When you think of sugar you think of sugar cane. Maybe
sugar beets. Extraction of sugar from sugar cane helped to
fuel the colonization of the New World. When you see a
field of corn gently swaying in the breeze, do you think of
sugar? Most of us would be surprised to discover that a
large percentage of the sweeteners used in food processing
come from corn. The process for making High Fructose Corn
Syrup(HFCS) was developed in the 1970's. By the 1990's the
use of sugar had declined sharply. Today Americans consume
more HFCS than sugar by far.
High-fructose corn syrup is produced by adding enzymes to
white corn starch. Simple? Not really. First
alpha-amylase(1st enzyme) is used to break the cornstarch
molecules into polysaccharides. Next, glucoamylase(2nd
enzyme) breaks the polysaccharides into simple glucose
molecule chains. Lastly, glucose-isomersal(3rd enzyme)
converts 42% of the glucose into fructose. After a few
more unnatural steps, the syrup contains the 55% fructose
that is required to be called High-fructose corn syrup.
The first two enzymes are created from bacteria and fungus.
The third is so expensive that producers will pour the
mixture over it and reuse the enzyme repeatedly. Also, the
first two enzymes are both genetically engineered to
increase their stability when heated. As an added treat,
the corn used to make the cornstarch is also genetically
altered.
A study by the United States Department of
Agriculture(USDA) wanted to test the effects of HFCS. They
used lab rats. The males did not mature to adulthood.
They were anemic, had high cholesterol levels, and suffered
from cardiac hypertrophy- their hearts swelled, some
actually ruptured. They did not develop testicles a the
proper time. The females were unable to produce live
young. This study combined HFCS with copper deficient
rats. The reason for that is because most Americans have a
copper deficiency.
High-fructose corn syrup has been found to cause a large
number of health issues in test animals. The animal's
livers were found to have fatty deposits and evidence of
cirrhosis. They looked like the livers of alcoholics. It
is known that fructose interferes with the heart's ability
to use magnesium, copper, and chromium. HFCS has been
implicated in increased cholesterol levels, the formation
of blood clots, and it inhibits white blood cells ability
ro fight infections. Fructose reduces the ability of
insulin to find its receptor on a cell. This is the
calling card of type 2 diabetes. As a result the body is
forced to increase insulin production. Because fructose
does not directly stimulate the pancreas to make insulin
and the fact that it is metabolized in the liver, it is
turned into fat cells more frequently than other sugars.
This can lead to obesity. The claim that HFCS is based on
the fact that soda and drinks that contain HFCS are one of
the main sources of calories in the American diet.
Over-consumption of sugars leads to and overproduction of
fat cells. Therefore, HFCS leads to obesity.
The extreme prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup in our
food chain is alarming to say the least. The news is
doubly hard on people who suffer from diabetes or yeast
problems such as Candida albicans. With emerging
information stacking up that shows the ill effects of HFCS,
the only current remedy is to avoid the many products that
contain it. You will find HFCS listed as one of the main
ingredients in at least half of the foods in your pantry.
There are several websites that you can reference, and lots
of material at your local library, that will give you a
list of dozens of foods that are truly HFCS-free.
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David Grisaffi is a Sports Conditining Coach and holds
multiple certifications including three from the
prestigious CHEK Institute: Level II Corrective Holistic
Exercise Kinesiologist, Golf Biomechanic, and Nutrition and
Lifestyle Coach. Plus he is also the author of the popular
selling e book, "Firm and Flatten Your Abs," which teaches
you how to develop a ripped abdominal region. Visit his
blog at http://www.flattenyourabs.net/blog
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