energy, ultimately turning sugar into
fat that`s packed away as storage rather than burned for energy. The latest study to
corroborate this fact was one done by the University of Florida, released in September
2008 and published in the American Journal of Physiology.
The FDA may claim that high fructose corn syrup is safe to consume, but study after study
shows links between HFCS and adult-onset diabetes (i.e. type II diabetes) and
contributes to obesity. You`d think that`d be enough to reconsider their stance.
Apparently not. But one thing`s certain: More and more people are taking notice of HFCS and the detrimental impact it has on health. If they weren`t noticing, food
companies wouldn`t be labeling their products with labels like "No HFCS." After
all, consumers rule in this dour economic climate. The only way to get people to buy is
for businesses to give people what they want.
Thankfully, food companies are finally glomming on to this fact. Let`s hope more follow in
2009 and beyond.(naturalnews,
7.24.2009, Frank Mangano, citizen journalist, See all articles by this author, Email
this author) http://www.naturalnews.com/026691_corn_syrup_fructose_high_fructose_corn_syrup.html