Abstract:
This research essay will investigate the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The liver is effected because the fructose—as it is being metabolized deposits fatty acids into the liver, it also develops cirrhosis, which has the same effect normally seen in alcoholics. High Fructose Corn Syrup increases cholesterol which blocks the inner walls of the arteries and may be fatal if not treated. High Fructose Corn Syrup was believed to be beneficial to diabetics, but studies show the they may actually promote more diseases. Obesity is a major problem, as High Fructose Corn Syrup does not release leptin—which is what signals the brain to stop eating, so society is prone to over consumption. It also alters the heart's use of other minerals and enables the appropriate minerals to reach the part of the body that needs them, (such as calcium for bones). Lack of the minerals cause osteoporosis which cause bones to become more fragile and easier to break. Dental caries are problematic because they cause toothaches and holes to form on the tooth—another effect of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
It is human nature to have a sense of memento mori, even if it means becoming sick. High Fructose Corn Syrup, (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is the backbone of the USA in that it is ubiquitous and virtually everyone is affected by it. The High Fructose Corn Syrup in foods are known to hinder the liver, lead to diabetes, cause obesity, mineral deficiency, osteoporosis, and dental caries, as well as other diseases caused by the “trickle down effect.” Little is known about High Fructose Corn Syrup because it has only been used for 30 years, but what is known is that the bad outweighs the good.
One of the organs that is directly effected by High Fructos...
... middle of paper ...
...ture and harm of High Fructose Corn Syrup before it causes permanent damage.
6
Edgar, W.M. Nutritive Sweeteners. “Sugars and Dental Caries.” G.G. Birch and K.J. Parker.
Englewood, NJ. 1982.
Kapner, Adam. Medline Plus. US National Library of Medicine and national Institute of Health.
26 June, 2008. 23 July 2008. www.nlm.nih.gov
Jefferson, Ashley. “The Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body
Excluding Obesity, Diabetes and Kidney Failure.” 30, July, 2006. 23, July 2008. www.westonaprice.org
Piersall, Wendy. Five Reasons to Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup. The Fit Shack. 2008. 23, July
2008. www.thefitshack.com
Mohr, Christopher R. High Fructose Corn Syrup. 1 May, 2005. www.diabeteshealth.com
Osteoporosis: A debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. National Osteoporosis
Foundation. 27 July, 2008. 27 July, 2008. www.nof.com
High-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used artificial sweetener in foods. High-fructose corn syrup is a hydrolyzed version of ordinary corn syrup, which is produced via a steeping process. It is so widely used because it is both economically favorable and it helps to preserve food for extended periods of time. However, the drawbacks of high-fructose corn syrup include issues like potential obesity, diabetes, loss of liver function, malnutrition, and cancer. The fact that the producers of high-fructose corn syrup can deceive people that HFCS is harmless makes matters worse.
The book Salt, Sugar, and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us discusses the danger of food with its readers. The dangers of food discussed in the book are the ingredients of Salt, Sugar and Fat in the food individuals consume on a daily basis. Producers use these ingredients to their advantage to get the consumers bliss point. The bliss point attained is used by the food giants to achieve a profit. However due to research on the health risks of these ingredients food companies are strategizing in order to maintain their profit and earn more of a profit.
Weighing too much is a matter of energy balance, a matter of calories going in verses calories going out, right? Maybe not. New research and new thinking in nutrition has started shifting this idea of energy balance to a view centered on food as a whole. It may be that getting rid of those pounds does not require hours of pounding on a treadmill as much as it requires rethinking what you eat.
Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.
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.
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.
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.
While the culture still seems to view drinking as a negative substance, culture does not view the consumption of a soda, or, sweets as a totally negative thing. Todays culture does not view eating or drinking high fructose corn syrup nearly as negative as drinking. In the early 1900s, America was mainly the only culture of society affected by drinking. In todays society, not only is America severely affected by obesity, but the problem is not limited to just America; many countries in todays society are affected by this epidemic. In the 1820s, farmers could turn their corn into pork or alcohol. Today, you can turn corn into anything from chicken nuggets, and hamburgers to emulsifiers and Nutraceuticals. In 1985, the consumption of all added sugars, has clambered from 128 pounds to 158 pounds per individual.
“Don’t eat that, it has high fructose corn syrup”. It causes weight gain, they say. Is high fructose corn syrup as bad as it is portrayed to be? What the between difference in using HFCS and table sugar? HFCS and its alleged link to weight gain is a major controversy in America. There has even been court cases about this matter.
Sugar; the word sugar has a great meaning. It all started centuries ago. Sugar is found in sugarcane and is originally from New Guinea. It spreads its way towards Southeast Asia, China and India. The Indians were the first to discover the sugar crystallization method and were also the first to cultivate sugarcane and refine it. In 647 AD, China conveys a mission in India to obtain the technology for sugar-refining. Throughout the centuries, sugar became a staple of cooking and desserts and was introduced to the new world by Christopher Columbus in the year of 1493(Wikipedia, 2013). Back then, most of the sugary foods were healthy because no extra ingredients were added. In the modern world, Sugary foods are full of calories and no essential nutrients. Two- hundred years ago, the average American ate only 2 lbs. of sugar a year. Today, the average American consumes almost 152 lbs. of sugar a year. If we break it down weekly that would be six cups of sugar in one week. Most sugar that we consume are the ones we cannot see, they are the ones that affect us the most. This type of sugar is called “The Hidden Sugar.” For a lot of people, sugary foods are a source to relieve stress and tiredness. According to Researchers from the University of Cincinnati, eating or drinking sweets may decrease the production of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid—which has been linked to obesity and decreased immune response (Ewbank, 2005). At this point, sugary foods have made their way around, throughout the centuries and now, they are one of our biggest fears in society. Though sugary foods can be stressed free and delicious, with the risk of most sugar consumed being hidden, sugary foods can be harmful to the society through obesity and can als...
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
...rate of obesity increased But this isn’t the only thing that it causes. In a book called, “Process-induced Food Toxicants” by Wiley Hoboken , he tells us that High fructose also causes Heart disease, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay
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...
The average American eats 156 pounds of added sugar each year. Sugar is delicious and once we have it, our body constantly wants more. Added sugar has become an American epidemic. “Eighty percent, or 480,000 of the 600,000 food products sold within the U.S. have added sugar, which, according to researchers and medical doctors, is why we have the world 's highest obesity rate is at 31 percent,” (Fed Up). The addictive quality of added sugar makes our brains want more of it constantly; however, our bodies are being negatively affected by its consumption in many ways.
For years doctors have been saying that refined sugars are empty calories and consist of absolutely no vitamins or minerals that people need to survive. Dentists warn that sugary foods encourage tooth decay. Many people avoid sweet food because it can lead to obesity, heart problems, diabetes and cancer. These negative responses by people’s bodies are actually warnings. Maybe people eat sugar for other reasons than the sweet taste. The human body's negative responses to sugar may be a similar purpose to the reason kids feel pain when they are playing too roughly. People’s consumption of sweet foods might also serve as a sign of defiance against their bodies’ health limitations. What many people do not realize is that their tasty treats can affect their mind and emotions.