HFCS - The Poison That Promotes Obesity and Liver Damage

There have been many studies performed that prove that High Fructose Corn syrup is very harmful to humans and has been linked to health issues from higher weight gain and even increase in diabetes. Two new studies add to the volume of evidence concerning the detrimental effects of HFCS and that it causes far more damage than regular sugar.

HFCS is made with 55% Fructose and 45% Glucose, but regular sugar is made with 50% Fructose and 50% Glucose. Very similar but that extra 5% Fructose has been proven to be very quite harmful. "Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, " researcher Bart Hoebel said. The researchers for the first study fed rats identical diets but supplemented one group with an additional sweetened beverage or two that contained HFCS and that group gained significantly more weight than the control group. In fact they gained about 48% more weight! They also had increase fat deposits and lowering of circulating triglycerides.

These are symptoms consistent with metabolic syndrome, "a cluster of symptoms that predispose humans to cardiovascular disease and diabetes". the second study showed that rats that consumed HFCS showed that it worsened non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). "We have identified an environmental risk factor that may contribute to the metabolic syndrome of insulin resistance and the complications of the metabolic syndrome, including liver injury," Abdelmalek said.

The researchers are not sure why this 5% increase of Fructose causes so many more health issues than Sucrose. Some have hypothesized that the negative effects come from the massive quantities in which it is consumed -- high-fructose corn syrup is found in nearly all processed foods. Other researchers have observed that beverages made with high-fructose corn syrup contain high levels of reactive carbonyls, which can damage cells.

More and more keeps coming out about the dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup but very little is being done to control its use or to educate consumers about its detrimental effects on their health. I feel that it is way past time that the government steps in and regulates the use of HFCS the same way that they do other toxic substances. At a minimum there should be health warnings on products that contain HFCS.