By any other name would smell as sweet." --Shakespeare High fructose corn syrup, that ubiquitous refined sweetener found in everything from jams and sodas to breads and tomato sauce, has taken quite a beating in the last couple of years. Documentaries such as King Corn vilified the ingredient. Conscientious consumers started reading labels and asking for less refined sweeteners. Companies such as Gatorade, Hunt's ketchup and Thomas English muffins publicly removed the ingredient from its products. ("Now with no high fructose corn syrup" boast packages in every aisle of the supermarket.) And the industry took note. First came the "Sweet Surprise," a $20-$30 million campaign by the Corn Refiners Association to boost the reputation of HFCS. (Watch the ads here.) Now, the Corn Refiners Association has decided to petition the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow for a name change. High fructose corn syrup would be known as called corn sugar, if the industry gets its way. According to SparkPeople dietitian Becky Hand, "theories abound that HFCS has a greater impact on blood glucose levels than regular sugar (sucrose). However, research has shown that there are no significant differences between HFCS and sugar (sucrose) when it comes to the production of insulin, leptin (a hormone that regulates body weight and metabolism), ghrelin (the "hunger" hormone), or the changes in blood glucose levels. In addition, satiety studies done on HFCS and sugar (sucrose) have found no difference in appetite regulation, feelings of fullness, or short-term energy intake." (Read more about HFCS and its effects on the body here.) Still, SparkPeople members and the general public have qualms about consuming it. In recent polls, we asked: Do you tend to avoid high fructose corn syrup? 75% said yes (more than 18,000 people). We also asked: Do you believe that high fructose corn syrup is worse for you than regular sugar? 57% said yes to that question. Changing the name of a product has boosted its appeal to consumers in the past--prunes became dried plums; rapeseed oil became canola oil. What do you think about the name change? What do you believe to be the industry's intentions? Is the name change, as Corn Refiners Association president Audrae Erickson says, intended to alleviate confusion about the ingredient? Or is it simply a way to trick consumers wary of HFCS to consumer products that actually do contain it? How do you feel about high fructose corn syrup?
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The fact remains that it is still another processed sugar, which no matter what is not something to be excessively indulged. It has to be limited in our diets but so does regular sugar. Let's face it, they are both making us fat! Just get controll of your sweets intake overall! Report
I just don't understand why they feel certain items need corn syrup in them--its proof of how its used as a filler just to save money if some cases instead of, oh, i don't know, more Tomatoes! gah! Report
The real key to eating healthy is to shop from the perimeter of the grocery store whenever possible. Keep your foods real. After all, do you really want to eat something you can't pronounce? Those sorts of things also come along with the HFCS.
Big agriculture, along with its D. C. lobbyists want us all to eat this kind of junk because it profits them twice. Once when we buy it, and then again when we have to buy drugs when it makes us sick because of diabetes, heart disease, obesity in general.
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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a
rticles/archive/2010/10/01/new-high
-fructose-corn-syrup-scam.aspx?SetF
ocus=undefined Report
keep spreading the word. Report
I know that some of the cool, smooth, creamy treats that I love so much are made with milk from cows that have been injected with the bovine growth hormone known as rBGH.
And here’s what’s really annoying: Many of these products have labels that claim the contents are “all natural” – which is not exactly accurate, considering that rBGH is genetically modified.
According to a recent article by nutritionist John Robbins, just about every major brand of ice cream allows rBGH: Breyers, Haagen Dazs, Edy’s, Nestle, Good Humor, Popsicle, and Klondike Bars.
rBGH contains high levels of natural growth factor (IGF-1), which your digestive system easily absorbs. And the problem here is that high levels of IGF-1 have been linked to colon, breast, and prostate cancers.
As for the HFCS
Dr. Anthony Heaney and his UCLA team recently exposed pancreatic cancer cells to fructose. They found that fructose prompted a dramatic growth of the malignant cells.
In the journal Cancer Research, they wrote, "These findings show that cancer cells can readily metabolize fructose to increase proliferation." And even worse, they believe that fructose may have this effect on other types of cancer cells--not just pancreatic cancer.
In conclusion, you can't trust anything you eat, unless you raise it yourself.
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And why do my fellow consumers feel the need to try to "correct" my beliefs that HFCS should be consumed in very low quantities or avoided altogether? For those of you saying sugar is sugar, why do you care what the rest of us believe? Why do you care if I would rather consume honey or sugar in the raw rather than HFCS or refined sugar?
Share information but quit trying to change my mind. Report
food products in combinations that have high palatability, low nutrition and are addictive! Report
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Even microwaves make our food's vitamins inert and turn many into carcinogens. So, for me, I cook everything the same way it would've been cooked 50 years ago (it actually tastes much better, too). http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a
rticles/archive/2010/05/18/microwav
e-hazards.aspx Report
That being said, HFCS is an engineered chemical creation. It's labeled differently than regular old corn syrup because it's not the same thing. I would be uncomfortable (as I am with much of the labeling we do) calling it a sugar, and pretending it's sugar just like beat or cane sugar when it's nothing close to it from a natural standpoint. Report
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When a product changes its name, I look for the reason. If rape seed oil changes its name to canola oil, I think that is appropriate and justified because the negative association with the crime of rape has nothing to do with the product. When high fructose corn syrup changes its name to corn sugar to avoid a justified (IMHO) bad reputation, it is dishonest and reprehensible. Report
If the first ingredient in a product is now "corn sugar", it seems unlilely that we will all breath a sigh of relief that the corn syrup is gone. We know better, let's give ourselves some credit for being as smart as we are. If there is no inherent harm in the product, why are we making such a fuss? Other than trying to place blame where it most likely does not belong, I cannot find a valid reason for all the energy we are expending on this issue.
Let them change the way we identify the product. If the current name is creating an unwarranted bias against the product, then changing the way it is identified is the righ thing to do. Report
"High fructose corn syrup has been shown to contain trace amounts of mercury as a result of some manufacturing processes, and its consumption can also lead to zinc loss." and "Since high fructose corn syrup and artificial food color additives are common ingredients in many foodstuffs, their consumption should be considered in those individuals with nutritional deficits such as zinc deficiency or who are allergic or sensitive to the effects of mercury or unable to effectively metabolize and eliminate it from the body."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
19860886
Having lots of extra hidden sugar in your food isn't good for ANYONE. You can't limit sugar intake if you can't find it. (Granted, I can read the words "corn sugar" the same as I can read HFCS.) The industry definitely thinks the public is stupid and easily duped. I know I'm not. Report
As for my opinion, I am still going to avoid HFCS or corn sugar. They just put too much of it in products! But I also avoid products with too much cane sugar too! Also, its way to processed to be considered natural. I don't eat many packaged and processed foods anyway, so I will keep avoiding anything that isn't natural if I can!
~Ang Report
archive/S26/91/22K07 /
http://www.cancer.ucla.edu/index.as
px?recordid=385&page=644 Report