By Yvonne Marie

A commercial break comes on the television. We see a father and daughter walking in a lovely corn field. The father tells us, sugar is sugar and corn syrup is a natural sugar made from corn. What can be better than that??

But is high fructose corn syrup natural, the same as sugar, wholesome and good for us? The answer is a resounding NO!

How is this “natural” product produced? High fructose corn syrup(HFCS) is derived from corn in a multi-step process involving the use of chemical enzymes to break glucose down into fructose (Sweetsurprise.com, 2011). That doesn’t sound to bad ,but when I did more research I found that many of the chemicals used in the production of HFCS are dangerous and toxic.

In a letter to Erickson and the Corn Refiners Association, Geraldine June, of the FDA Product Evaluation and Labeling Team, said, “The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our […] policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural’.”

One of the chemicals HFCS contains is hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Several products with HFCS from different manufacturers were tested by an agricultural research group for a period of 35 days at different temperatures. The researchers, Blaise LeBlanc, Gillian Eggleston, and their colleagues, found that a toxic chemical, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) occurs when HFCS is exposed to warm temperatures.　 As the temperatures increased, HMF increased steadily until it jumped dramatically at 120°F.　 HMF breaks down in the body into other substances that can be even more harmful than HMF.

Hydroxymethylfurfural

(HMF) is one of the chemicals many scientists believe is responsible for the death of the honey bees.

I have learned from Dr. Mercola’s book that there are bee farms that produce 2/3 of the annual honey production in North America by force feeding their bees high fructose corn syrup or other sugars, and keeping them under 24-hour hive lighting so that they will produce honey year round. These tactics result in the bees producing a product that is only partially real honey; the other portion of the “honey” is HFCS. The whole sale price of one lb. of honey ranges from $3.00 to $5.00. The whole sale price on one lb. of HFCS is .08cents.

You don’t have to be a scientist to see why farmers are feeding their bees HFCS instead of honey (which would be their natural winter food).

You can also tell if you have pure, raw honey by whether it burns at 140 degrees. If it burns, it’s not real honey. Of course, the force-produced honey is cheaper than raw honey, but if you are like many people who want to avoid high fructose corn syrup, you won’t want that bottle of “honey”.

Another chemical used to produce HFCS and found in HFCS is glutaraldehyde. Glutaraldehyde, is a toxic chemical used in industrial water treatment systems and to sterilize medical equipment by killing living cells. It’s also a well-known embalming chemical. It is toxic to the human body and causes eye, nose, throat and lung irritation (asthma, sneezing, wheezing, burning eyes, etc.). It can also cause drowsiness, dizziness and headaches. The chemical is so toxic that it can actually burn a hole in your stomach. As explained on this Material Safety Data Sheet (

http://www.tedpella.com/msds_html/18411msd.htm

“Due to the severely irritating or corrosive nature of the material, swallowing may lead to ulceration and inflammation of the upper dimentary tract with hemorrhage and fluid loss. Also, perforation of the esophagus or stomach may occur, leading to mediastinitis or peritonitis and the resultant complications. Any material aspirated during vomiting may cause lung injury. Therefore, emesis should not be induced mechanically or pharmacologically. If it is considered necessary to evacuate the stomach contents, this should be done by means least likely to cause aspiration (e.g., gastric lavage after endotracheal intubation).”

Another addition to HFCS is Mercury. The caustic soda used in the production of HFCS contains mercury.

The presence of mercury in high fructose corn syrup was documented by researchers at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and published in Environmental Health. In some cases, the level of mercury was high enough that a woman eating an average amount of HFCS as represented in the American diet could ingest more than five times the maximum recommended upper limit of mercury.

In a second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

Although the American consumer may be lead to believe HFCS is like sugar, your body does not digest HFCS and sugar the same way. Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the University of Florida examined fructose levels in the blood of 40 subjects after they consumed 24 ounces of a drink sweetened with either HFCS or sucrose (table sugar). They found higher levels of blood fructose in those who drank the HFCS beverage, as well as higher blood pressure readings and higher levels of uric acid, a substance that in excess is tied to kidney damage and gout.

Dr. Michael Roizen states “The problem is that HFCS inhibits the secretion of the hormone leptin, which tells your brain that you’re full, so you never get the message. And it never shuts off gherlin (the other main hormone that controls appetite, which stimulates your hunger), so even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry.”

What are the health benefits of HFCS. I couldn’t find any. Producers of it site its low cost as a benefit to consumers. I haven’t seen the price of food coming down and personally I would rather pay a bit more for something really natural.

Our family took a stand. We went through all the food in the house and threw away anything containing HFCS. I was shocked to see how many things it is in. HFCS was in every sweet item but we also found it in salad dressing, soup, hot dogs and sausage, bread, yogurt and many other items.

Has stopping the use of HFCS been worth it to my family? YES

Both my mom’s and my asthma have gone away. We both have lost weight ( I have lost 20 lbs.) I noticed I don’t feel hungry after eating and I don’t crave sweets. And I noticed that no one in the family is having indigestion except when we eat out.

Take the NO HFCS challenge. Read every label and stop eating this horrible food for 2 weeks. If you are like us the resulting way you feel will be all the evidence you will need to eliminate this from your diet forever!

Yvonne Marie 3-28-12