Several different variations of high fructose corn syrup are available and each contains a different proportion of fructose to glucose.
The most concentrated form is HFCS 90 and this version contains 90 percent fructose.
In a recent study with mice, high fructose corn syrup proved to be more harmful to females than it is to males.
Since it only takes one quarter teaspoon of sugar to take your blood level from a normal range to a diabetic blood sugar level, you need to know about the sweeteners that are in your food supply.
Many processed foods and prepared foods are sweetened with HFCS rather than regular sugar. It’s cheap and it mixes well and stays in suspension better than sugar does. It is not as benign as many would have you believe and my second book, High Fructose Corn Syrup: Evil Twin or a Safe Option discusses added sugars in detail. It’s available on #amazon here.
Public opinion has been swayed lately due to the fact that many of the earlier studies of high fructose corn syrup used very high doses. As a result, most of these studies are now being ignored and the general consensus is that sugar is just as bad as HFCS.
However, a recent study published by The American Society For Nutrition has shown that the risk of cardiovascular mortality is positively associated with consumption of high fructose corn syrup.
It’s 100% GMO – what could possibly go wrong!
HFCS is a short book but a worthwhile read.
HFCS is just one more way to cram more sugar into your diet and get you addicted to junk food.
HFCS is 100 percent genetically modified junk/
Interesting read. There have been so many mixed opinions about HFCS.
Thank you for sharing. I am impressed with your
site. I will publish this to my facebook wall.
Great info, even in the comments.
I’ve read quite a few posts saying HFCS got a bad rap and it’s ok to use.
Researchers don’t always have the time to carry on multi-year studies and using a higher dose over a shorter period of time was a common practice in the past. It often turns out that the human body can adapt and handle lower doses though, so this type of study often produced extreme results that would not happen at lower doses.
It turns out that both sugar and HFCS are both pretty much equally bad for us. That means we can handle a low dose of 2-4 teaspoons of sugar per day (or the equivalent amount of hfcs) but any more than that causes us health problems.
The problem is there is so much sugar present in so many foods today. A can of pop, a sports drink or a large glass of sweetened fruit juice all contain over 8 teaspoons of sugar. Then there’s the sugar in bread, breakfast cereals, sauces and just about anything else you don’t make at home.
Surprised to read that only one quarter teaspoon of sugar could cause problems.
I agree Zita. Were it not for insulin, it would only take one quarter teaspoon of sugar to put us into the blood sugar level of a diabetic person.
Good article, I’m going to spend more time learning
about this topic.
I’ll have to get the book.. sounds like a worthwhile read.
Thanks Gertie 🙂
I know a few people who are actually buying high fructose corn syrup to use at home. Is this a good idea?
Sorry I missed your question Agnes! This is such an important topic.
I’m surprised to see so many people are doing this Agnes and in answer to your question, I think it’s a really bad idea to buy high fructose corn syrup for home use.
I suppose it’s a reaction to the fact that the earlier studies had made HFCS out to be worse than it is. Recent studies now say that regular sugar can be just as bad if you use too much of it (more than 4-5 teaspoons per day).
That’s not the same as saying it’s ok to use high fructose corn syrup!
The important thing to understand it that the fructose in HFCS is unbound. That means it requires no digestion. It goes straight to the liver and triggers the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol (lipogenesis). This is the major cause of liver damage and causes a condition called ‘fatty liver’ disease.
A lot of people seem to think that high fructose corn syrup is not much different from sugar these days. What do you think it is that makes it worse?
Sorry Kristal, I replied to your question on June 29, 2015 but it showed up as a comment rather than a reply (fixed now 🙂
Both sugar and high fructose corn syrup are really bad for you if you use too much of them. It’s also true that using just a bit of either one isn’t likely to cause any harm.
When it comes to choosing foods, most people fall into one of two camps:
1. People who like to eat foods that are as natural as possible
2. Those who don’t really care
If you are in the group of people who try to eat foods that are as natural as possible, high fructose corn syrup is something you would avoid at all costs. It is as far removed from natural foods as you can get.
It is made from 100 percent GMO corn and is also very highly processed.
Based on this information alone, most of us who belong in group 1 choose to avoid any product that has high fructose corn syrup in it.