Abstract:
This research paper will discuss the history, economics, and positive and negative aspects of foods which contain high fructose corn syrup. It will cover the basic information in these aspects as well as some specifics. The major milestones in the history of high fructose corn syrup include its creation in 1957. Three different types of high fructose corn syrup will also be briefly compared against one another: high fructose corn syrup #1, high fructose corn syrup #2, and high fructose corn syrup #3. Pros and cons of high fructose corn syrup will then be discussed as well as economic issues. The fact that it is only available in liquid form is the main factor. Lastly, common foods containing high fructose corn syrup will be listed. These foods are mainly sweet liquids such as juices, sports drinks, and sodas.
As technology improves, new inventions allow society to become lazier and pursue more pleasure. More and more appliances are made for our convenience, and more and more artificial ingredients are used in our foods to please our sense of taste. Fifty years ago, most of our food was sweetened with natural sugar, such as cane sugar or brown sugar; however, within the past few years, drastic technological and scientific improvement has paved the way for all types of artificial sweeteners to replace sugar and become omnipresent. Before 1957, high fructose corn syrup, now so prevalent in all of our food, did not even exist, because people believed that there was no fructose in corn syrup.
In 1957, researchers Marshall and Kooi made an amazing discovery. It was already a given fact that there truly is no fructose in corn syrup; instead, it contains glucose, a much blander sugar. What they discovered would change how mod...
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...hemical sweeteners could replace even high fructose corn syrup, but for now and the near future, it will be sticking around in all of our sweets.
Works Cited
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Ettlinger, Steve. Twinkie, Deconstructed. 375 Hudson Street, New York: Penguin Group, Inc., 2007.
High Fructose Corn Syrup. OU Kosher. 24 July 2008
Inglett, George E. Symposium: Sweeteners. Westport, Connecticut: The Avi Publishing Company, Inc., 1974.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
Thomas, Clive Y. Sugar: Threat or Challenge? International Development Research Centre, 1985.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
High fructose corn syrup was first created in the 1970s by the Japanese as a form of sweetener. Combining 45% glucose and 55% fructose it was the sweetest substance yet and its cheap production, longer shelf-life, and versatility helped it over the next three decades emerge as the dominant sweetener on the market. However, despite its success, it has most recently been noted that effects of the substance are extremely detrimental to consumers, and its increased use directly correlates to the rise in obesity and diabetes among Americans.
Obesity in America has risen dramatically in the last forty years. Many believe high fructose corn syrup is to blame for this and other health related issues like diabetes and high blood pressure. High fructose corn syrup was invented by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957 (Production of high fructose corn syrup). Scientists have done tests and many reports and found many statistics showing the same thing: once high fructose corn syrup (or HFCS) was added to food and beverages in 1975, obesity rose without warning. The U.S. has the highest obesity rate in the world: “roughly two-thirds of adults and one-third of young people in the U.S. are now overweight or obese” (McMillen). That’s a massive amount, and it’s growing at a steady pace with little sign of ending any time soon. We also eat more mass produced food than any other country in the world. High fructose corn syrup has taken over the food market and has found its way to almost all of our food and drinks.
Swithers, Susan E. “Artificial Sweeteners Produce the Counterintuitive Effect of Inducing Metabolic Derangements.” 2013. Cell Press. PDF file. 19 November 2013.
Sugarcane was domesticated some 10000 years ago on the island of New Guinea. It reached the mainland around 1000 BC. In the 17th century, sugar became an item of less luxury and hence consumption spread to the middle class as well as to the poor. The average sugar intake by an individual has however steadily been on the rise since the 17th century. Early consumption of sugar was on average 4 pounds a year. In the 18th century the average intake went up to 18 pounds a year and reached its highest levels in the 19th century to 100 pounds. At the present, we are consuming around 77 pounds a year. The drop in sugar consumptions is mainly credited to the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) (Cohen 1,3). Since the 1970, when HFCS was first introduced, the intake of it has been on a steady rise (U.S. 2). Its use has been widely spread in the U.S. due to it being cheaper than sugar. The government limits the production of domestic sugar and places import tariffs on foreign sugar making it a very expensive commodity in the U.S. However, at the same time, it subsidizes corn production and therefore lowers its price significantly (“How” 2). Only in the most recent years, has the consumption of HFCS been dropped, mostly due to the higher awareness by the public (U.S. 2). Due to its inexpensiveness, this ingredient has replaced a big part of the sugar usage and is included in most every day foods like: “bread, cereal, ketchup, sodas, pasta, and many others. HFCS, a sugar substitute, however is more dangerous to our health than sugar, otherwise known as the white evil, ever was.
We are all aware of sugar, the sweet delicious substance commonly used in food and beverages, but table sugar is not the only sugar there is. There are many artificial sugars that many people now-a-days aren’t aware of. In this research paper I will be identifying four different types of synthetic sugars which are: Saccharin, Aspartame, Sucralose, and Sodium cyclamate. Synthetic sugars, or artificial sweeteners, have both positive and negative effects that can either make a big impact in our body or a small impact. Synthetic sugars can be used in many ways but are most commonly used in regular everyday foods and beverages or they can be mixed with other artificial sweeteners. Synthetic sugars tend to look very similar to real sugar so sometimes it may be hard to distinguish them with the naked eye.
It’s reasonable to understand that if a sugar glazed doughnut is sitting right in front of you, calling your name, especially the fact that the doughnut just seems to be there the day that you skipped out on breakfast. You’re going to eat it! Unfortunately that’s the case for 90 percent of us. With that though come consequences! People who consume high amounts of high-fructose corn syrup are 20 percent more-likely to...
Michael Pollan, a writer for New York Times and author of New York Times bestseller The Botany of Desire and named best book of the year by Borders, Amazon, and the American Booksellers Association, discusses some of these harmful effects along with many other facts in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Pollan discusses how corn syrup has consumed our nation in chapter six of his book. He discusses how high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has snuck its way into the food of the American’s every meal. As restaurants line roads and food lines pantries, HFCS lurks in almost every meal. Marlene Bishop, editor of Chocolate, Fast Food, and Sweeteners: Consumption and Health, states: “In the last 35 years, high fructose corn syrup has replaced the use of sucrose by food manufactures in the US due to its steady price and availability (White, 2008)" (3). Because of the excess corn and low price to make HFCS, it continues to pour into the ingredients of the American’s diet.
Lowndes, J., Sinnett, S., Pardo, S., Nguyen, V.T., Melanson, K.J., Yu, Z. Lowther , B.E. and Rippe, J.M. (2014).The Effect of Normally Consumed Amounts of Sucrose or High Fructose Corn Syrup on Lipid Profiles, Body Composition and Related Parameters in Overweight/Obese Subjects. Nutrients. 6, 1128-1144.
Walking down the streets of the United States, it seems impossible to avoid the sight of a major problem that is growing at extreme and fatal rates. This problem is known as obesity, which can lead to many other health problems such as diabetes and high cholesterol. One of the many causes for this is an unbalanced diet filled with foods high in fat and sugar. When given the choice, it is safe to say that many would be quick to grab a chocolate bar over a chai kale smoothie when hunger strikes. Many food companies have tried to follow the trend of the love of sweet foods by adding a fatal ingredient to their products. This ingredient is sugar.
High-fructose corn syrup is fructose produced from corn and concentrated for use as a sweetener for such commercially made food items as fruit-flavored drinks, carbonated beverages, baked goods and spaghetti sauce. High-fructose corn syrup is close to naturally occurring fructose found in fruits and vegetables, but this sweetener is slightly higher in fructose. In addition, the fructose is "free," meaning it is not bound to glucose the way it is found in nature. While HFCS serves as a cheap and readily available sweetener, it has also been linked to the epidemic of obesity that has plagued the world since shortly after HFCS was introduced to the market. Though there are likely many causes for the obesity crisis, this discussion will focus
Central Idea: How much corn syrup has expanded & how much it affected our society
HFCS is being used for almost every food product in the food industry. However, if we look at HFCS from a limited point of view we just see it as something present in our food and not the health factors behind it. HFCS can be habit forming since it is a sweet replacement for sugar and in his article Peretti mentions that David Kessler said “sugar, through its metabolisation by the gut and hence the brain, is extremely addictive, just like cigarettes or alcohol.” People enjoy the taste and because of this they consume large quantities, which lead to health factors such as: obesity, diabetes, heart problems, infertility, liver problems, and so on. Our limited perspective may cause us to lose sight of how much of a risk HFCS possess. In my case I use to think that my family gained significant amount of weight only through fatty foods and...
Artificial sweeteners are fake sugar substitutes that many people use to maintain their weight and diabetes. But, what many people do not understand is that artificial sweeteners are not all they are cracked up to be. It is a proven fact that people who consume diet coke on a regular basis will be fatter one year from the time they began drinking them. Many artificial sugars are in the everyday items that people eat/drink including soda, chewing gum, energy drinks, granola bars, cereal, and much more. There are many aversive health effects that are associated with specific artificial sweeteners. The most common artificial sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, neotame, and Acesulfame- K. Although artificial sweeteners are assumed to be a healthy option but, in the long run they can cause many aversive health conditions that could have been prevented by just consuming natural sugar.