POISON! High Fructose Corn Syrup

"people who drank two or more sugary sodas a day were at 40 percent higher risk for kidney damage, while the risk for women soda drinkers nearly doubled."  NYT


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/still-spooked-by-high-fructose-corn-syrup/?hp

Just this month, researchers from Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago took a look at the link between kidney disease and high-fructose corn syrup. Using data from nearly 9,400 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004, they tracked consumption of sugary soft drinks, a major source of high-fructose corn syrup in the United States, and protein in the urine, a sensitive marker for kidney disease. They found that overall, people who drank two or more sugary sodas a day were at 40 percent higher risk for kidney damage, while the risk for women soda drinkers nearly doubled.

In June, the Journal of Hepatology suggested a link between consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in sodas and fatty liver disease.

And this summer, a small study published in The Journal of Nutrition suggested that fructose may make people fatter by bypassing the body’s regulation of sugars, which means it gets more quickly converted to fat than do other sugars.

Many scientists hypothesize that high-fructose corn syrup has contributed to rising obesity rates, although others say there is no solid evidence to support the theory. The corn refiners agree, dedicating a Web site to the “sweet surprise” of high-fructose corn syrup. more

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The Killer Sweetner: Pushing High Fructose Corn Syrup - Unethical Advertising in the NY Times

Today there is a huge one page Ad in the NY Times front section, saying that the ingredient High Fructose Corn Syrup had been "smeared" (exact words). The Ad goes on to say that HFCS is not harmful. PLEASE. How can the NYT allow the publication of such mis-information?

Here is what the Corn Refiners Association placed in the NYT under the web site SweetSurprises.com:

Lately, high fructose corn syrup has had its name dragged through the media.  Truth is, it's nutritionally the same as table sugar.  Has the same number of calories, too.  Even registered dietitians agree that you can keep enjoying the foods and beverages you love, just do it in moderation. To get all the facts, visit our website.  We welcome a healthy discussion.

My question to the Corn Refiners is, what do you mean by moderation?  Maybe it is "nutritionally the same as table sugar" but they fail to mention that High Fructose Corn Syrup is linked to Insulin Resistance Syndrome

Journal Of Hepatology
2008 Jun; Vol. 48 (6), pp. 993-9

Fructose consumption as a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

BACKGROUND/AIMS: While the rise in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) parallels the increase in obesity and diabetes, a significant increase in dietary fructose consumption in industrialized countries has also occurred. The increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup, primarily in the form of soft drinks, is linked with complications of the insulin resistance syndrome. Furthermore, the hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis and ATP depletion. We hypothesize that increased fructose consumption contributes to the development of NAFLD. ..CONCLUSIONS: The pathogenic mechanism underlying the development of NAFLD may be associated with excessive dietary fructose consumption.

If this isn't clear enough --- there are many other articles that address this...

from Diabetes Health
What Does It All Mean?

If HFCS is one of the first ingredients listed on a food label, don’t eat it. Make a mental list of the worst culprits, such as regular soft drinks and many highly sweetened breakfast cereals. HFCS alone won’t make you fat, but when HFCS is high on the ingredient list, the food is not the best choice. As part of a lifestyle that has many of us eating too much and moving too little, we’re putting our health at risk if we don’t choose our foods carefully.

from the American Academy of Family Physicians:

Insulin resistance can be linked to diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease and other abnormalities. These abnormalities constitute the insulin resistance syndrome. Because resistance usually develops long before these diseases appear, identifying and treating insulin-resistant patients has potentially great preventive value.

from FamilyDoctor.org:

What Causes Insulin Resistance Syndrome?

The main known causes of insulin resistance syndrome are a combination of (a) genetic factors; (b) obesity; and (c) lack of exercise. Other influences include: nutritional deficiencies of certain minerals, and liver dysfunction and/or fatty liver.

from today's Houston Chronicle concerning Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, "New Battle for Obese Teens: Liver Disease"

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