IF YOU CAN’T CONVINCE THEM, CONFUSE THEM. Harry Truman
The current media debate about the benefits (or lack of harm) of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in our diet misses the obvious. The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period, obesity rates have more than tripled and diabetes incidence has increased more than seven fold. Not perhaps the only cause, but a fact that cannot be ignored.
Doubt and confusion are the currency of deception, and they sow the seeds of complacency. These are used skillfully through massive print and television advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiners Association’s attempt to dispel the “myth” that HFCS is harmful and assert through the opinion of “medical and nutrition experts” that it is no different than cane sugar. It is a “natural” product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation.
Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay and more.
Why is the corn industry spending millions on misinformation campaigns to convince consumers and health care professionals of the safety of their product? Could it be that the food industry comprises 17 percent of our economy?
The Lengths the Corn Industry Will Go To
The goal of the corn industry is to call into question any claim of harm from consuming high fructose corn syrup, and to confuse and deflect by calling their product natural “corn sugar”. That’s like calling tobacco in cigarettes natural herbal medicine. Watch the slick ad where a caring father walks hand in hand with his four-year-old daughter through a big question mark carved in an idyllic cornfield.
In the ad, the father tells us:
“Like any parent I have questions about the food my daughter eats – like high fructose corn syrup. So I started looking for answers from medical and nutrition experts, and what I discovered whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Knowing that makes me feel better about what she eats and that’s one less thing to worry about.”
Physicians are also targeted directly. I received a 12-page color glossy monograph from the Corn Refiners Association reviewing the “science” that HFCS was safe and no different than cane sugar. I assume the other 700,000 physicians in America received the same propaganda at who knows what cost.
In addition to this, I received a special “personal” letter from the Corn Refiner’s Association outlining every mention of the problems with HFCS in our diet – whether in print, blogs, books, radio or television. They warned me of the errors of my ways and put me on “notice”. For what I am not sure. To think they are tracking this (and me) that closely gives me an Orwellian chill.
New websites like www.sweetsurprise.com and www.cornsugar.com help “set us straight” about HFCS with quotes from professors of nutrition and medicine and thought leaders from Harvard and other stellar institutions.
Why is the corn industry spending millions on misinformation campaigns to convince consumers and health care professionals of the safety of their product? Could it be that the food industry comprises 17 percent of our economy?
But are these twisted sweet lies or a sweet surprise, as the Corn Refiners Association websites claim?
What the Science Says about HFCS
Let’s examine the science and insert some common sense into the conversation. These facts may indeed come as a sweet surprise. The ads suggest getting your nutrition advice from your doctor (who, unfortunately, probably knows less about nutrition than most grandmothers). Having studied this for over a decade, and having read, interviewed or personally talked with most of the “medical and nutrition experts” used to bolster the claim that “corn sugar” and cane sugar are essentially the same, quite a different picture emerges and the role of HFCS in promoting obesity, disease and death across the globe becomes clear.
Last week over lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames, one of the foremost nutritional scientists in the world and Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a nutritional biochemist, a student of Linus Pauling and I reviewed the existing science, and Dr. Ames shared shocking new evidence from his research center on how HFCS can trigger body-wide inflammation and obesity.
Here are 5 reasons you should stay way from any product containing high fructose corn syrup and why it may kill you.
1. Sugar in any form causes obesity and disease when consumed in pharmacologic doses.
Cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup are indeed both harmful when consumed in pharmacologic doses of 140 pounds per person per year. When one 20 ounce HFCS sweetened soda, sports drink or tea has 17 teaspoons of sugar (and the average teenager often consumes two drinks a day) we are conducting a largely uncontrolled experiment on the human species. Our hunter gather ancestors consumed the equivalent of 20 teaspoons per year, not per day. In this sense, I would agree with the corn industry that sugar is sugar. Quantity matters. But there are some important differences.
2. HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.
High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a process so secret that Archer Daniels Midland and Carghill would not allow the investigative journalist, Michael Pollan to observe it for his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The sugars are extracted through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically novel compound called HFCS.
Some basic biochemistry will help you understand this. Regular cane sugar (sucrose) is made of two-sugar molecules bound tightly together – glucose and fructose in equal amounts. The enzymes in your digestive tract must break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the body.
HFCS also consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. Fructose is sweeter than glucose. And HFCS is cheaper than sugar because of the government farm bill corn subsidies. Products with HFCS are sweeter and cheaper than products made with cane sugar. This allowed for the average soda size to balloon from 8 ounces to 20 ounces with little financial costs to manufacturers but great human costs of increased obesity, diabetes and chronic disease.
Now back to biochemistry. Since there is there is no chemical bond between them, no digestion is required so they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people. The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin – our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.
But there was one more thing I learned during lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames. Research done by his group at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute found that free fructose from HFCS requires more energy to be absorbed by the gut and soaks up two phosphorous molecules from ATP (our body’s energy source). This depletes the energy fuel source or ATP in our gut required to maintain the integrity of our intestinal lining. Little “tight junctions” cement each intestinal cell together preventing food and bacteria from “leaking” across the intestinal membrane and triggering an immune reaction and body wide inflammation.
High doses of free fructose have been proven to literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria and partially digested food proteins to enter your blood stream and trigger the inflammation that we know is at the root of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and accelerated aging. Naturally occurring fructose in fruit is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber that doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as the free high fructose doses found in “corn sugar”.
The takeaway: Cane sugar and the industrially produced, euphemistically named “corn sugar” are not biochemically or physiologically the same.
3. HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
An FDA researcher asked corn producers to ship a barrel of high fructose corn syrup in order to test for contaminants. Her repeated requests were refused until she claimed she represented a newly created soft drink company. She was then promptly shipped a big vat of HFCS that was used as part of the study that showed that HFCS often contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing.(i) Poisoned sugar is certainly not “natural”.
When HFCS is run through a chemical analyzer or a chromatograph, strange chemical peaks show up that are not glucose or fructose. What are they? Who knows? This certainly calls into question the purity of this processed form of super sugar. The exact nature, effects and toxicity of these funny compounds have not been fully explained, but shouldn’t we be protected from the presence of untested chemical compounds in our food supply, especially when the contaminated food product comprises up to 15-20 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake?
4. Independent medical and nutrition experts DO NOT support the use of HFCS in our diet, despite the assertions of the corn industry.
The corn industry’s happy looking websites www.cornsugar.com and www.sweetsurprise.com bolster their position that cane sugar and corn sugar are the same by quoting experts, or should we say mis-quoting …
Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has published widely on the dangers of sugar-sweetened drinks and their contribution to the obesity epidemic. In a review of HFCS in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,(ii) he explains the mechanism by which the free fructose may contribute to obesity. He states that:
“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [production of fat in the liver]. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption.”
He states that HFCS is absorbed more rapidly than regular sugar, and that it doesn’t stimulate insulin or leptin production. This prevents you from triggering the body’s signals for being full and may lead to overconsumption of total calories.
He concludes by saying that:
“… the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.”
The corn industry takes his comments out of context to support their position. “All sugar you eat is the same.”
True pharmacologic doses of any kind of sugar are harmful, but the biochemistry of different kinds of sugar and their respective effects on absorption, appetite and metabolism are different, and Dr. Popkin knows that.
David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and a personal friend has published extensively on the dangers and the obesogenic properties of sugar-sweetened beverages. He was quoted as saying that “high fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food industry.” When I asked him why he supported the corn industry, he told me he didn’t and that his comments were taken totally out of context.
Misrepresenting science is one thing, misrepresenting scientists who have been at the forefront of the fight against obesity and high fructose sugar sweetened beverages is quite another.
5. HFCS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease creating industrial food products or “food-like substances”.
The last reason to avoid products that contain HFCS is that they are a marker for poor-quality, nutritionally depleted, processed industrial food full of empty calories and artificial ingredients. If you find “high fructose corn syrup” on the label you can be sure it is not a whole, real, fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Stay away if you want to stay healthy. We still must reduce our overall consumption of sugar, but with this one simple dietary change you can radically reduce your health risks and improve your health.
While debate may rage about the biochemistry and physiology of cane sugar vs. corn sugar, this is in fact beside the point (despite the finer points of my scientific analysis above). The conversation has been diverted to a simple assertion that cane sugar and corn sugar are not different.
The real issues are only two.
- We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history — 140 pounds a year vs. 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago.
- High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous and filled with all sorts of other disease promoting compounds, fats, salt, chemicals and even mercury.
These critical ideas should be the heart of the national conversation, not the meaningless confusing ads and statements by the corn industry in the media and online that attempt to assure the public that the biochemistry of real sugar and industrially produced sugar from corn are the same.
Now I’d like to hear from you …
Do you think there is an association between the introduction of HFCS in our diet and the obesity epidemic?
What reason do you think the Corn Refiners Association has for running such ads and publishing websites like those listed in this article?
What do you think of the science presented here and the general effects of HFCS on the American diet?
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
References
(i) Dufault, R., LeBlanc, B., Schnoll, R. et al. 2009. Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: Measured concentrations in food product sugar. Environ Health. 26(8):2.
(ii) Bray, G.A., Nielsen, S.J., and B.M. Popkin. 2004. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 79(4):537-43. Review.
Thanks for educating and making us aware about these things. Yes you can see how greed for money drives the “food” producers. We think that corrupt government, terrorism, natural disasters, violence, abuse are some of the big probs in the world. But the health crisis caused by these greedy producers is deplorable. They are the “food/health” terrorists. Sending out their propaganda and “terror” threats to those who oppose them. But NOTHING can stop and individual from seeking the truth and the best health care they can choose. And nothing can stop those who want to educate and care for them. For years it’s been know that eating read meat is not the healthiest choice. Do they come after every doctor that says don’t eat it or cut back? Everyone knows that eating at Mac Donalds is not the healthiest choice, but does that company send out warnings to health care practitioners to stop telling their patients about the danger of eating fast foods? North American’s are some of the MOST unhealthy overweight, stressed out, disease ridden societies in the world. Each person must ultimately make their food and lifestyle choices. They can choose to educate themselves about their choices or not. But it is a “Moral/ethical ” obligation of the food industry to not give false advertising about its products. But oh, wait a minute, I forgot , the currency for these companies is money not morality and ethics. ha!
I rest my case.
Thank you for this article, I’m glad to see there are people in the medical profession that can not be bought off or confused by the propaganda of the agri-business industry.
I have one question for you, and then I’ll answer yours below. What are the other names that HFCS has on labels intent on misleading consumers?
Do you think there is an association between the introduction of HFCS in our diet and the obesity epidemic? Absolutely
What reason do you think the Corn Refiners Association has for running such ads and publishing websites like those listed in this article? To ensure we all keep putting money in their pockets. Money is their only driving factor. I think they should have to pay into the health care system for their blatant neglect of health, just as the tobacco industry should.
What do you think of the science presented here and the general effects of HFCS on the American diet? I think this is a great article and that Americans should push for organic food to be subsidized. Why should food that is going to kill you early, and slowly and at great cost I may add, be so cheap? It doesn’t make any sense for massive corporations to be able to offload the environmental and health costs onto the unsuspecting public. It’s time for government to regulate food corporations, from Monsanto to Smithfield to KFC to Pepsi and Coke. There should also be some sort of regulation on political contributions so that government can act in the best interest of the people…they way they are supposed to.
Sarah – Oh Oh no-no >no-no! We do not need any more of our style government control!! What we – all of us – need to do is study, do your own research and frankly — please know that all corn raised in the USA is genetically modified and the crops are already contaminated with poison- just avoid corn OR raise it yourself. Just check that bit of info!
Sweet Dr.Pepper NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can we change this in any way, maybe go back to cane sugar?!?!?!
There was such a thing as Dublin Dr. Pepper once, but a lawsuit lost them the rights to make it any more, but now they are producing again under the name Dr. Dublin…look for it…its Pure Cane Sugar….but don’t drink too much.
Very informative article. Thanks for posting, Dr. Hyman. I don’t know why this stuff isn’t illegal- oh right- the corn industry lobby can afford to buy a few senators.
Excellent article and well written. Now we just need people to get behind the government to stop subsidizing corn and soy farmers. The consumer demand needs to be on organic vegetables and proper caring of the soil and water ways. Put people back to work and rely less on big oil. Healthy food should be our highest priority.
I loved the way you clarified the issue and shattered the Corn Refiners Association’s position. The CRA is expending so much effort to convince America that their product is natural and safe. This became evident to me personally when Andrae Erickson, President of the Corn Refiners Association, took the time to comment on a Patch article I wrote about the HFCS in children’s OTC medicines compromising their health.
See article & her comment here http://rockvillecentre.patch.com/articles/holistic-remedy-cabinet They have their work cut out for them if they play to go on trying to convince America by refuting articles written by health coaches.
The part that bugs me the most is that the crop is subsidized. I believe that asking people to look at labels is great, but the availability and the misleading claims on products (i.e. organic) is not going to solve the problem. Governments need to be regulating the food supply and making it easier for the people in the lowest socio-economic groups to access healthy affordable food.
Rainbow McBryan
Registered Dietitian
I think these sugars and all kinds of cheaply made foods are at the heart of the obesity epidemic. Large food producers make and price these foods cheaply and they hurt even more in hard economic times because they are so affordable to people that are struggling to make ends meet. They are also purchased by lazy people that don’t want to take the time to prepare something good. Schools also serve tons of this crap to save money and receive kickbacks from political friends for buying from their suppliers. The deck is so stacked against the masses consuming good healthy foods that it has become scary. I will do my best to educate my friends about the dangers of HFCS/ Sugar in their diet. It is very disheartening that there isn’t more outrage. I hope you and others will keep fighting to expose food producers fattening of Americans
Well, Dr. Hyman, I have to say…that you have written a highly cohesive and informative article and that it would be wise for your readers to heed your advice on this subject. Have a lovely day.
Not a big TV watcher, but somewhere or other I noticed the corn syrup rebrand. Clever slight-of-hand. Who wouldn’t do that if their entire industry were at stake? HFCS is scary stuff. And yet we the tax payers help to subsidize it. Something must be done to encourage farmers to grow real food again. Until then, we continue to be poisoned by the very companies that claim to be feeding us. These guys will never be willingly accountable.
Truly frightening stuff! There is definitely a connection b/t HFCS and the obesity epidemic. I don’t know how the people promoting it can sleep at night knowing what it’s doing to people. The comparison to cigarettes is so true. The corn industry is promoting it for one reason – $$$. If they suddenly found another use for corn that was more profitable they’d refocus their energy on that. They are counting on the fact that people will become addicted and continue to want even more. It’s so difficult to combat b/c the harmful effects are not readily apparent, so people don’t realize (or don’t believe) what it’s doing to them.
I say this from experience – I try to eat clean but it’s so easy to slip…and then I start feeling crappy and realize it’s the junk I’ve been feeding myself disguised as “healthy” food wreaking havoc on my body, and the best remedy is to avoid packaged foods as a rule.
The biggest challenge for the average consumer is finding food that doesn’t have HFCS in it. For the average American shopping in the local supermarket, it is very hard to avoid. Manufacturers would do everyone a huge favor if they just started eliminating it from products (which I know is not going to happen, at least in the short term).
Bottom line, I’m sticking to my philosophy that I’d rather eat a little bit of real sugar than a cheap (and harmful) imitation.
Great article! I completely agree with your final two points. I will not buy food with HFCS. It started with the discovery of mercury (I had a 9 month old when I found out) and then as I read and learned more about nutrition labels and ingredients, I began to realize that processed foods had HFCS and a million other chemicals I didn’t recognize and “all natural” foods did not. I hate the corn industry and everything it stands for.
Is this why I used to get a hot and agitated feeling after drinking or consuming HFCS? My immune system was being triggered from holes being punched in my intestine? Wow. I chucked this stuff years ago, and avoid it as well as hydrogenated vegetable oil. I can’t believe how greedy and underhanded the agri-business has become, or how much of this stuff I consumed when I was young. Are regular corn syrup and HFCS different? I know that Karo switched from HFCS to regular Corn Syrup due to this outcry. I have also seen an organic corn syrup in health food stores. The label on agave nectar that reads it has a high fructose content, is that bad too? Please explain further. Thanks.
Maybe I’m missing something, but in the first part of the article, you state that the HFCS molecule is broken apart and that the fructose goes to the liver where it causes lipogenesis and the remaining glucose causes an insulin spike. That makes sense…no argument there. But then, you quote Barry M. Popkin, PhD, who states that HFCS is absorbed more rapidly than sugar and doesn’t stimulate insulin secretion. It sounds like two different opinions…could you please clarify. If the unbound glucose goes on to affect insulin secretion, then why doesn’t he address that? I’m not in favor of HFCS, and I try to educate people about them, but I work in the medical profession so I have to be very careful to have my facts straight. I’ve been following you for years and I really appreciate your continued efforts to educate people about dietary choices. Thanks for your hard work and commitment.
I believe that the lies and deceit inherent in our food industry is like another kind of terrorism. Breaking the trust of the people, instilling fear and slowly killing us all.
My hope is for America to awaken from it’s fat and sugar coma and make a change. Thank you Dr. Hyman for speaking out about these issues even when I can imagine huge corporations could threaten you to silence you.
Great article, thanks for taking the time to really show not only what goes on behind the scenes, but the incriminating science as well
How can the American people become aware of this problem? I understand how to stop it…awareness coupled with choice. Though our 5 major news stations are not ever going to report this correctly with the corn industry subsidized by our government. The increase in consumption proves the education is not there.
The real issue here is “why do we have to protect ourselves”? Don’t we have an “FDA”??? What the heck is this agency even allowed to be in business anymore.
I have to go lightly here because with the fact that Americans are so gullible and misinformed already; they would never take it up a notch and think the government were helping to increase profits for big pharma while solving another big problem government faces…. Population!! What company do you think supports and pays for campaigning? Our health is based on a political racket!!!
Yes, I agree whole-heartedly that HFCS is directly related to the significant rise in obesity in adults and children. It is found in foods & beverages that are typically full of empty calories – containing very little to no nutritional value what-so-ever. It is in SO many products and there is a lot of confusion about it now.
The reason they are running these ads is simple: MONEY. It’s big business. Greed – plain and simple.
As a health counselor, the science represented is not new news to me, but only reinforces what I already know: HFCS isn’t good for the human body and is making (has made) America unhealthy. It’s in way too many of the convenience foods that consumers reach for – and is not beneficial to us. Consumers need to know what they are eating and what they are feeding their children. With so many adults and children overweight and obese in this country, it’s time for a wake-up call and for consumers to have the real information so they can make educated decisions about what they will purchse! Awareness is key.
Reading this article, I just feel so angry. When I was about 16/17 years old, I experienced a very dramatic weight gain – by about 70 pounds – in less than 6 months. I went through several doctors and nutritionists seeking a reason for this. Medically I was fine. My activity level and diet had no significant changes. I just suddenly gained A LOT of weight. It’s never come back off after 17 years of making attempts at exercise, eating less/healthier, etc. Now in my mid-30′s I am ready to do whatever it takes to regain my health. I first became aware of the high levels of HFCS from, of all places, Bill Maher ranting against it on his show. I didn’t pay much attention to the claims, but started to doubt industrial foods more and more, especially after seeing “Food, Inc.” I just feel so angry that industrial ag is scheming – and let’s face it, that is EXACTLY what they are doing – to protect their profits by lying, manipulating, misrepresenting, and deceiving everyone, from the consumers of their products, to scientists, and the government putting MY LIFE and everyone else’s at risk while doing so. It is immoral and pathetic. I have been in chronic pain also for YEARS, with no answers to that cause either. I feel inflamed all over nearly all of the time. I have been making attempts to limit my sugar and HFCS intake. This article just drove it home to me and I think I will go into my pantry and cupboards now and toss all products containing HFCS…after I share this article on Facebook first. People need to know they are being deceived.
Great article. I have known for years that HFCS is poison and this is an excellent resource to share with others yet to be convinced. Thank you!
I think the most important point you made in the article is, “If you find “high fructose corn syrup” on the label you can be sure it is not a whole, real, fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Stay away if you want to stay healthy. We still must reduce our overall consumption of sugar, but with this one simple dietary change you can radically reduce your health risks and improve your health.”
It’s amazing what people today consider ‘real’ food. When I say I am a health counselor and work to get people to eat healthier, more nutrient rich foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains. They often say ‘ so I can’t eat real food anymore?’ referring to processed breads, cereals, snacks and sweets.
America’s view of ‘real food’ needs to be drastically altered. Real food, is minimally processed without added HFCS, sugar or other chemicals we cannot pronounce.
when my son was quite young he once read a label and called it “high ferocious corn syrup” — in our family, that name has stuck.
I believe the science behind the relationship of obesity and poor health as it relates to HFCS consumption. I believe we will soon start to see another result of the overconsumption of all sugar, but of HFCS in particular, and that will be liver disease. It will be widespread and affect the very young. It will be totally preventable.
I believe the corn refiners and their lobbies have distorted the truth to make profits at the expense of our health, our children’s health in particular.
Thank you for your research.
Thank you thank you thank you. The truth and common sense of your article is so refreshing. The corn syrup industry and the government seem to think that consumers are complete idiots ready to swallow whatever is fed to them on television, but there are still people out there who’s brains have not yet been distroyed by all the chemical laden, sugar soaked, GMO contaminated poor excuse for food we are being offered. Our numbers are growing and the industry is starting to feel it financially. Please, keep up the good work, and know that we are out there spreading the word and informing people about what is really going on with our food.
I recently started reading labels again in the grocery store and was shocked to find HFCs as the second ingredient in many things including marinades and whole wheat bread! It takes me twice as long now to find the product I want that does not contain HFCs. You really do have to make it fresh to make it best.
Hi, can you identify what to look for in UK labels for products containing HFCS? This is to share with others. Thank you!
I know there’s a direct connection. I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, and on prescription drug treatment for years before I found a doctor that would treat the cause instead of the symptoms. Within 2 months of cutting Corn syrup of any kind from my diet, I was no longer diabetic or even pre-diabetic. My blood sugar is back to ‘normal,’ which is more than I can say for my shopping habits. I carry magnifying glasses and read every label.
Agree 100% with you, but to be complete, please add some info.
“…increased their consumption … from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period….”
WHICH time period? How long did it take for the average American to get to this level HFCS consumption?
To answer your questions one by one:
1: most definitely, I doubt that the obesity problem can be 100% attributed to HFCS. I think that part of the problem is simply that people have too MANY choices and that more and more of those choices are cheap and therefore filled with HFCS.
2: Simple: $$$
3: Too cheap, too easy to make the wrong choice. The CRA has done a great job to obfuscate. If the truth were more widely know, people would make the right choices.
Thanks for a great article. Posted on my FB.
Richard
I think it is all criminal. Our political system is to blame. The FDA will NEVER protect us. The conflicts of interest are so obvious that it is amazing to me that it continues so rampantly. It is a shame that power, money and greed will kill off millions of people. They don’t need guns. They have HFCS.
I am sure that when the industry “put you on notice” it was a threat and they would probably like to put out “contracts”on anyone who would try to take away their money making scheme.
Maybe if Hollywood made an espionage movie about the food industry people would wake up and eat healthier.
I do not care for our system of gov’t one iota.
Well, considering that the use of HFCS and the incidence of obesity correlates almost identically on a graph, I would say the comparison is pretty obvious.
I absolutely believe that HFCS is a leading cause of obesity! Many people are soda drinkers but I rarely drink them. In fact, I have gotten into the habit of checking the contents of food packages and looking for HFCS and hydrogenated oils. If I find them in the food I don’t buy it. People on food stamps are buying foods laden with HFCS. If you look at them most of them are obese. I think there is a strong correlation there.
Angela
Dr. Hyman,
Thank-you for publishing such an enlightening article. Although I do believe in teaching your children how to eat right, and making good choices, how does a parent compete with billions of dollars in junk food ads on television, and soda/candy machines in our schools? As a single parent it is hard to do, but my children and I eat organic, whole foods, and now “gluten-free” since I found out I was allergic to wheat 2 months ago!!(probably because it is genetically modified).To eat healthy is ridiculously expensive, and it is sad when I go to work all day and my kids eat USDA subsidized prepackaged (and HFCS loaded) garbage at daycare. I’m not allowed to pack their lunch and snacks unless I have a doctor’s note, wtf?! What’s funny is if you choose to be healthy other parents act like you are depriving your kids of their chemically laced treats (because they’ve been brainwashed to react that way). I buy candy, ice cream, soda, chips et cetera at the health food store, or in the natural food section at the grocery store, these treats are all natural, and taste the same, they just don’t contain carcinogenic chemicals (like “caramel coloring”), high fructose corn syrup, preservatives et al. Equally frustrating is the demographics of this epidemic. Those who are socioeconomically less fortunate, and minorities consume by far the highest proportions of these “substances”. Giant corporations, such as Monsanto, who poisoned my father with agent orange during Vietnam, are now poisoning all of us with bovine growth hormone. What a world we live in. The FDA is supposed to protect consumers, they are a joke. The CDC is engineering disease right along with the pharmaceutical and chemical industries in order to reap record profits, I won’t even discuss insurance (I work in Medicare, it is all EVIL!!!! They are basically trying to wipe out the baby boomers so they don’t reach medicare age, lol, i know its CRAZY!!). Doctors cannot even accept certain insurance unless they follow the company’s guidelines for treatment, which usually just involves a cocktail of pharmaceuticals, which by the way NEVER cure a disease, they only treat the symptoms. It is just a sad fact that we are the guinea pig generation, exposed to toxic levels of “EPA regulated” chemicals starting at conception. The Orwellian comment really hits home ; ( Just to answer your questions, I know that HFCS causes diabetes, is related to obesity, and is most likely a precursor for most other diseases including arthritis, cancer, at al. Secondly, the Corn Refiners Association publishes these ads because they are given millions of dollars from the chemical and pharmaceutical companies to do so. Finally, I agree with the science you have presented, you could even include graphs or documents supporting this. Your references are helpful, and you basically achieved dispelling all of their “facts” accurately and effectively ; ) Thank-you again for your informative article. What they are doing to our Earth, and to us is unconscionable, but then again Evil has no conscience.
As a scientific minded layman, I’d like to know if substituting non-sugar sweeteners are preferable to HFCS. I try to limit my intake of HFCS by dinking diet beverages.
I know, I know. But I’ve never been one to be partial to plain water.
Thank you for the informative article. I wondered what the real differences were between HFCS and natural sugars (beet & cane). I avoid sugar wherever I can, unfortunately many processed foods I would like to enjoy I do not eat due to their sugar content, which in my view takes them out of the ‘food’ category and puts them in the candy category; e.g. most ‘breakfast cereals’.
Answering your questions:
- It is possible that the introduction of HFCS and the start of the obesity epidemic is coincidence, as there were many changes in our social behavior during that period. It is also very suspect and I believe much more effort is best placed on scientifically confirming the true effects of HFCS on the human body so that safe limits can be established.
This leads to question 2-
-The propaganda campaign by ADM et. al. to me indicates an acknowledgment of suspected harm that is in the financial interest of the food industry to best be left hidden under rocks. ADM is to food industry as Exxon is to energy industry.
Why spend so many millions on advertising propaganda when, if what is being claimed were true, it could be proven by spending less money on the research to prove their claims.
On question 3;
-Although it is obvious that there is a difference in the chemical structure of HFCS and evaporated sugar; this is the first article I have seen that gives any explanation of the difference. I know nothing of your own background, so I must use skepticism when pondering what you publish.
Being that the producers of HFCS have published NO information on the structural differences between HFCS and evaporated sugar and/or how the body digests them makes it clear there is something to hide that benefits their financial bottom line. This gives credence to your claims.
Dear Dr. Hyman, I could not agree with you more. In my personal quest for better health, HFCS was the first thing I eliminated from my diet. I have lost 35 pounds and have more energy that I did 10 years ago! I poured over books, articles and information, and eventually found IIN where I saw you speak live on stage in 2010.
You are an amazingly insightful individual whose expertise I highly respect. Thank you for your excellent explanation of the differences between cane sugar and HFCS. I refuse to call it corn sugar! It is great to have science to back up this information. But when one looks at the trends it’s not hard to see how harmful HFCS is. I do think that HFCS is associated with the obesity epidemic in the USA today.
I believe the only interest the corn refiner’s association has is money. They have no interest in anyone’s health. I would be interersted in knowing how much members of the corn refiner’s association ingested!
I will not eat anything labeled to contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. I do not trust the american government subsidized corporations with my health.
Please watch documentary King Korn…eye opening…& at the end the two men make HFCS!!!! You would need thick gloves to make- it’s toxic from what you need to produce it! :0)
Of course there is a clear link between fake foods and disease, as well as between empty-calorie foods and obesity. The industry promotes it and lies about it because they are greedy and they care more about money than people.
My daughter breaks out in cholinergic hives when she eats foods with corn syrup HFCS. At one point she had red hives that covered her upper body and had to
be put on cortical steriods to keep it away.It also affected her behavior even before the hives showed up. She would
race around, talking and seeming to be very overly happy but quite uncontrollable
and somewhat like in a trance. We had to remove it and all corn relalted products
from her diet, and then discovered other food allergies through an elimination
diet, I talked to many mothers who discovered similar effects in their children
when having a soda or candy with HFCS in it.
I appreciate your article. The only thing I would add is about the addictive nature of HFCS. I tell hurting people on a regular basis to give up sugars and additives and they just can’t do it. And then the commercials you mention come along and these same people feel justified in the consumption of it. “Oh, that isn’t what’s causing my problems after all.”
This article comes closer to being a critically valid essay than 99% of those published on the internet and in magazines. The public is being fed “fast-food empty calorie” articles by the thousands. There is way too much advice and marketing and woefully too little scholarly essays. Perhaps it is to appeal to the lowest denominator but in doing so the articles appeal to no one and do more harm than good.
Your article provides a sound basis for an informed decision. I have also watched the Ludwig video and hope there are more such posts. I am not “against” any industry or product. I just want scientifically based unbiased information from which I can make my own decisions about my health and fitness. That being said I discovered on my own that it was only when I reduced my carb intake, timed my meals and was mindful of food combinations that I truly was able to take get to the next level in my fitness goals. Articles like these support my findings and encourage me that there is more useful information out there albeit difficult to find.
P.S. In the Ludwig video he speaks only briefly about fructose’s ability to convert directly into glycogen in the liver. I assume that this is a GOOD thing for a healthy person and I have begun to incorporate it into my pre and post workout techniques. Perhaps is was a necessary biochemical process for our ancestors as they stalked protein and became glycogen depleted . I don’t know where they would have gotten complex carbs or glucose in the field. A handful of berries along the way may have brought them enough immediate energy to complete the hunt? I am sure a glass of soda would have led to our extinction however
Yes, money money, science is sound and the effects are bad, (fat, obesity)
Why can’t the FDA do something about the HFCS being pushed down our throats…..
Hi Dr. Hyman,
Like you, I also received a “notice” from the CRAoA upon publishing a critique in a local paper for which I wrote. The critique was buried in an article on another topic, yet it raised the ire of this group to a point where I received (and forwarded to my editors) the equivalent of a “cease and desist” notice. Very strange, as I was a “small-potatoes writer” in a university town; surely they have bigger fish to fry than just me!
Regardless, I appreciate your article, the time you put in to it, and the research you presented. I have seen the lack of health HFCS brought to my own life (when I was consuming it unawares) and how my health has rebounded fantastically since I banished it from my diet. None of my family now consumes the junk called “corn sugar” and our health is SO much better than it was when we did. The turnaround is quite remarkable.
I’m unsure if you’ve seen the research of several months ago (maybe back in Oct ’10) that showed pancreatic tumor proliferation in a medium of HFCS, but it was an interesting (if not shocking) study. The article I read indicated that it was the first time that pancreatic tumor cells did more than just simply grow in a medium of refined sugar, but actually multiplied. As there appears to be an upswing in pancreatic cancer in recent years, it caught my attention and strengthened my resolve not to consume HFCS.
Thank you again for your efforts to educate the public; it’s an important topic and we must advocate for our own health if we want to live long and healthy lives anymore.
This stuff scares me. It really does. And not just HCFS, but all of the ways we’re manipulating corn – feeding it to animals that should be eating grass, genetic modifications, etc.
Dear Dr. Hyman,
Thank you for publishing this information. I’ve been trying to learn more about the problems with the HFCS and this goes a long way toward helping me understand better what’s going on.
I am a bit confused, however, about some of the information here and I’m hoping you can clarify: In Part 2 (HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.), you state, ” The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin – our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.” Then, in Part 4 (Independent medical and nutrition experts DO NOT support the use of HCFS in our diet, despite the assertions of the corn industry.) you quote Dr. Popkin, “In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain.”
So glucose triggers big spikes in insulin secretion and fructose does not. But I’m afraid these two statements have me confused. How does this compare to what cane sugar does with insulin? Can you please explain this a little further? Thank you.
This makes me SO MAD! For years now, I’ve had severe unexplained swelling. The doctors have run tons of test, always with the results that I’m in great shape, abet overweight, and they can’t figure out WHY I swell.
On my own, after (what I feel is) wasted money, I read the Perricone Diet where he mentions sugar being a cause. So when I eat ‘clean’ and stay VERY clean, the swelling goes away and I have feet again! Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to kick off the swelling again and he never made the case of just HOW bad this is for a person. He mainly just addresses the swelling.
Thank you for this article. I’ll be printing it and trying to read it before every trip to the grocery store. (Reminder to watch closely what I put in the cart!)
Dr. Hyman,
Thank you so much for sharing the information we need to make decisions on the foods we buy at the supermarket. I have just finished throwing out all products in my kitchen that contain HFCS.
It is such a shame that the corn industry is so greedy that it would spend millions of dollars to misinform the American public. Obviously they are greedily protecting the profit margins of the companies that produce HFCS. Why not focus on earning a profit to grow and sell organic corn in whole form?
In my opinion, farm subsidies should not benefit companies that are undermining the health of our country.
I hope food manufacturers will stop using HFCS in their food products. Until then, I will not buy anything with HFCS in it for my family. I am also spreading the word among my friends and family.
Thank you.
Thanks! Keep up the good work and fighting the good fight!
I’ve reposted your article on my FB…
s.
This is a subject I can become very agitated discussing. Twenty years ago, a physician I was working with told me that the food industry had been trying to figure out a way to get people addicted to food so that they would buy more and more of it. She said they had came up with HFCS as a way to do it, and she asserted that it was highly addictive. I thought she was a nut case and kind of dismissed what she said, but kept it in mind and became suspicious when I saw how much of our “food” contained it. I also noticed the growing obesity epidemic over 30 years ago, and began to wonder if there was a connection after I paid more attention to how much HFCS there was in “food.” Now I won’t buy anything with HFCS in it, and try not to eat any processed foods. Despite that, and the fact that I never ate many sweets or drank canned sodas, I have a fatty liver and insulin resistance.
I am highly enlightened by this article. I know it speaks the truth as well as includes sound scientific evidence that sheds light on this epidemic and deceitfulness for the sake of greed and profits. I definitely think there is a strong link between HFCS and obesity. I’m wondering why so many people, especially young women and men in their teens and 20′s, are morbidly obese. This did not happen when I was those ages (now age 60). I think the Corn Refiners Association is on a mission to deceive people in order to fulfill their greed mindset. They want to “hide” the truth as long as they can. They have so many people “hooked” on this HFCS and it has indeed become another addiction.
Thank you for this very informative article. What do you think about stevia??
I find this article incredibly intriguing. I am a 24 year old mom to a 5 month old. I’ve worked in the nursing field for 4 years now and vaccines have always been pushed heavily in the hospital. When pregnant, there was such an issue about the “mercury” preservative in the brand new H1N1 vaccines (or any vaccines for that matter), and how pregnant woman were advised to only receive the thimerosal free ones to avoid any exposure to mercury as it could be incredibly harmful to the unborn child. With the mercury, or thimerosal rather, being such an epidemic for pregnant woman, you would think it would be advertised that they should also avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup. I am incredibly grateful I mostly craved truly healthy things such as fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, I’m not a huge fan of junk food. I generally eat pretty healthy. Now knowing about the mercury in HFCS, you would think the FDA would go on a mission to ban it from being sold and distributed. It just goes to show you can’t rely on the FDA for any type of security or protection from harmful … shall we say CRAP.
I’m not liking your presentation. While I do not doubt, personally, a link between HFCS and many health issues, I certainly see no “science” presented here. There is nothing here, even in the very sparse references, that seems to actually support your conclusions. Certainly, it has been shown, many times over, that there are correlating events in terms of dietary changes in Americans and world wide diets that corrleate to changes in health in the same demographics, but where everything comes up short is showing causality – and this article comes up way short. Is there a “long form” of this article which references each study? Because otherwise, this is just more propaganda with no real science presented…
For instance, there was no researcher who had to request their samples of HFCS for these studies of mercury. In the very research you cited, all samples were openly taken at the manufacturing sites (link:http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2). Since you take to issue propaganda from the corn industry, how about turing that on yourself. I’m sure you just mistakenly combined different anecdotal stories to the wrong study, right? It just happened to help you cast the industry in a bad light though, huh? Further, you state that HFCS mfg uses mercury, leading any casual reader to assume that it is all inclusive. But, as your cited research shows, not all methods of manufacture use or require mercury. In fact, one of the three mfrs showed zero mercury. I could go on with you mixing (usually lacking) science with anecdote to achieve your desired effect.
Again, I suspect your conclusions will, in time, bear out. However, this type of presentation of “fact” or “science” allows people with contrary interests to rightfully blast and cast aside your conclusions, as they are not accurate and therefore lacking…
”An FDA researcher asked corn producers to ship a barrel of high fructose corn syrup in order to test for contaminants.”
Could you provide further references? This has the ring of urban folklore.
Do you find any irony in the fact that, seemingly, none of the products you market on your website are FDA approved for any therapy? Though you emphatically say they are to be used for the treatment and prevention of diseases and maladies and at the same time fault the FDA for their lax regulations. Would your remedies withstand double-blind testing?
Has your industry done anything to standardize the potency of the many herbal remedies that you sell?
I’m interested in hearing your response.
–j
This is an EXCELLENT article on the danger of high fructose corn syrup.
I sometimes wonder just how many individuals, and/or groups are hired by the Corn Refiners Association to convince people that certain foods are not that bad for them like High Fructose Corn Syrup.
This has crossed my mind often as I have run across people who call themselves “experts on nutrition” on Facebook for example, yet they say some of the most outlandish things…… like high fructose corn syrup isn’t that bad for you. Were they hired by someone to take this position?
Thanks for the great article and site!
Well said! Would love to know more about which processed foods are hiding it. Know of any reliable resources?
Thanks!
In Australia we do not have High Fructose Corn Syrup. How is it used? Of course we grow lots of cane sugar which needs to be used sparingly,.
All I know is that 4 weeks ago, on a fun/casual bet with my son & husband, we decided to see who could go the longest without eating any kind of added sugar. The bet is still on going (except that my husband dropped out), and, surprisingly, I can’t believe how much better I feel! My only question is, I like “cream” in my 1 cup of morning coffee, and the only thing I like is Land o’ Lakes fat free half & half, which does have HFCS listed in the ingredients, but I assume in tiny amounts, because it is NOT sweet. Isn’t that tiny amount of HFCS better than the saturated fat I would be consuming in regular half & half?
Hey Mark,
Excellent report on so many of the specifics associated with HFCS – we see so many kids in our offices with symptoms that run the gamut from depression to ADHD who consume remarkable amounts of HFCS, – and significantly improve by simply cutting out the soft drinks. This is not deep psychopharmacology!
I especially appreciate your points about the politics of simply stating the facts. The challenge for the public: sorting out the half-science from clear office observations repeatedly witnessed everyday.
cp
I understand that most of the corn grown in this country is GMO. Additionally there are huge amounts of herbicides, pesticides and petrochemical fertilizers used to grow the corn. Does this not also cause a large additional concern for health and completely contradict the claim of being ‘natural’? It certainly does to me.
Where does beet sugar weigh-in?
REB (from Michigan)
The bottom line of that industry comes down to money and greed. Banning HCFS would cause them to lose billions and billions in revenue. The greed in this and the food industry is running rampant with all the unhealthy additives being thrown in our food chain. We need a major overhall of our food chain from artificial addatives, food coloring, etc which is causing major health problems and we need to address this problem before it’s too late.
I definitely agree that processed foods are the major culprit of the obeasity epidemic in the US. We’ve run a great uncontrolled experiment on the whole population and we can see the results; however, the causes are too many and unclear. And, what cannot be precisely known is easily dismissed and status quo is maintained. For me, my blood numbers had gone way too high with Cholesterol over 250 and triglicerides so high (485), that the lipid panel could not be calculated. Then I just went on a diet where I simply chose to “eat nothing from a box.” I also cut out any high starch foods such as potatoes, bread, rice most of the time, any other processed foods. In 2 months, my doctor almost fell over with my blood results as all my numbers were again normal (cholesterol 190 and triglycerides 130). He had been determined to put me on lipitor and other things and I wanted to avoid medication. It is very hard living this way as the food options we have are very limited and so much of our food supply has been improved by the hands of the big food industry. So many places you go only to find nothing that is really OK to eat.
I agree totally but would also add that the majority if not all the corn grown by farmers probably are from GMO seeds. I suspect that the danger from that is not only from the final product but also the toxins from the roundup that is used on the corn as well. I believe that the cross pollination has possibly contaminated even the corn that they may have tried to reserve in it’s natural state.
Thanks for the great article, Dr. Hyman. It’s good to know you’ve got our backs.
The real surprise here is not that a company is distorting science to sell products (remember the doctor-sponsored cigarette ads from the 50s?).
The punchline in the current HFCS saga is that because, like you said, corn is such a huge part of our national paycheck, the government has become twisted up in (perhaps inadvertently) encouraging the consumption of corn products. This is for no more scientific reason than we’ve got a lot of corn.
Unfortunately, this puts the American consumer in the position of being the target of aggressive advertising campaigns (both from CRAoA and for products containing HFCS), which, while ostensibly paid for by private corporations, are bolstered in their business by government farm subsidies.
Fortunately, the American consumer now has in her grasp the largest available pool of knowledge ever assembled in the known universe. This includes your great website! So, slowly, we are being empowered to make better decisions with better data. So there’s hope!
My perspective of this problem is obviously Ameri-centric. But the US is not the only corn-growing nation, and there are other nations, like Canada (I think), which import corn very cheaply.
Are there other countries around the world that are facing an HFCS dilemma?
Dear Dr. Hyman,
Thank you so muc for your continuous efforts to reveal the scientific truth about HFCS and for exposing the ways the food industry is destroying the health of the Western world population for their own profit. Yesterday I saw the movie “The Insider” about the tobacco industry. Great movie!
This fight against the criminal food industry must continue.
Perhaps you should paste this whole article as a comment under the CRA ad on youtube.
Keep up your fantastic work and know you have a lot of supporters out here.
Erik
Groningen – The Netherlands
Since I stumbled upon the true facts about HFCS years ago, I have been amazed how many foods contain it. One of the biggest challenges I have faced is trying to remove HFCS from my family’s diet. It has also been the single most healthy move I’ve ever made. My increased health and brain function has given every aspect of my life a boost, and still getting better. Knowing that everything I see on tv or read in advertisements is not always true, has made me a more responsible decision maker for my family’s diet and health concerns. Articles like this one have helped open my eyes to the benefits of healthy living, thank you for sharing.
As someone who was recently diagnosed with fructose malabsorption disorder, I was and continue to be alarmed by the lack of education in our nation’s nutrition schools. My state university does not teach their students about HFCS because their programs are supported by a major manufacturer of HFCS. How can this be? I can’t even find a dietician in my state who can educate me.
Thanks Dr. Hyman for speaking out. To me, the corn industry saying HFCS is safe is about as convincing as the CDC saying multiple vaccinations in our small children are safe. I have learned the hard way to question everything with boldness.
it would be terriic if you included an email capability for your articles for us who are technology -challenged.
Just the fact the FDA could not get a barrel of HFCS to test says VOLUMES!!! These manufactures get away with telling these lies and get away with it, yet cherry growers cannot claim with scientific evidence that cherries reduces the pain of gout. Guess where the money is?
AN equally interesting question is if the major media/news doesn’t report on this out of fear of losing advertising revenue from the big processed food companies. The stats on their aggregate advertising spend would be interesting to know.
Thank you, Dr. Hyman, as my frustration is that there is too much sugar in food across the board. Personally, I do not like food that is too sweet. Even as a child, I didn’t like sugar on my cereal. Yet we are almost forced to eat it (particularly if we are busy and in a hurry) since it’s in so many of our food products. If you are trying to eat healthy, evaporated cane juice and even brown rice syrup is in so many “healthy” foods. I went up and down the aisles of Whole Foods and Wild Oats natural food stores trying to find cereal that did not have some form of sugar. I was only able to find two brands of cereal from the entire cereal aisle that did not have sugar. If you want to grab a healthy snack or cereal bar with grains and granola, you are usually looking at 10-20 grams of sugar. I had to really look in the “healthy” food stores to find bars with only 5-6 grams of sugar, and I’m sure I could do without even that since my favorite cereal says it has zero grams of sugar. And why is food more expensive when they leave sugar out?
Dr. Hyman,
I’ve seen their ads on TV. Their lack of direct and explicit detail invited my suspiciousness. I experienced their ads to be vague, concealing and as if they were the product of a defensive reactivity that prompted them to defend themselves… while keeping the information shallow, superficial and without full disclosure. I thought I was reading too much into such ads. However, I became suspicious of this product and did not trust it. I have been diagnosed with progressive coronary disease (after two angioplasties and two heart failure incidents) a metabolic disorder syndrome, and at risk of perhaps developing diabetes (which runs in my family). Hence, I am very sensitized to the ups and downs of my body (for I would like to hung around for as long as I possibly can!) and to my diet. So, I noticed that whenever I ingested a product containing HFCS I developed palpitations, fainting-like reactions, dizziness, nausea and bloating. After reading your research, arguments and conclusions I feel that science and your disciplined and responsible application of such knowledge validate my distrust and rejection of such product. As scary and troublesome as the individuals behind the corn-sugar industry appear to be, I admire you and thank you for not allowing yourself to be bullied by these merchants of death into an enabling silence. Thank you for your ethics and for fulfilling your oath as a Galeno. SM
I spend more time at the grocery store checking labels, so I don’t bring home any HFCS in the cereals, breads, ketchup sauces I purchase.
I will continue to read and learn more of the very serious negative results in the consumption of foods with HFCS.
Thank you for the helpful information.
I appreciate the article but find the use of “fructose” confusing in some instances as the meaning appears to vary so much. e.g. “Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people.” Does this mean that fructose from fruit is responsible for this? If so, this article is condemning fruit as much as it is HFCS.
There is confusion about the choice of descriptive words for fructose in the various situations and leaves the reader unclear as to “which” fructose is “evil”.
Or does this detrimental effect of “fatty liver” refer to fructose regardless of the source.
Fructose in fruit is molecularly bound to glucose and the body must break this bond, which slows the digestion and entry into the bloodstream, while fructose in HFCS is free and thus bypasses the mitigating steps taken by fruit in the digestive system. There is also a higher amount of fructose in HFCS, which does make a difference.
It has always seemed like common sense to me that more natural foods are healthier foods, so I’ve had general misgivings about HFCS for some time. Thank you for putting a more specific face to the issue – and giving me a great resource to forward to all my friends that are still on the fence!
I think it is criminal that an ad campaign is allowed to perpetrate such blatant lies at the cost of millions of innocent people’s health and well-being.
This is a very well written and presented article-I agree that in my years of practice as a nurse practitioner I have seen not only an increase in obesity but an increase in a strange distribution of body fat that I was not previously seeing in my patients.
A recently distributed article that was of concern to me “revealed ‘ that a combination of glucose and fructose when given after physical exertion to world class athletes showed that the liver activity as determined by liver size was greater than the liver activity after consuming cane sugar-they interpreted this as a “good” indicator of rapid restoration of glycogen levels- I would disagree and see this as a problem that in normal individuals could lead to fatty liver.
I also found the above comment about pancreatic cancer very on point-I have been interested in the increase in pancreatic cancer and find this another potential piece of the puzzle
While I agree on some of the points, like pharmacalogic quantities being consumed by humans each year, i think you are doing more harm than good. Not only is moderation the key to Life, you are making claims that everyone will be thinner and healthier if they simply erase HCFS out of their diet. Not true. So if you are claiming that the corn refiners industry is making false claims are you not doing the same? If the human race continues to eat the quantity of food they are consuming whether it has HCFS in it or not…they still will be unhealthy! Not monitoring their portions, coupled with consuming more calories than they burn off, and not enough of H2O, fruits and vegetables is what makes people obese! At the end of the day a calorie is a calorie and your body doesn’t know the difference! I was an avid reader of your blogs and thought that much of them were educational, but really you want people to buy more of your books. Seriously, I think you have become more like the “industry” than you are admitting to! Maybe if effort was concentrated on “lowering prices” on healthy foods like produce and whole grains instead of “scaring” people in the wrong direction might start eating healthier! Or better yet, getting the Oil Industry to cap off prices so we can AFFORD to eat healthy might be more effective!
I emailed the food and drug admin. immediately after the start of the cornsyrup is really “just” corn sugar campaign. Some members of our family do not have the ability to digest HFCS without severe body consequences. It is important to attack this relabling on many fronts. Thank you for your clear scientific information. As consumers we can effect change by reading labels in the grocery store and not purchasing HFCS products. A list of how HFCS is named on labels would be a good add to your info. Thanks Ann
Before I read this article, I wondered why I could drink a 12 ounce can of coke with no problem, but never finished a bottle of coke made with regular sugar, namely the ones I could buy at Sam’s Club, which were make in Mexico.. I can leave a bottle of Mexico Coke in my refrigerator for several days and it still tastes good. I also heard that the Coke company had tried to get Sam’s to stop distributing them. I have noticed recently that these cokes are becoming more and more available.
If at all possible I will not buy any product with HFCS, which is very hard to do now with such an upward swing in HFCS’s use.
I’m with EJ. We need to address our addiction to corn as it is used throughout western food production.
Cows should never eat corn, it eradicates the important nutritional benefits of eating their meat, and thus makes beef an inflammatory food. All but 100% grass fed beef should be avoided as religiously as HFCS.
And the only way corn should be consumed by humans is fresh off the cob when it’s in season.
Bottom line, above-ground vegetables of all kinds should comprise 65-70% BY WEIGHT of every person’s diet for most of the year. That’s a lot of salads, folks.
Since we all consume a certain amount of sugar, whether in the form of glucose or HFCS, it would be helpful to know what you consider “pharmacological quantities” to be so we can avoid consuming them. There has to be some place between 20 teaspoons per year and 140 pounds per year that isn’t really dangerous for most humans. Any idea what that is? In the meantime, I realize we are better off if we eat less sugar rather than more. Thanks.
So I have this crazy cock eyed theory of sorts.
My father is a bee keeper and for the last 40 years, he and other bee keepers have fed their bees HFCS during the winter each year to sustain the hives. This is a very economical solution to an age old problem, it is the industry accepted practice. For those who have never really thought about it here is the brief reason why I am worried about the possible impact of using HFCS. Bees store honey for the same reason Squirrels store nuts, so that when the food supply disappears during the winter months, so they won’t suffer from starvation. The beekeeper comes along and “robs” the stored honey to in turn provide consumers, while the bees just continue to make more and more. When winter does come around, they no longer have sufficient provision so the beekeeper has to supplement with some form of food. For the last 25+ years HFCS has been the answer.
Now bees around the world are being affected by “Colony Collapse” Syndrome. This refers to a mystery illness that could actually wipe out the species. They become lethargic, generally unhealthy and die one after the other. Researcher are desperate to figure out how to stop this, but no one knows why it is happening.
Now, here comes my crazy theory – In the last 25 years we have probably seen more that 50 generations of worker bees come and go. I think it could be possible that the effect of HFCS has been compounded with each new set of bees in the hives. And if this is the case, will our great, great, great, great, great, great grand children face a similar health crisis. Is this a “Flowers for Algernon” scenario, where we are watching the progression of our own demise through the life of another creature? If so, can we turn it around?
I’m not sure if our politicians are even aware of the immensity of this as many other dietary problems in this country that are costing the tax payers hundreds of millions, probably billions of dollars each year in preventable medical costs.
I guess the best thing to do is to have people like Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr Mercola, and others just keep pumping out the information to educate the people. I have been what many would call a “health nut” for a couple of decades now and even with all the info I take for granted it still amazes me when I get into a conversation with others about topics such as HFCS, how few if any have any clue as to what I am talking about. Maybe we need to start at kindergarten and put such health info into video games so our youth will begin to understand the literal attack they are under by some in our food industry.
Keep up the good work. Sincerely, Kent S. Edwardsville IL.
Wow! Very interesting article. Helps explain the reasons for concern and the chemistry involved. However, there is room for some editing, not just in sentence structure and grammar (my usual line of “work”), but in logic. While linking two events [ here, the increased use of HFCS and obesity, etc.] is useful to suggest initiating a study, it cannot be used, by itself, to prove causality. Having said that, I am sufficiently impressed by the science discussed to adjust my eating habits accordingly, whenever possible, and to “go on the bandwagon” to dispense this information to all who will listen. Thanks!
Thank you for the article on HFCS – I frightens me that people are allowed to fill our foods with harmful faux “foods” all in the pursuit of money. How do they sleep at night? The really scary thing is that those commercials the corn people blast over the airwaives are very clever and are amazingly convincing. They even had me wondering….thanks for the reality check – I won’t wonder anymore.
Why is no one addressing the fact that HFCS is useed in baby formula!!!!!
Our most vulnerable citizens, and i hear no one raising this concern!?
This greatly disturbs me and i hope someone with the expertise and platform can bring this to task!
Tax HFCS, and sugar beets, not subsidize them.
The US government seems intent shelling out tax dollars to groups who are intent on harming us: Monsanto, corn growners, the Taliban. These people are killing us.
When McDonalds switched from sugar to HFCS in their soft drinks
the rate of diabetes in the country went up.
Someone should post a chart Of HFCS consumpution and rate of diabetes and obesity increase.
High Fructose Corn Syrup,and the other aliases under which HFCS gets inserted into our food chain, should be considered, treated and taxed like nicotine. And any delivery device, sodas, faux food, etc. should be taxed like cigarettes.
Thank you once again Dr. Hyman I pray the corn industry doesn’t follow through with their threats upon you and others that are a lone cry in the night. The saddest situation in all this is the poor farmer that produces the corn. They are stuck with scratching out a living on government subsidies on crops that are killing the soil and killing the people. The farmer is usually an individual with a family just like you and me. They are truly trapped between a rock and a hard place.
Thanks for being a watch dog for America Dr. Hyman. I have IBS when I eat HFCS! When I don’t, I notice lots of positive things happening with my body–weight loss for one. I challenge people to just read labels-(-the small print because I am amazed what they can get away with in the large print–FALSE ADVERTISING!)–and not eat HFCS and see if they won’t lose weight! I wrote to our Sen. Tom Coburn about my concern last year and after a no reply for 6 months, he finally answered saying that the food industry was self-regulating and we had enough government intervention! I was sooo disappointed in him.
Wonderful article and I totally agree. HFCS is a legal slow acting poison as far as I’m concerned. I am a product, end result of using this terrible sugar source.
I drank about 21 cans of Pepsi per week for about 8/10 years and ate other things with HFCS. I didn’t know that it was bad for you at the time. I am obese and even though I have stopped all soda drinking and juice drinking and use regular sugar in my ice tea and use bread without HFCS in it and drink mostly spring water and watch what I eat now cannot seem to lose any significant amount of weight and I have hardly any energy. I honestly think the damages have been done. I am 64 years old and work full time but feel like a hundred and not a good hundred. I sent this article to my family.
Dr Hyman I commend you for your courage and your expertise in giving us the truth about this demonic industrial product! We should all fight against unhealthy products that are harming and killing ourselves and our children. We should make a list of all products that surreptisously contain HFCS, such as Snapple drinks (“The best stuff on the earth”) katsup (except Heinz (made with real sugar)), even breads and hummus, and we should make and publish a list of HFCS-free products.
Or maybe this is a government conspiracy like tobbaco that kills so many people the Social Security fund saves billions and billions of dollars on retirment accounts they no longer have to pay?!
The “slick ad” made me steam! It’s like similar ads aired by the energy companies (coal,natural gas and oil). It scares and saddens me that some, actually too many, viewers will accept this misinformation as fact.
A side note: I recently had a Mountain Dew recently which was made with real sugar (not derived from corn). As a Mountain Dew aficionado,I can enthusiastically say it tasted better.
Dear Dr. Hyman,
Thank you for addressing that commercial that has enraged me and touching on an aspect of the larger issue of Americans’ right to choose wholesome whole food at affordable prices. I have long been confounded at the complicity of our government in the poisoning of our food–unless our politicians can afford not to eat it. I know you were only dealing with the issue of “HFCS v. cane sugar,” but I believe another important aspect of the negative impact on general health is because of the genetic engineering of most of the corn as well. It amazes me that an evil corporation like Monsanto that is so responsible for a major assault on overall public health–GMO products, agent orange, bovine growth hormones (rGbh & rBst), and Roundup weed killer–is allowed to sue small farmers for patent infringement if their seed blows or is carried by pollinators into the farmers’ fields and can now force our nation to accept Roundup-ready alfalfa, which can challenge the assurance that any product remains truly organic anymore.
Thank you for getting the word out. Would a TV commercial refuting the Corn Refiners Association’s claims be feasible?
After reading your article, it seems like HFCS is a new trans fat, only sugar. So trans sugar?
HFCS is more of a super sugar, not a trans fat.
Dear Dr. Hyman, I read your article with interest. I am wondering….
Stating that. “We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history — 140 pounds a year vs. 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago.”, is shocking enough to knock our sox off, but I am wondering the difference in consumption of sugar from just before high fructose corn syrup was invented and injected into our food products.
A 8 oz bottle of soda from my childhood (now I am dating myself) contained how many teaspoons of sugar please? Multiply that by 2.5 (the approximate increase from 8 to 20 ounces) and what do comparison do we get? Now they put in HFCS and we get 17 teaspoons of sweetener compared to what 55 years ago, give or take a few years? Knowing the consumption of sugar by our parents and grandparents might be a better yardstick than my ancestors of 10,000 years ago, don’t you know. Or even from our great-great-great grandparents in the 1800s or 1700s perhaps when sugar was locked away much like tea was then. Or a comparison of the sugar equivalents of honey and molasses from that time period (or now for that matter) could be helpful in providing an intelligent alternative to the HFCS problem, particularly for us cooks, don’t you know.
Can we get some data along these lines?
Judy
You would think that David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School would have good reason to sue CRAoA for misrepresentation, no?
Or were his professional consulting fees for the industry worth it?
Whole foods have been a part of my diet for many years. I shop weekly at the farmers markets for local organic produce. When I think about how our government has allowed manufacturers to ruin our food it terrifies me. I have watched my sister slowly kill her family with HFCS and processed foods over the last 30 years. Her family suffers from mental illness and diseases. My sister suffers from depression, struggles with her weight, and has breast cancer. Her husband is bipolar, diabetic, over weight, and had his gall bladder removed. Her oldest daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter all live with her. Her daughter is bipolar, over weight, and had her gall bladder removed. Her son-in-law who is only 32 is dying from a neurological disease they have not been able to diagnose in the past 6 years. He has all the signs and symptoms of dementia. He is now disabled and over weight. Her grand daughter has behavioral problems and multiple food allergies, which i think is due to leaky gut. She has four other children and the list of illnesses and diseases go on and on. She has one child who managed to dodge the pattern of illnesses. She left home right out of high school and went to collage and is now a medical nutritionist. I believe that the HFCS and processed foods is the reason for all of this families problems.
Recently, I posted on several local online publications talking about the dangers of HFCS. On both of my comments, someone from either the Corn Refiners Association or the Beverage Industry, who also listed themselves as registered dietitians to affirm their professional authority, posted what appeared to be talking point rebuttals to my comments. It is very scary that these associations are hiring people to scour the Internet and post their marketing stances. They even took a statement from Dr. Lustig out of context as proof that cane sugar and HFCS are metabolized the same. Thank you for providing clear, accurate information. As someone who has experienced a demylinating episode, I wonder if the consumption of HFCS among other things like gluten, led to a leaking gut and the subsequent neurological issues. I will have my children read you info and hopefully make more educated decisions on what they eat.
I eliminated HFCS from my diet and started losing weight in a couple of days. I’ve been losing 3 to 4 pounds a week since then. I’ve made no other changes. The side effect was that my blood pressure dropped 50 points within 10 days.
I amazed about the mercury content. Thank you for the chemistry review! Please refer to the documentary ” King Corn”where it reveals this type of corn is inedible due to the two types of pesticides used. Not even birds attempt to eat the corn in the fields! I worry about infants’ formulas having these compounds. I dare you to sample one – taste like card board! We forget our hard earned wages are going to these monstrous size farmers in debt to their GMO contracts. FDA should put warning labels with a skull icon on anything with HFCS! It’s bad enough that unborn babies are subjected to chloroform when their moms are being induced or rushed through labor (Physicians Desk Reference: pitocin). Thank you for being our voice and teacher!
On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 1,323,905 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.
Why Fructose is a Poison.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
A very clear explanation of the dangers regarding HFC’s
Like the poster above, I am truly frightened by the incidence of “garbage for profit” in our food supply. My particular area of concern is cost. While I am able to buy reasonably healthy food if I am careful (and never, ever, anything with HCFS, hormones or antibiotics), there are many who simply can’t. They can only afford the junk from the market, or worse yet, two for a dollar corn dogs at 7-11. It is the working poor we need to advocate for and support in the quest of a healthy diet. We all need to educate ourselves from reliable sources and go against the mainstream attitudes about food.
My father works in a HFCS production factory, and I can tell you that nothing that comes out of that building is remotely “natural”. Also, how comfortable can you be about a food ingredient that comes out of a factory that budgets tens of millions of dollars per year for the fines they know they will receive for safety violations and the penalty imposed for refusing entry to EPA inspectors sent to inspect the plant? The smell from this particular factory has left and odor stain on 25% of the city.
Nice article. Little of it surprises me; I read Good Calories, Bad Calories last year.
Please note that you mention HCFS [sic] a couple of times. Might wanna fix that.
I’ve observed in the twenty-something generation, many of whom, including my own child, are morbidly obese, how addictive these poisonous drinks and foods are.
What I can’t figure out is how manufacturers and retailers can continue the unconscionable manufacture, sale, and distribution of this junk in a society that deems the use of several far more natural plant materials a criminal act! A sick society, all right–in more ways than just from lethal doses of sugar!
Thanks for your article exposing the propaganda campaign by monied interests in high fructose corn syrup. I just came across an article “Soft drink consumption and obesity: it is all about fructose” in Current Opinion in Lipidology, Issue: Volume 21(1), February 2010, p 51–57 which underscores your comments. We really have to get this information out to “the people”. Given the right information, consumers will make healthy decisions and then slowly the food industry will respond. Thanks again.
Thank you for this recent article again defining the problem with HFCS. I have been avoiding it for quite a few years and always tell everyone I know and meet NOT to use any product containing this toxic, in my opinion, ingredient. I, for one do not drink soft drinks or anything like certain brands of green ice teas that contain this stuff.
But I try to strictly avoid any product containing HFCS. Our food supply is tainted enough already with genetically engineered fruits and vegetables that actually absorb pesticides so that they stay “buy free”, but of course full of toxins embedded in the fruit, beef and chicken full of hormones and antibiotics, ANd there is genetically engineered soy, another serious problem. Between this and HFCS in so many food products, it’s no wonder so many people at a young age suffer from arthritis, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease etc.
I often discuss with people, why do you think there is SO much cancer and arthritis today? In my opinion, it is BAD food!!
We should end corn subsidies now. The way things are we’re paying twice, for cheaper bad food and sicker people.
Hi Dr. Hyman.
You are doing a fantastic job of educating the public ! Please continue to do so.
I myself have learnt tremendously from your contributions. Big companies, like the producers of corn sugar and other junk “foods” and junk “medicines” and other junk products are actually ruling this world today by bribing and corrupting almost all governmental agencies and in this way actually undermining much of our democratic rights. All the peoples of the world should unite to overcome these forms of corruptions, these forms of collusions between big financial interests and governmental agencies. Otherwise we will continue to be slaves forever.
Siva
I agree withe the article and try my best to avoid all products that contain HFCS. I am curious why ther is no mention about GMO corn in this article? I try and avoid all GMO crops from my diet although that is not easy since they could be “hidden ingredients” that are grouped under natural flavors. There is nothing natural about a GMO crop. I for on do not want to eat anything that is GMO and has been sprayed with weed killers which we know are harmful to our bodies and the environment.
I’ve been reading a lot about agave nectar and it’s similarities to HFCS. Can you share your thoughts regarding agave nectar. Thanks for the info- very helpful.
I totally agree with your article, I recently was consuming wayyyy too much HFCS through sodas in the drive through restaurants and gained an enormous amount of weight! I was going through the drive through almost daily because it was on my way and convenient, and I could make up every excuse under the sun to go get my “fix”. It created almost an addiction to consume that and one day, after looking in the mirror in horror, (Like really, did i just ignore how i looked for months on end?) I said to myself, “NO MORE! That’s IT! Enough is enough!”
and completely went cold turkey. Gave up not only HFCS, but fast food in general, and began eating more high-fiber fruits, not highly sweetened fruits either, because there are those that are very sweet just by their very nature, and added mega-tons more vegetables, (which there is none practically in most fast food), more raw foods, whole foods, and mega tons of Spring water and green tea.
Well, you can guess the result! I lost like a pants size in about 3 weeks, (the first week is usually just “water weight”, and have kept it off, and through this process, I have learned to cook better, shop better, (around the perimeters of the store instead of buying the processed foods in the middle of the store), and actually have saved SO much more money! Most of my budget is spent on the produce section and I skimp elsewhere so i can buy the freshest produce and frankly, I don’t miss the other stuff. I still do crave the sodas once in a while, I won’t lie about that, but after 21 days a habit is usually created, and now i have created it for the better and gotten rid othe bad habits!
Also I determined why drive-throughs are so popular! They are QUICK and we don’t have to get off our fat duffs to go inside the building to get what we think is a meal! If we as a country did, we would probably choose better foods. Of course you can still choose poorly in a sit-down restaurant, but you have better choices there, usually, more vegetables, more fruits, etc., depending on what type of restaurant it is. Plus if we cut down on the portion sizes we consume as a country we could definitely cut our waistline and our budgets in half I predict. If you look at the portion sizes from the early 1900′s through about 1950, the portions have increased DRAMATICALLY and now we are just a bunch of fatties running around if we haven’t had any control of what we actually consume and what we exercise to get it off/keep it off. It is interesting to note that even the people who were once immigrants among us, that have lived here for 10 or so years are now becoming just as fat as we Americans are, if they adapt to our eating styles
. For me, exercise is the key, if I don’t exercise, even just simple walking everyday, and eating the high-fiber fruits and veggies, to keep full, and eat more often throughout the day to keep the furnace going, then I will just be one huge consumer. I think it is all about learning to treasure your body and give it what IT wants/needs, which is high-fiber, low-fat, low-sugar, low to moderate salt, and plenty of whole fresh foods, Our bodies recognize these and know what to do with them. When we give them garbage, they will give us back garbage.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
Thanks so much for your newsletter, it is always appreciated!!!
Keep up the fight, it is WORKING and we are LISTENING!!!
I have to agree… just look around the globe, obesity isn’t normal and is not a “metabolism” problem just here in America. We are being fed garbage, verbally and nutritionally.
What is it going to take before those that are peddling this stuff understand the widespread harm that they are causing?
Thank you so much for writing this article! I’m basically a laypersons, with a slight advantage as my mom has always studied nutrition and told us about the dangers in over-processed food. I was disturbed by the creepy propaganda put out by the CRAA, and am not at all suprised to hear of their bullying.This is a brilliant article that I only wish was longer!
In response to your questions, there is most definitely an association. HFCS is the 1st or 2nd ingredient in nearly every food that is currently contributing to our over-consumption (you don’t see many people eating twelve oranges a day but you do see people drinking full liters of soda on a regular basis). If people were eating HFCS “in moderation”, the corn refiners would be out of business (or at least making much less money than they are). Their confidence in telling people to have it in moderation suggests to me their awareness of it’s addictiveness. They are working so hard to keep us unawares because of the insane amount of money they must be making. I really appreciate your explanation of what free fructose does and I think a tough fight should be put up over teaching laypeople what is happening to their bodies.
I should conclude by mentioning that I am NOT a fit person. I eat mostly natural, nutritious foods, but I am (and have been for probably ten years or more) completely addicted to HFCS, in the form of soda. This is of course partially due to the caffeine, but there is definitely a difference between what soda does to me as compared to coffee or hot tea.
Thanks again. I’d be a little afraid if I were you though, these guys sound kind of vicious.
Great article it backs up Jim Shriners,s book Disease free to 103. But like anything else common sense can go a long way eat what GOD made the way he made it.
I would really like to see this info more widely publicized. They are poisoning lots of people with cholesterol lowering drugs that don’t work anyway and never relating any of it to corn syrup consumption. Now I’m seeing a lot of labels stating “cane sugar”. What does that mean??? Corn cane or sugar cane? We need legislation to force them to specify!
I wonder if the media would be interested in a story about a powerful trade group intimidating doctors into silence about this important topic. I’ll bet the New York Times would write a feature article.
It is a crime that our governments ALLOW the food industry to promote foods and drinks that cause such terrible health problems. When are the “powers that be” going to wake up and start protecting the people instead of bowing to the major corporations who produce this unhealthy food!
Nearly 10 years ago, I was living in a very poor section of Jersey City, NJ. Since these people had no money and no opportunity to see a doctor or buy medicine, they would often come to me. I would tell them I wasn’t a doctor, but if there was some practical advice I could give I would. Among a number of maladies, many of my neighbors suffered from diabetes. Usually diabetes along with high cholestoral and triglycerides. One neighbor had jaundice, too. All these people curiously were diagnosed with diabetes quite recently. I assumed of course that it was the fact they were consuming too much sugar and fried foods. Rather then tell people to avoid sugar and fried foods, and then specifically tell them what products to avoid, which could be a complicated matter. I told these people simply they were allergic to corn and to avoid anything with corn. I figured this way they wouldn’t be able to eat any snacks, ice cream, soda, frozen food, and even fried chicken and french fries from the local chinese take out which certainly wasn’t good for their arteries; since all these things contained corn products, especially HFCS. All of these neighbors had a major turn around in their health. Their diabetes was reversed, their triglycerides were back to normal levels, and many lost weight, especially what was then termed, “the beer belly” referring to the fat around the stomach area. I assumed these neighbors got better, because they were avoiding sugar and fried foods. However, one day one of the neighbors invited me to join him in the apt of the neighbor who had had the jaundice and when I came into the apt I noticed he was making cakes and his own syrups for soda. When I asked him what he was doing, he answered, “Well, you said to avoid corn and everything has corn or at least corn syrup, so me and my friend we make our own sodas, cakes, and cookies from cane sugar every week.” Shocked, I asked him how was he expecting his diabetes to get better? He and the other neighbor then told me their diabetes was gone and their high cholestoral and triglycerides, too. One lost the “beer belly” he had, and the neighbor with the liver issues, his juandice went away. Both these neighbors consumed a whole 5lb bag of cane sugar in a month, if not more. Yet, they weren’t plagued with diabetes, liver issues, weight issues, and triglyceride issues anymore. It was then that I began questioning what high fructose corn syrup really was. At the time, there was no literature on the subject. I tried to find out from the manufactures what it was. All I was ever told was it was made from corn starch being placed in metal vats. Consuming high levels of any sugar, including cane sugar is unhealthy, However, one thing I knew was certain was that it was not cane sugar that could be eaten in moderation, but rather a poison to avoid.
Bravo! Thank you for your tireless efforts to expose the steady progression of sugar in all its forms into the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.). Recently, I purchased a bag of salt from a restaurant wholesale warehouse and noticed later that sugar is listed as one of the ingredients! Clearly, we have more work to do to educate the public and our patients to the prevalence and dangers of sugar.
I can see where the corn industry comes up with the idea that HFCS and sugar are equal to people: they neglect to tell you that the equality is in the fact that both of them are bad for people.
Not too long ago I viewed a video of the researcher at the Univ. of Calif. who showed that HFCS, unlike cane sugar, was metabolized thru the Liver. That could explain the great increase in deaths from Fatty Liver.
I heard that that beekeepers used HFCS to feed the bees and that was the cause of the widespread problems with bees dying. Do you know if that is true?
Food in general scares me anymore, everything is doctored some way or another, and how do you find out if manufacturers are telling the truth? If the
label says total fat 10 grams, and the Gov. allows up to .5 trans to be 0, but there still only 6 other grams listed, where and what are the other 3.5 grams?
Dr. Hyman,
Many states have ‘food slander laws’, making it a civil crime to criticize food products without a scientific basis. Industry gets to decide what the science is – remember Oprah Winfrey being sued by the Texas beef industry after her show on mad cow disease? She ultimately won, after spending millions of dollars in lawyer fees and countless hours of worry and testimony.
The Corn Refiner’s Association is probably trying to intimidate you into stopping your comments, implying they will sue you the same way the beef industry sued Oprah. Who can afford that? Perhaps Oprah would help pay your lawyer’s fees! i know i would help too, so keep educating us, and don’t be intimidated.
Hi Dr. Hyman,
I’m confused about the biochemistry of HFC and it’s effects on the body. You stated,
“The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin – our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.”
According to Dr. Popkin’s research, he claims;
“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [production of fat in the liver]. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption.”
So which is it? Does HFC stimulate insulin production and leptin levels or not? I agree both chemical reactions are harmful to the body. But I’m confused as to which one (or is it both?) it is?
I’m also a physician and I agree 100% with this article.
Now, it’s amazing to me how the food industry uses intimidation Godfather-style with anyone who has an opinion. That’s superbly depicted in the Academy Awards nominated movie “Food Inc”. I urge everyone to watch it.
There are also lots of issues with GM soy beans which is discussed in the film.
Thank you for this very interesting and informative article. Will now avoid usage but regret that I have been a consumer for so many years. Also wish we had an FDA that was really interested in our well being and preserving our health. BIG business in the food industry wins out again.
Keep up your good work! Getting the information out on the dangers of HFCS is a big step in the right direction without the feeble assistance of the FDA with the politicos and lobbyists that stack the deck in their favor – not the public.
Thank you for the research information. Common sense tells you it isn’t “natural”. The millions of dollars the industry is spending in commercial advertising to convince us that they have our best interest at heart is proof enough.
Dr Hyman
I would like to thank you for your continued vigilance in bringing forth information that can literally save our lives. I believe that HFCS, along with other substances equally as disturbing, ARE absolutely responsible for the obesity epidemic. I believe there are other factors as well… like lack of activity and addictive behaviors when it comes to food, but I also believe that certain foods encourage this addictive behavior. I am a label reader, and try to avoid most questionable substances when possible.
Keep up the amazing work
Julie
Mark, to what extent is yours a lone voice in the wilderness? It seems to me that educating and organizing physicians about functional medicine, perhaps after they leave medical school, is a really important goal. It is great to blog straight to the public, because they can directly improve their own health by following your recommendations. But why are not like-minded physicians banding together to take steps to reform medical practice and change medical education? Maybe they are doing so, I guess I don’t really know. I would like information on what collective actions are being taken in this regard. What is the AMA doing, if anything? One worries that physicians on the take from the industry may not be sympathetic with these education reform goals.
You say in your summary:
“High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous …..”
Just to be pedantic about it, that should be that they are *ALMOST* always found in very poor quality foods ….. Although the vast majority of HFCS containing foods fit your description, I can probably find a few examples of decent foods that contain HFCS.
That having been said, I’ll be taking your advice of looking for HFCS on the labels of foods I buy in the future.
Sue: I’d suggest that the point of the ‘cease and desist’ notice is to make you cautious about publishing remarks critical of HFCS in the future. It’s cheaper and less fraught with danger for them to send you the letter than (try to) sue you over statements that have a real founding in science.
If the notice looks like a legal threat, and If you *really* want to hit them where it hurts, (and you can find a lawyer willing to support you pro-bono) then file for a declaratory judgment that your comments about HFCS are reasonable and fact-based. (IANAL, and you should obviously talk to a lawyer about doing something like this)
Dr. Hyman,
I personally have experienced the same as the lady above, Sue. My health has improved dramatically since I stopped consuming high fructose corn syrup. I also lost 20 lbs. of belly fat. Amazingly just by reading labels and eating as much fresh home prepared foods as possible my health has dramatically improved. I don’t feel as tired as I used to and my energy levels have soared.
Thanks for your informative articles and this one was an eye opener on how exactly our body processes high fructose corn syrup. I’ve been trying to educate my family and friends and church members on this harmful substance since there are a lot of them that eat doughnuts and sodas. Many of them are overweight and ill but they don’t care to change their eating habits. What a pity… THANKS AGAIN
Thank you for the education. I didn’t know how HFCS was derived. I’ve known that HFCS was not good for health, but I didn’t know just how bad it really is. I will be more vigilant in reading labels in the future. I appreciate you taking the time to do the research, and having the “guts” to share what you have learned.
My mother-in-law used to have a quarter coke machine in her office that was attached to the house. Coke was readily available daily and for every meal. She had coke for breakfast and lunch but had water or tea for supper. She was a large woman but was very active as she was a realtor and always on the go. My wife was plus size when we married and now because she drinks coke all day, every day she is very large and does almost nothing. She always has health problems and I fear HFCS cirrhosis of the liver will set in. She is 51 years old.
Sadly, my granddaughter has gained plenty weight because of soft drinks in the house. She is 5.
How true this is. Everyone asked me how did I lose all my weight, I tell them I eat real food and avoid anything with HFCS in it. (75lbs. later) They tell me that that is too hard but really once I got away from it, I don’t miss it and I don’t even like the taste of pop anymore. Thank you!
Wake up people.
The food producers are making you sick with their chemical and genetic manipulations of natural foods and the Big Pharma boys are making you sicker with their drugs which purport to “cure” the diseases caused in the most part by fake, nutrient poor food.
Guess who pays the cost in terms of their health and their $$$$$$.
You and your families.
This deception and apathy has to stop. Take back your power from these evil profit driven entities.
Thank You for having the courage to speak up your mind and bring the truth to the table. because God knows the Corn industry is only looking out for themselves and will go to any lenght to disguise the truth about HCFS. Greed and lies on their part, they could not care less about anyone health. I take every chance I get to let people know about the so called like sugar substance they are so happily promoting all the time knowing it will cause harm to those consuming it. They ahve no ethics, no morals, no conscience either. Pretty unsettling and scary to deal with those kind of people. Josiane
What really bothers me is that not only are we as taxpayers subsidizing the corn industry to create really, really bad beef products that make us fat, they found a way to use the waste material to fill us with HFCS. Is staying funded by the corn lobbyists worth killing millions of Americans? Why does Congress continue to fund this?????
I was reading Dr. Hyman’s article about the dangers of corn syrup to my husband tonight, his response to me was “don’t you get tired of reading sad depressing information?” I thought to myself, this is exactly whats wrong with people today, people don’t want to know. It is just too stressful for them. As a nurse, I offer education to all of my patients regarding healthy food consumption, some people are shocked, but pleased to have received new information, others respond as my husband did, saddened, depressed and angry that I would tell them that the foods they love are precessed or may contain corn syrup, GMOs, MSG, hydrogenated oils etc. All of which are not healthy. Most don’t want to know the real reasons why. What is really sad and depressing, is watching people die from obesity, diabetes, pancreatic and liver cancer. People have become so complacent and so easy to believe everything they hear today except the truth.
Great article I hope to forward this to others that should be in the know.
All I will say is “Thank you thank you thank you.” Reposted to Facebook.
Somebody in the food industry must be getting the message, as I now see more and more foods in stores with the “No high fructose corn syrup” on the label. How surprising to find so many products that contain HFCS. I have removed HFCS from my family’s diet. This radically changes one’s food purchases. I cannot change the food industry but I can refuse to support them. I do cringe, however, when I think about how much of this poison I consumed in the past.
I think people who are reading the above article, and possibly this response, are already health-seeking. I am in the alternative health business, and I find that most clients I talk to are aware, and avoid artificial sweeteners (which this is, despite claims to the contrary), and limit dramatically all concentrated and refined foods.
The people who need to read this message are blissfully ignorant of the issues until their awakening to the fact that nutrient-poor diet is a sure-bet trip into chronic illness.
Our whole society needs to wake up to higher moral standards and start focusing on strategic goals, not tactical issues. We need more leadership, and less management. One example would be the “War On Drugs” – why are we chasing the entrepreneurs who supply product in demand? Why aren’t we instead asking: “Why are people so unhappy that they need to numb their pain with drugs that help them forget or disconnect?” Why is our leadership beholden to financial interests? Why are we tolerating it?
I really appreciated this article, and will be more fervent about looking for HFCS in the foods that we buy. I am so glad that we made the decision years ago to keep sodas out of our home, and away from our kids as long as possible!!!
I have since been reading some of our labels to get an idea how much of our diet has had the HFCS in it, and I am pleased to report we are better than most, but still have a long way to go. Due to all this, it has raised some questions, however. On labels I notice Corn Syrup, but not necessarily HFCS, and I want to know specifically, as you got quite specific on the HFCS, how it differs from the HFCS and how it is digested by and affects your body as compared to the HFCS.
I do understand that it is still a sugar, but with HFCS I have an obvious starting point, just trying to figure out how big the changes have to be, and how urgent this ingredient may or may not be as compared to the HFCS. I Thanks!
What about agave syrup? I’ve heard it may be just as bad. How is it produced and does it have free floating fructose?
Hi Dr. Hyman,
I am surprised they are still at it, though I know it’s yet here in our foods.
A few years ago when this HFCS was invading our food supply, I was outraged at seeing their unbelievable horridSweet Promise commercial. So, I went on their website and left my comments, ALERTING THEM that as a Home Health Nurse our primary job is to teach our Patients good health practices, and that myself and all other Hm Hlth Nurses ACROSS OUR NATION WILL be teaching Against HFCS. I was polite but firm and confident, though I did state my strong Concerns.
I received no return email or any communication from them, but I know they received mine.
Perhaps I need to revisit their website and repeat MY TRUTH PROMISE to them.
It was a great day when I saw Nature’s Own Bread line begin printing on the outside of it’s bread bag “No Hight Fructose Corn Syrup”, being sure folks know, not just the initials.
Thank you Dr. Hyman for this opportunity. This is a good reminder that a battle may have been won but war not over – even as the ingredient is further down the ingredient list, it’s still there. They depend on folks not continuing to read on. We DO!
DeAnne Marie Dumaine Martinez
nnursedianed@yahoo.com
HFCS is everywhere. My wife and I recently started changing our eating habits and when shopping for food we were shocked to see HFCS in so many foods. From salad dressings and fruit drinks to pre-packaged frozen dinners and tomato sauces. We literally broke down when we realized we had to re-learn how to shop for food.
Now we read labels and avoid not only HFCS, but all added sugars.Combined we have lost over 55 lbs. in a little over 4 months. We purchased your book The Ultrametabolism Cookbook and have made many of the delicious meals. Thank you for your committment to creating healthy, amazing recipes that taste great and are really good for us.
I am convinced the food industry is blind to the health needs of the average individual. To them we represent nothing beyond a dollar sign. I wish there were other ways to express my frustration over this topic.
Dr Hyman, I want to thank you especially for your help with the members of Saddleback. Without your support and hard work, a lot of this success would not be possible.
It is unbelievable how the corn industry is paying big bucks to put out propaganda in hopes of protecting their financial interest. I think it shows they are scared because as awareness of it’s harmful effects are becoming more well known, the demand for products without HFCS is increasing, and they are starting to lose money. So glad to have someone who isn’t on the corn producers payroll to tell us the truth. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this article. I have shared it. I appreciate those who provide nourishing products. I oppose those purveying substances that punch holes in the intestinal walls. It is wrong.
I think we could also look at the implementation of industrialized food in general. It is a pretty good bet that most of the health and economic problems of the industrialized world come from something people DON’T do: produce and/or process(cook and preserve) their own food. The possibilities of what you can do with things produced locally are not nearly as freakish as what is done in mass-production, and the loss of real useful skills is a tragedy. Industrialization is always about taking more than we give. Localization is the reverse of this attitude. One human can only steal so much from their own future when acting locally, but when acting as a globalized culture, they can steal EVERYTHING from the future (as the debt levels show we have tried to do). HFCS is a means of concentrating future resources (soil nutrients) into a sugar rush. Throw in cellulosic ethanol production, and NOTHING will be given back to the land as even the cornstalks will be taken from it.
Would the same hold true for agave syrup? I have read that it is produced in much the same way as corn syrup, yet it is being promoted as a healthier product than sugar.
I would be interested in the effects of HFCS on children whose mothers ingested large amounts of HFCS in their diets during pregnancy. Are there any studies in this area. Both my grandchildren are ADHD kids. Their mother drank several cola’s a day and other sweetened foods.
Thank you,
Great article. I have known HFCS is not good for your health. I recently saw the TV commercial, and DID get confused. I have always thought that it is a shame that half truths are turned into facts and truth, confusing the public. I loved Harry Truman’s quote: If you can’t convince them, confuse them. This is exactly what the food industry does.
Great article! HFCS is something I have avoided for years because I can feel the difference it makes in how I feel. The trouble is that the media confusion is working. Many of the people I know think the concerns are unfounded and will quote “anything in moderation is ok.” The one and only response that has gotten their attention for me is this, “Moderation? Ok when you grab something in the store take a quick glance at the ingredients. My guess is that you will find HFCS in just about everything you buy. I don’t really consider that moderation.” Most agree and haw started making some changes in how they eat. Thanks Dr. Hyman for getting the truth out there.
I knew those “corn sugar” commercials were full of crap, lies and manipulations thanks for telling me why
I live in the middle of all this corn. I’m a farmer’s daughter and I know how
hard my Dad worked and how unpredictable the industry can be. However,
I whole hardedly agree with you. I’ve thought what you are saying for over 10 years. I have thought and said for years that corn syrup had a lot to do with the
obesity in this country. I read labels and eat little of it myself. I also feel the high
carb pasta, macoroni & cheese diet craze is quilty of the same.. Thanks for helping us to open up our eyes, ears and especially our mouths to the truth.
Great info regarding HFCS. In my earlier days when my kids were small 1960-70 most processed foods were sweetened with cane sugar. I was working in the ice cream industry and one of my projects was to recalculate all the formulas using corn syrup vrs cane Cane prices had spiked and corn was so much more sweeter and cheaper. My kids and kids of their generation did not have reflux type problems as we are seeing now. I definitely think the common denominator is the addition of HFCS to processed foods. Not only that but the reflux drugs that are being used to treat these children also inhibits the production of stomach acid that is vital for both the proper digestion of food and also as a first line filter for acid sensitive bacteria that enters the body. End product kids that have more bacterial infections and may also present as somewhat mal-nourished as they are not getting the benefits of the nutrients in their food.
Thanks for a great article. I have attended talks addressing childhood obesity that also raised the issue of bad HFCS. Hopefully, the word will spread.
Great article. Well done as always!! I love your research, your books, and the way you write — well referenced, easy to understand, and to the point. There is another crusader who has a video on U-Tube. Have you seen Dr.Robert Lustig a professor of clinical pediatrics in the division of endocrinology at the University of California-San Francisco? I also enjoyed your IFM discussion with Dr. Bland for May 2011. It was nice to see how well prepared you are to continue the vision and quest for knowledge and implementation and dissemination of that knowledge that Dr. Bland started. It will be hard to fill his shoes (I’ve followed him since 1989). I really didn’t know how Bland could be cloned, but I think you’ll do a good job as you take this leadership position.
Thanks for continuing to talk truth to the people and the power. I worked in the food industry as a research chef for many years. The multi national companies will do whatever they feel it might take to silence any opposition. Keep talking. We’re standing right there with you.
I agree with EJ and Ethan above… all of these processed foods really scare me. I am fortunate to be able to eat clean and organic but many people can’t or just aren’t educated on this stuff. I wish more doctors read your stuff and could help their patients avoid these diseases rather than just treat them with pharmaceutical drugs. I wish I knew how to get your information to more people. (like on the front page of yahoo instead of articles about “5 dating mistakes”)
My own experience with consuming HFCS years and years ago confirms your findings. I did not feel good and did notice that I was more hungry than if I was consuming regular sugar or fruit.
Right now I have an ultra green inn in the Berkshires that depends on a supply of 100% biodiesel for its heat and hot water. This choice seemed to make the most sense in terms of what type of system would fit into this historical building and who could maintain it locally. I managed to find a supply for three years, but this year the supply has been extremely hard to find. I would rather see corn being used for biofuel than for HFCS if it makes sense. I woud also like to see industrial hemp and other crops that would yield high quality biofuel and that require fewer or no chemical inputs being farmed rather than corn if this crop doesn’t make the most sense as a source of high quality agricultural product.
I appreciate any attempt to educate the public about the dangers of HFCS. I always send links to such articles to friends and post on facebook. But I can’t do that with this article because of some poorly stated information, which calls the whole article into question. First it says that we have increased our consumption of sugar from “zero” to over 60 pounds per person and “in the same time period…” What time period? And then, mysteriously, it refers to us consuming 140 pounds of sugar per person per year. Is it “over 60 pounds,” or closer to 140 pounds? How many teaspoons of sugar in a pound, since we’re only told that there’s 17 tsp in a can of soda. But soda is made with HFCS, not table sugar. So where does the comparison fit in? There are questions skeptics will ask to discredit the article. It would be helpful if writers adhere to better journalistic standards when presenting information.
After reading this article an ad popped up on my computer screen “High Fructose Corn Syrup–what does scientific research really say about HFCS. http://www.sweetsurprise.com.” The corn industry is trolling everywhere. Scary.
Thank you for this article! I have been avoiding HFCS like the plague for some time now!
I have a question though – recently I’ve been hearing that Agave Nectar is actually not good for you at all and maybe as bad as corn syrup! Is this true? I was quite distressed at reading this, as I’ve been using it for quite some time as a sugar substitute. Would love to hear the truth about this!
Great artical. It is scary how manipulative such industries can be. I wonder if people on top can sleep at night. Well it will be long journey, but through education and spreading the true we can win.
Thanks for what are u doing.
thanks for the article. First let me say, we try to stay far away from hfcs… I’m curious, what’s your take on agave syrup?
My husband is a type 1 diabetic, he’s tried all sorts of artificial sweeteners (we really do try to stay away from those too) but we’ve found agave syrup to be a good substitute as he can eat it in (in moderation) without blood glucose spikes.
thanks,
Christine
Dear Dr. Hyman, thank you for writing this article. I was appalled at the recent commercials that boast “sugar is sugar”. And I’m sick and tired of how our media manipulates the truth to support food industries in the U.S., corn as well as chicken and others I’m sure. And the country gets fatter and fatter.
By the way, I lost 55 pounds after being motivated by your Ultra Metabolism book. I am not gluten sensitive, but willingly giving up gluten and following your principles has still made a major difference. My skin cleared up without gluten in my diet.
Thanks Dr. Hyman. This is a much needed public awareness article about sugars in general and fructose in particular. I have been listening to many parents that their children become “hyper” after few candies. I also saw Prof Robert Lustig, of UCSF’s very informative lecture (available on UTube) dubbing fructose as poison.
I think we need to have public advocacy groups to vet many new “faculties and utilities” that we keep adding to our modern life style. We all know of many chemicals (which are later declared to be banned), and many medicines (which are later withdrawn). Despite many such vivid examples we seem not to always think of the damage such facilities may cause to our health and lives before starting to use them. These include all fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, sugars, fructose, radiation emitting gadgets like TV, cell phones, microwaves, high tension electricity cables and even repeated X rays and radioactive substances used for diagnosis and treatment in medicine.
Someone needs to take a lead and ensure that we do not hurt ourselves and our children in the enthusiasm of accepting everything that is “new”. These should be only accepted after thorough evaluation of safety to health and lives.
Any suggestions, as to how do we accomplish this?
I am convinced that once HFCS has been consumed for a number of years, a “rebound” to a healthier state is very slow in coming, as evidenced by my continued struggle with obesity, etc, after a full year of carefully avoiding this product (no small feat), as well as increasing the overall health of my diet. Is there any evidence that easy weight gain, persistent increased hunger, and “metabolic syndrome” are difficult for most of us to dial down, even after a cessation of HFCS in our diets? Any ideas how long these problems may persist after HFCS is omitted from a diet, and many other healthy changes are made, including exercise and whole, non-processed foods? THANKS!
Americans are far behind Europe and Asia in science comprehension. It’s shameful.
And that’s how agri-business gets away with it. Many people can’t comprehend what their “food” does to their bodies
I strongly suspect that the “scientists” who gloss over the dangers of high fructose corn syrup are also the very same “scientists” who compose “Intelligent design” textbooks and tell us that tobacco is harmless. Unfortunately, some scientists are not above corruption, and will say whatever the highest bidder wants them to say, be it Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco or Big Religion.
I agree with you and your findings about HFCS. I make it a point to never buy or eat anything with HFCS in it. Many products I used to buy , I can no longer use.
The first time I saw the cornfield commercial I knew my intelligence had been insulted. I finished his statement in my mind …” & neither form of sugar is good for you.” Are people really that gullible? Give me a break!
My family will not eat anything with HFCS in it, we stopped over a year ago. The few times we have gotten it by accident we get severe headaches or vomiting! Once your body detoxes from it it recognizes it as the poison it is.
I do so appreciate reading your information….I learn so much. I am desperately trying to get my daughter to understand this so she does not feed it to her new child. but she refuses to listen, or maybe she just doesn’t understand. I look forward to giving her your article to read. Thank you for all you do!!!!!!
I’ve believed for years that ‘the stuff’ isn’t good for us. Then I spent well over a year hauling it to all sorts of ‘food processors’. I’m thankful I don’t have a problem with obesity, and believe it is related to my attempts to stay away from HFCS. If anyone wants samples to test, let me know. I might be able to ‘find’ some. Thanks for sounding the alarm to more people.
I have been surprised to find how many things have HFCS. I spent some time just reading the labels of things I normally purchase,,,ketchup, pickles, soups, diced tomatoes, frozen meals to be a “healthy”? lunch……..
It is very difficult to avoid it! It must be helping the companies “bottom line” as it seems to be in almost everything. Guess I have to go back to avoiding anything in a can – but that won’t even do it!
I became aware of the effect High fructose corn syrup had on me when I found it in the ingredient label of the bread I was served while at camp. I had never been a breakfast eater and was trying to develop healthier habits. During a camping trip I was served bread with HFCS and about an hour later I was starving. I couldn’t eat enough food to feel satisfied all day. I wasn’t 100% sure that was the cause but when I got home I got rid of any food with HFCS. I noticed a big difference in my appetite and did not have the extreme cravings. I am convinced that the presence of HFCS triggers major hunger for me and I have been watching labels religiously since the mid 1990s. Your scientific findings make me more convinced that listening to my intuition has really paid off.
I had decided a while ago not to eat anything with HFCS. It just didn’t seem right even if the information/data wasn’t clearcut. ANd now I know why! Thank you for summarizing everything in one article.
…This we can control!!!!!!!
What do you suggest asan alternative? what about the ribose does it have the same effect on weight gain?
Thanks for the great article – I kept a copy to show my more bamboozled friends
I do have a question for you. I don’t drink sodas (just water, decaf iced tea, and flavored mineral water with no sweetener) and I avoid most processed foods. However, I have discovered that my favorite brand of protein powder (which I use in high-protein smoothies) lists “corn syrup solids” among its ingredients. (It’s way down the list, just before the assorted gums.) Is this the same as HFCS? Is occasional exposure to it going to be dangerous for me, as opposed to 2-sodas-a-day plus manufactured bake goods?
Thank you for this clarification! I will definitely forward this to family and friends. I really believe the bottom line is money. How much can be made at the trusting public expense and the trickle down effect the illnesses it can cause, which leads people to the doctor and pharmaceuticals, more money to be made from all the new illnesses it causes. It really is scary.
Now that I am actively looking for HFCS on labels, I am overwhelmed by how these products have permeated our food supply. This is a product that is very hard to avoid. If enough people boycotted these products, perhaps the industry would shift the way they did with trans fats. One can only hope.
Information on the manufacture of HFCS can be found at:. http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/611-murky-world-of-hfcs.html
Aspergillus is used in the manufacture of HFCS and can cause serious health problems:
Are the other syrups made the same way?
I always read labels now. If the label contains anything partially hydrogenated or having HFCS, I put it back. Since banishing it from my diet, I definitely feel “less inflamed” Funny that I’d been saying this all along before I read this article. I am convinced this stuff is poison, and how sad that doctors are not required to study nutrition.
Thank you for the work you do, it is so important. I began following you about five years ago and as an O R nurse for years, I feel a new committed to health and wellness through nutrition. Raising a young daughter with good nutrition knowledge is vital to her life long happiness and one of the more important goals of the next generation. I plan to share your article with her to help better explain the ads she too has seen on TV and questioned.
To the good health of all.
I also have noticed that HFCS is included in a large number of foods and have noticed it must be like soy and wheat and “corn”….That is, it is ubiquous and found in many manufactured foods. I have decided I do not wish to have all these ingredients in all of my foods. Why can’t I have bread without soy or corn? Why must we have HFCS in my fresh or frozen fruit juice? Sugar is bad enough, why must we add another manufactered product to our diets?
And to find that now mercury contaminates HFCS after I personally paid for taking fifteen mercury-amalgam dental fillings (up to 51% mercury) out of my mouth at my own expense, I am shocked but not surprised at the negligent manner in which our foods and dental and medical practices are supervised and effected by profit-only motivated companies and their asssociations.
We need to find a vehicle to combat these blatantly false ad campaigns and get out the truth to people. We cannot compete with these huge companies or dental or medical associations in their monetary, tax deductible expenditures which mislead the public. People should be made aware of the blatant lies being told via advertising, especially on television, but how?
The internet is good, but I think that only the entertainment industry has the impact to successfully to compete successfully with these advertising giants.
A Question: Should not we require that for every three minute commercial ad there should be an equal time response…between each ad…. that combats these falsehoods? One thing is sure: We need to find an effective way to reach people and inform them about these falsehoods being spread through the television media, which reachs into almost all our homes.
Keep up the good work. Sincerely Yours, Chauncey J Garthune
My mom became diabetic in her 30′s after the birth of her 6th child. She was skinny as a rail but smoked Pell Mells, bore 6 children and did her best with my dad’s managerial income from Westinghouse. She died at age 56 of extenuating circumstances, a few months after a massive stroke left her incapacitated. Before that happened, she claimed diabetes made her body age 20 years so really, she was 76.
In any event, diabetes has been in the forefront of my brain since I was a child watching her sterilize her insulin injection needles in a pan on the stove.
Sugar, of any kind, has affected me biologically my entire life. Periodic blood tests over my adult years with every new GP inevitably lead to the GP labeling me diabetic or pre-diabetic with ‘too high’ blood sugar levels. I’ve learned to eliminate all sugars for a week before a blood test in order for my tests to fall into the ‘normal’ range.
And I don’t drink soft drinks or sweet tea or sweeten my coffee, yadda yadda yadda.
But I did consume plenty of candy and cookies and desserts growing up and was a little pudgette. I stopped doing that this century. I stopped eating red or white or pink meat, too.
Now my blood test results put me into the ‘healthy as a horse’, ‘you can eat two eggs a day for the rest of your life’ category by my MDs. Plus they ask, what are you doing and then ignore my reply.
I give you all this background (sorry if it’s TMI) because while I agree that HCFS belongs in the non-food category with other artificial sweeteners, which I also do not and never have consciously consumed, from my personal experience I believe obesity and diabetes are not necessarily permanently linked together.
I do agree that eliminating HCFS from my diet has helped me to lose considerable weight plus reduce inflammation. That plus the combination of my semi-vegetarian lifestyle (i eat the occasional Omega-3 coldwater fish, eggs, and goat/sheep cheese), daily vitamin, plenty of filtered water and never smoking a day in my life (other than the ubiquitous 2nd hand smoke) makes me the healthiest I have ever been in my entire life.
Still, my desire to consume HCFS never goes completely away. If I sample it, the urge grows stronger to consume more and more and more. Since I rarely do it these days, I usually end up getting so sick, it doesn’t appeal to me again for a great long time. I cannot keep the items in my house, however, and have taught my friends and family to not try to push the sweets on me. I want to live.
That being said, I think this is a terrific article you have written and I am planning on making copies and mailing them to my siblings. My older sister, in particular, is extremely obese, as were many of my father’s sisters.
Thank you for staying the course and not letting the chaos-minded HCFS pushers intimidate you. Maybe with this comment of mine, I too will one day get a personalized letter to desist speaking my truths.
I thought we lived in America, the land of free speech?
Sigh.
Sadly, it’s all about the money. My friend’s little girl was in a HFCS commercial. You should have seen my face when they told me she was going to be in it. They accepted the job for the money.
I cannot believe you and Sue are being hounded by the CRAoA. Maybe it should be taken as a compliment that they fear your comments are making an impact to sway people away from HCFS! Keep up the good work!
Other culpris that lead to obesity include Hydorgenated Oils and Enriched Flours, which make food have longer shelf lives. I’d love to see some research on how the body “digests” these products too!
Thanks Dr. Hyman for another great article. Taking the time to read your emails is certainly worthwhile! I appreciate the facts you present and I don’t hesitate sharing with my friends and family…
Thank you, Dr. Hyman, for your eye opening article.
I have never consumed a lot of HFCS but still, it is good to know all the facts and educate all the people around me.
I also want to thank you for your courage to stand up against the powerfull.
krzysiekf
Before my 5 1/2 year old daughter could read anything else, she learned to identify the words “high fructose corn syrup” on labels. We found out that she has a severe allergic reaction to HFCS once she started on solid food. She gets a massive diarrhea attack (the kind that would have you or I crawling to the bathroom) because the HFCS irritates her intestinal lining. It also causes her to have eczema outbreaks, which have to be medicated. We went through a lot of different tests before we discovered the cause. The specialist that finally made the diagnosis told us that many people, adult and children, have some sort of an allergic reaction to HFCS with usually less severe symptoms and never realize that HFCS is what is causing them. Once we started looking at labels, we were astounded to find out how many different and diverse products have HFCS in them. From crackers to cookies, sodas to kids’ juices, baking mixes, frostings and cake decorations, lunchmeats, hotdogs, packaged breads and rolls, packaged foods, pasta sauces, katsup and many other condiments, many different kinds of soups including my favorite tomato soup, almost all candy except high-quality chocolate, and much, much more. There are alternative products out there that do not have HFCS in them, you just have to look carefully. We also found out the hard way that even if there was no HFCS on the label, if “corn syrup” was within the first 5 ingredients on the label, the effect on my daughter was just as bad as the HFCS. Our family is much healthier now that we know what to look for and avoid. It is hardest on my daughter, especially when she cannot have what the other kids are having. She may outgrow the severe allergic reaction to HFCS, but she will probably always have a sensitivity to it. I hope someday that people will demand that HFCS be removed from all food products.
I absolutely agree that the introduction of HFCS has led to the obesity epidemic our country is now faced with. I think greed/money is the reason behind the ads and websites; definitely not the health and well-being of their fellow mankind. I absolutely agree with the science presented here and can speak from personal experience in how my body reacts from varying types and forms of sweeteners. I’ve been saying so for years.
Thank-you for publishing such an enlightening article. Although I do believe in teaching your children how to eat right, and making good choices, how does a parent compete with billions of dollars in junk food ads on television, and soda/candy machines in our schools? As a single parent it is hard to do, but my children and I eat organic, whole foods, and now “gluten-free” since I found out I was allergic to wheat 2 months ago!!(probably because it is genetically modified).To eat healthy is ridiculously expensive, and it is sad when I go to work all day and my kids eat USDA subsidized prepackaged (and HFCS loaded) garbage at daycare. I’m not allowed to pack their lunch and snacks unless I have a doctor’s note, wtf?! What’s funny is if you choose to be healthy other parents act like you are depriving your kids of their chemically laced treats (because they’ve been brainwashed to react that way). I buy candy, ice cream, soda, chips et cetera at the health food store, or in the natural food section at the grocery store, these treats are all natural, and taste the same, they just don’t contain carcinogenic chemicals (like “caramel coloring”), high fructose corn syrup, preservatives et al. Equally frustrating is the demographics of this epidemic. Those who are socioeconomically less fortunate, and minorities consume by far the highest proportions of these “substances”. Giant corporations, such as Monsanto, who poisoned my father with agent orange during Vietnam, are now poisoning all of us with bovine growth hormone. What a world we live in. The FDA is supposed to protect consumers, they are a joke. The CDC is engineering disease right along with the pharmaceutical and chemical industries in order to reap record profits, I won’t even discuss insurance (I work in Medicare, it is all EVIL!!!! They are basically trying to wipe out the baby boomers so they don’t reach medicare age, lol, i know its CRAZY!!). Doctors cannot even accept certain insurance unless they follow the company’s guidelines for treatment, which usually just involves a cocktail of pharmaceuticals, which by the way NEVER cure a disease, they only treat the symptoms. It is just a sad fact that we are the guinea pig generation, exposed to toxic levels of “EPA regulated” chemicals starting at conception. The Orwellian comment really hits home ; ( Just to answer your questions, I know that HFCS causes diabetes, is related to obesity, and is most likely a precursor for most other diseases including arthritis, cancer, at al. Secondly, the Corn Refiners Association publishes these ads because they are given millions of dollars from the chemical and pharmaceutical companies to do so. Finally, I agree with the science you have presented, you could even include graphs or documents supporting this. Your references are helpful, and you basically achieved dispelling all of their “facts” accurately and effectively ; ) Thank-you again for your informative article. What they are doing to our Earth, and to us is unconscionable, but then again Evil has no conscience.
This is why there are fruits and veggies…..all good…no bad
By trial and very painful error I figured out about 20 years ago that high fructose corn syrup is one of my basilar migraine triggers. I added it to the list which includes MSG, soy, hydrolized anything, Nutrasweet, Yellow #5, and oddly ginger, tumeric, and cardamon. Don’t get me started on the 10,000 names MSG appears under. I am 58 years old. In the process of avoiding these foods, I have acquired a cholesterol level of 130 – 140. My blood pressure is 90 – 110 over 50 – 70. I am not overweight. I am unable to eat the all American crud diet. It is gradually getting easier to avoid these ingredients as more people choose to eat healthier and healthy foods multiply. When I visited England 12 years ago, I found that at least at that time, they used a lot less of all that stuff. When are we going to take back our food supply from the corporations?
We need Nutrition Facts labels to break out fructose from “sugars”. How can we make that law?
I believe I am living proof of the harmfulness of HFCS. All my adult life I’ve avoided harmful substenses, i.e. recreational drugs, smoking, alcohol, and have maintained an ideal weight through excerise and diet. I control my food portions and rarely overeat. At 49 years old I was shocked to find out I have a “fatty liver”. I also was diagnosed with inflammation throughout almost all my body. I could not wrap my mind as to why this was, until now. I’ve always been a candy lover (eater)…the kids stuff…taffy, hard candy, cotton candy, gummies and an occassional soda. I always kept candy at my desk to snack on throughout the day…didn’t think I craved it but just enjoyed the flavor. In the last few years, I’ve been conscience about reading labels and avoiding HFCS after viewing a program about the corn industry. However, I’m just puting 2 and 2 together after reading your article. Thanks for enlightening me. My doctor thought the fatty liver was due a change of my excercise habits.
A few more reasons not to use:
Toxic Effects of Fructose
Aging Process
Excessive consumption of Fructose may accelerate the Aging Process (due to it accelerating the process of Cross-Linking in the body’s Tissues). references
Cardiovascular System
Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of abnormal Blood Clotting ailments.
Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Cardiovascular Diseases.
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Hypertension. references
Digestive System
Fructose may cause Colic (in infants who are Fructose Intolerant). references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Diarrhea (especially in persons who are Fructose Intolerant). references
Fructose may cause the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Fructose malabsorption may be an underlying cause of some cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. references
Excretory System
Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones (by increasing the concentration of Calcium in the Urine and increasing the urinary output of the N-Acetyl-Glucosaminidase enzyme that is only present in persons with Kidney Ailments).
Excessive consumption of Fructose may damage the Kidneys (Fructose may cause chronic Kidney Disease). references
Immune System
Fructose may be implicated in some types of Cancer:
- Excessive consumption of Carbohydrates may increase the risk of Breast Cancer.
- Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Colon Cancer. references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may interfere with the function of Neutrophils (Fructose interferes with the ability of Neutrophils to function as Phagocytes). references
Metabolism
Intravenous injections of Fructose may cause Acidosis. references
Fructose may increase total serum Cholesterol levels: references
- Fructose serves in part as the raw material for the synthesis of Cholesterol within the body.
- Fructose may increase LDL Cholesterol levels. references
Fructose may cause Cross-Linking (glycosylation) the body’s endogenous Proteins more rapidly than Glucose: references
- Albumin is glycosylated ten times as rapidly with Fructose than Glucose.
- Hemoglobin is glycosylated five times as rapidly with Fructose than Glucose.
Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Fatigue (in persons who are Fructose Intolerant).
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Fatty Liver. references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Gallstones. references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Insulin Resistance. references
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Obesity. references
Fructose may cause elevated serum Triglyceride levels (especially in Diabetes Mellitus patients): references
- Fructose is incorporated into Triglycerides more readily than Glucose (i.e. Fructose has a greater propensity to increase serum Triglycerides compared to Glucose).
Musculoskeletal System
Very high consumption of Fructose may increase the risk of Gout (due to the ability of Fructose to increase the body’s production of Uric Acid). references
Nervous System
Excessive consumption of Fructose may cause Depression (in persons who are Fructose Intolerant). references
Oral Health
Fructose may cause Tooth Decay (although it is slightly less cariogenic than Sucrose and Glucose).
Skin
Excessive Fructose intake accelerates the development of Wrinkles (due to Frucose stimulating the process of Cross-Linking). references
Contraindications
Metabolism
Fructose should not be consumed by persons diagnosed with Fructose Intolerance (also known as Dietary Fructose Intolerance; DFI). Consumption of Fructose by persons with Fructose Intolerance may cause Flatulence, Intestinal Cramps (abdominal pain), Bloating and altered Bowel habits. references
Fructose may Increase these Toxic Substances
Amino Acids
Fructose may increase Homocysteine levels. references
Organic Acids
Fructose may increase the production of Uric Acid in the Liver. references
Proteins
Fructose may increase Apoprotein (b) levels. references
Fructose may Interfere with these Substances
Enzymes
Fructose may inhibit the activity of (endothelial) Nitric Oxide Synthase. references
Minerals
Fructose may interfere with the body’s absorption of Copper. references
Fructose may increase the urinary excretion of Phosphorus. references
Proteins
Fructose may accelerate the Cross-Linking of the Skin’s Collagen content. references
These Substances may Counteract the Toxic Effects of Fructose
Amino Acids
N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) may inhibit the ability of Fructose to increase Blood Pressure and cause Insulin Resistance. references
Taurine may inhibit the ability of Fructose to initiate Cross-Linking. references
Vitamins
Lipoic Acid may inhibit the ability of Fructose to cause Cross-Linking of the body’s endogenous Proteins. references
These Herbs may Counteract the Toxic Effects of Fructose
Cinnamon may inhibit the ability of Fructose to cause Insulin Resistance. references
Green Tea may inhibit the ability of Fructose to cause Insulin Resistance and may inhibit the ablity of Fructose to increase Triglycerides levels. references
Stevia may counteract Fructose-induced Insulin Resistance (due to the Stevioside content of Stevia). references
Dietary Sources of Fructose note
(mg of Fructose per 100 grams)
Bee Foods: Honey 40,900
Fruit: Bananas 4,850 Grapes 8,130
Apples 5,900 Figs 22,900
Cherries 6,000 Pears 6,230
Strawberry 2,500 Blackberry 2,400
Orange 2,250 Blueberry 4,970
Grapefruit 2,500 Raisins 29,700
Dates 32,000 Prunes 12,500
Persimmon 5,560 Kiwi Fruit 4,350
Watermelon 3,360 Plums 3,070
Raspberry 2,350 Honeydew Melon 2,960
Pineapple 2,050 Cantaloupe 1,870
Peach 1,530 Nectarine 1,370
Apricot 940
Herbs: Echinacea Ginsengs
Paprika 6,710 Chilli (powder) 4,290
Ginger 1,780 Oregano 1,130
Cinnamon 1,110 Cloves 1,070
Licorice Rosehips
Processed Foods: Fructose comprises 55% of the commercially produced High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) which is added to many Processed Foods (e.g. most Soft Drinks contain approximately 11% HFCS). HFCS is also used to sweeten baked goods, canned Fruits, Diary Products, Ketchup and Jams. *
Molassses: 12,800 Maple Syrup 880
Vegetables: Tomato 1,370 Onion 1,160
Cabbage 1,650 Asparagus 1,000
Carrot 1,000 Brussels Sprouts 930
Lettuce 900 Cucumber 870
Radish 800
* It is noteworthy that Soft Drinks consumption is responsible for 33% of the total content of Simple Sugars (Fructose + Sucrose + Glucose) in the diets of the USA population. An average 600 ml can of Soft Drink contains 32.6 grams of Fructose.
Bioavailability references
Fructose is slowly absorbed by the body – 80% to 90% is absorbed intact.
The Fructose portion of Sucrose is absorbed more slowly than Fructose ingested in its pure Monosaccharide form. This is because the Fructose portion of Sucrose is not available for absorption until Sucrose is hydrolyzed by intestinal Digestive Enzymes.
Peak serum Fructose concentrations occur 30 – 60 minutes after Fructose ingestion.
Fructose is absorbed primarily via the Jejunum.
It is estimated that up to 33% of persons are unable to completely absorb Fructose.
Human Fructose Intake references
Most human Fructose intake is from High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) used to sweeten various Processed Foods. Processed Food manufacturers prefer HFCS as a sweetening agent because it is inexpensive and mixes well in many foods.
Human intake of Fructose is on the increase. From 1970 to 1997, annual per capita intake of HFCS in the USA increased from 0.23 kg to 28.3 kg. During the same period, total Fructose + Sucrose intake increased from 64 grams per day to 81 grams per day.
Human intake of naturally-occurring (ie. non-HFCS) Fructose from non-processed foods (primarily Fruits and Vegetables) is approximately 15 grams per day.
Human Blood Fructose Levels
The concentration of Fructose in fasting blood of healthy humans is typically 1 mg/dL or less.
In-Tele-Health © 2009 (from Hyperhealth Pro CD-ROM)
“High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a process so secret that Archer Daniels Midland and Carghill would not allow the investigative journalist, Michael Pollan to observe it for his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The sugars are extracted through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically novel compound called HFCS.”
HFCS is extracted from the corn kernel, not the stalk. The process is not secret, you can find it on wikipedia.
The body converts fructose into glucose and then into energy or storage as fat.
I got this substance out of my diet about two years ago. My cholesterol count has lowered and stayed down. I have also lost belly fat which is where most of my problem with excess weight lies. I have more energy and have over the course of two years I have lost approximately 20 pounds. I will also note that I am in general eating healthier and am more satisfied with the foods I eat.
The government will allow this product to be “made” and sold but they are worried about organic and raw milk. There is something wrong with this picture.
Great job, Dr. Hyman. Excellent article.
This is really important information. I have recently become aware of the adverse metabolic effects of excessive fructose. Your article makes a complex subject understandable. I was aware of much of what you discussed. However, some of the science was new to me, like the fructose in HFCS being unbound and therefore, more rapidly absorbed. Coming from you, Bruce Ames, and Jeff Bland, I know the science is accurate and cutting-edge.
The public needs to get this truth as you have laid out, as opposed to the propaganda put forth by the people who produce this “Franken-Food”. Manufacturers of HFCS are apparently putting money ahead of peoples’ lives.
I believe that HFCS is not only contributing to obesity but to all the negative health effects of insulin resistance, which plagues about 1 out of 4 Americans… and more and more children.
Another problem with fructose is the damage it does to body proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. This process, called fructosylation, contributes to all degenerative diseases and the aging process. Fructose appears to be much more damaging in this regard than is glucose.
Thanks for the great information. I am going to share it with my patients.
Joseph Debé, DC, DACBN
Board Certified Nutrionist
Since participating in the UltraSimple Challenge in June 2010 and eliminating HFCS from my diet, my triglycerides have decreased significantly. I have lost almost 20 lbs. and have easily been able to maintain the weight loss to 133 lbs.. My health and wellbeing have improved immeasurably.
I salute you for your dedication in enlightening us on the research that has been carried out. Your website is the first one I turn to for information that I know I can trust.
As a 69 year old, I am dedicated to healthy eating and exercise and will share this article with like-minded friends.
Mark,
The data do not support what you claim about the superiority of sucrose, and a close read reveals innuendo absent evidence … misdirection, like a good shell game con.
Nothing Ames has to say changes the fact that sucrose is every bit as bad as HFCS.
Obesity rates have risen equally high and fasst in countries where cane sugar remains the sweetener used in most sodas and snacks, dude.
Hi Dr. Hyman,
I definitely think HFCS is making us fat! Is there really any reason to put it into everything??
Under #2, you mention that high doses of free fructose can punch holes in the intestine. Do you know how much is considered a high dose? We’re working on cutting all HFCS out of our diets but it is lurking in so many products, sometimes it seems hard to avoid. Obviously, it is best not to have any, but how much is too much?
Thanks!
I am wondering about other artificial sweetners now. I had thought that ingesting HFCS was probably better than aspartame, Splenda, Sweet and Low, etc. but maybe I was wrong. Can you elaborate on this topic?
Thank you for spreading the truth, I saw one HFCS commercial 6 months ago, and thought that too many people saw through it so they stopped the campaign. I can’t believe they are still running them, and the commercial you described is much more horrifying, then the one I saw. I am sharing this with friends. Thank you
Yes it is scary! Loved the article. But could “the cause” of the tumors be that corn could be mostly universally contaminated with fungus? Have you ever seen mold grow like fingers? And could this also be the cause of inflammation? So many foods we eat are not stored properly. What happens to the grains? Are they growing poisons from different fungi too? I read another article Dr. Hyman wrote connecting gut yeast and antibiotics. What does happen to the antibiotic once it kills the bacteria? Does it continue to grow in the body? What is it doing? What causes yeast to grow and divide? What is food for fungus? Sugar? A good pro-biotic could save the day I believe. Also Dr. Hyman’s Books for weight loss are the best! In 21/2 months you won’t believe how good you look! Thank you I am on the road to health!
Thank you for your direct and thoughtful article.
These are issues I worry about especially with the proliferate “energy drink” market. I would love to see a study of HFCS with alcohol, as so many energy drinks are now served mixed with or in tandem to alcoholic beverages. I can’t imagine what the combination of these too highly absorbable sugars which both seriously affect liver and digestive tissues. Coincidence? i think not!
I have personally been having a battle with my overweight fiance drinking energy drinks. We have finally been getting his diabetes under control and this cannot and will not improve that condition.
Thank you for this article and all the information you presented. It really helped answer some questions I still had about HFCS. I started almost completely cutting it out of mine and my husband’s diet about a year a half ago or more. I was pretty strict about it, not buying anything with HFCS, with the exception of occasional soda (I wish they would just use real sugar again). I wanted to lose weight and eat better and I also knew there had to be a link between HFCS and weight gain/obesity so I felt cutting it out would help and I believe it did help me lose weight easier. I got some of my family and friends watching out for it too, but some people would ask me why it was bad, etc. and I just never really had better answers other than what I felt about it. Now I do! Yay!
Maybe I could get my dad to read your article and it may change his mind. He read in Consumer Reports (I believe) that is the same as sugar and your body processes it the same, blah, blah. He lives by that magazine so there is no changing his mind. So it tends to be a subject I avoid with him.
Thank you again, this information has helped me out and I will continue to avoid HFCS, especially more now since I am pregnant.
Excellent information, thank you! I would like to see the addictive aspect of HFCS reported on. I feel that the brain chemistry is impacted in a negative way as well as all the functional diseases that you mentioned. Perhaps this is what some of the “funny compounds” are doing.
Why are they so concerned about negative reports? I think you hit the nail on the head, 17% GNP and corn farm subsidies. But the consumer needs to take responsibility for the choices made. We have seen a huge shift towards buying locally grown, organic foods. People need to understand the true costs of cheap pseudo food; depression, fatigue and debilitating diseases affecting our country at all levels. But then that supports the pharmaceutical industry….hey what a co-incidence!
Brilliant article, Sir! As someone who has fought being overweight for many years, I had started looking for HFCS on labels…and was shocked where I found it. It seems as if it is in everything – do the corn producers have oil tankers of the stuff to get rid of?
I even found it in soup! In all the time I have been cooking, I have never come across a soup recipe that called for adding a cup of HFCS…”just like Grandma used to make”…not. This is right up there with the bovine growth hormone used to increase milk output, where the lobbyists’ lawyer sued anyone who spoke out against it. So not on milk there is this absurd statement that this hormone has not been proven to cause problems, blah, blah, blah. Any warning like that makes me byuy a product without it. Great job! Keep up the good work!
I believe there is definitely a relationship between the amount of HFCS in the average American’s diet and obesity. The facts are obviously distorted because of the unscrupulous incentive of the manufacturers to make money. If you are not eating organic and locally grown food, with a large percentage of that being fresh fruits and vegetables, you are in trouble or headed there.
Sounds like HFCS is the new hydrogenated oil.
I’m waiting for my letter. I wrote a column in May for a food website, and figured I was safe since we have a small following…..but the Corn Refiners Association must comb through everything in print. That kind of paranoid persistence just proves they’re trying to put a good spin on a bad product. Bleh.
Dr. Hyman,
Thank you so much for this wonderful article.
While there is no research connecting HFCS with the dramatic rise in childhood eczema, our customers – and my own son – are finding frightening correlations. Albeit anecdotal, the effects of even small doses on some children’s eczema can be immediate, painful and cause huge setbacks in healing.
But the worst part is HFCS seems to be harder and harder to avoid. I’ve found “corn sugar” tucked deep in the ingredients of “natural” products. And even in liquid medical suspensions! So — in our case, causing the very issue we sought to treat with the allergy medication!
We so appreciate your voice.
Thank you for all the work you are doing to bring awareness of this issue to others. I discovered that I had a sensitivity to something in many bottled drinks so have cut these out of my diet for years now. It is very nice to be able to read about the science behind it. We have been gradually cutting back on these products as we realized how much we all were consuming. We started by simply restricting such things to the weekends, then limiting the amount on the weekends and are hoping to switch to cane sugar only products and/or home baked goods. We keep a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in the fridge now with a ‘no limit’ rule on these foods. When the kids complain about being hungry between meals we remind them that they can eat these things when they want. It has been amazing to see their personal choices affect their long-term tastes as they now have switched from wanting the high sugar food to snack on to choosing green beans, carrots, apples etc. The more people like you continue with the work you do, the more hope there is for our children…Thank You!
thank you for stepping up as a health educator and clearing away the cloud of confusion created by an industry that wants to maintain its hold over the population. as michael pollan said in his NY Times article, “big food vs. big insurance”… the food industry is providing patients for the medical industry. i will be sharing this article with everyone….
This aricle is interesting, but I think some facts are twisted to meet the opinion held by the author.
1. If you are saying “sugar is bad and eating too much will kill you,” that is fine and an argument that is worth having. But what does HFCS have to do with it? Would drinking a 20oz Coke everyday be good for an 8 year-old if it was made from cane sugar?
2. Cane sugar is sucrose and made up of the same stuff that is in HFCS. The enzyme sucrase is readily available in the intestines to cleave the disaccaride bond and leave you with fructose and glucose, just like HFCS. There is little practical or scientific evidence to say that this additional enzymatic step is in anyway beneficial.
3. The argument about contamination is valid. The FDA is afraid of Cargill and the corn lobby. They need to do their job and the government (through subsidies and regulation) needs to stop choosing the winners of this sugar battle.
4. Any worry about an “extra” ATP is silly.
Thank you for this article, Dr. Hyman. I plan to forward it to all of my friends. I stopped buying products containing HFCS a few years ago and my family is certainly better off for it.
The 2011 season finale of Saturday Night Live contained a hilarious parody of the corn syrup commercials. I’m going to forward that, too.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/223360/saturday-night-live-corn-syrup-commercial
It all boils down to, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The drive to keep putting this poison out for humanities consumption is greed.
I agree, cane sugar and HFCS are two different animals but, there is one or the other in almost everything. I don’t want any kind of sweetener in every morsel I consume. I cut all HFCS out of my diet a couple of years ago and feel much better for it but I’m also making a great many of the things I eat myself from scratch so I can have them with NO “sugar” of any kind. How can we eat anything in moderation when it’s in EVERYTHING!
This was a very educational and eye-opening article. I, a long-time consumer of HFCS, have recently made the change to whole organic foods devoid of HFCS and other toxic waste they want to add to our food. I’m outraged that they don’t want us to know the truth about this stuff and am completely for the “Right to Know” Act that is being pushed.
To answer one of your questions above : “What reason do you think the Corn Refiners Association has for running such ads and publishing websites like those listed in this article?”, the answer is simple. Money. It’s what drives many big business owners to become sleazy, bold-faced liars who would sell their soul for a few bucks. I just wish that maybe one day the human race will have an epiphany and actually live true lives instead hiding behind lies for the almighty dollar.
thank you for the great information. I read all the labels in the store and have been avoiding HFCS. that commercial on TV with the father and daughter is very deceiving!! that is wrong. Susan
I believe there is absolutely a correlation, and not just to obesity but other chronic conditions and diseases as well. I cut all sugar out of my diet two years ago and have lost 75lbs and reversed the symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I took all high fructose corn syrup completely out of my family’s diet at the same time. I still allow my two children to have small quantities of real sugar. I have seen AMAZING changes in their health and wellbeing. My oldest daughter’s asthma has gone from moderate/severe to almost gone. Both of my kids have seen dramatic improvement in their symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder. My youngest, who is 6, has had a few instances of eating junk food at other people’s houses over the last couple of years and then went through horrible evenings of a huge sugar rush and then crash, accompanied with a horrible stomachache and uncontrollable crying. I am not entirely sure if it’s HFCS, food dyes, or preservatives, since they tend to all be in junk food, but one or all of those have a profound affect on her.
As to why the Corn Refiner’s Association is putting so much money into it: profit. They are hoping that making a big advertising push will deceive the public and keep people buying products with HFCS. I may just be one person, but if a lot of people completely change their eating habits for the better, they stand to lose a lot of money!
Thanks for the great article. I absolutely agree!
Your lead is missing something . . . it doesn’t say WHEN . . .
The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period, . . .
What time period?
You have missing commas throughout the article, but the missing time period needs to be corrected.
Excellent post! I knew that the body processed HFCS differently than cane sugar, but was surprised to read exactly how. I’ll be passing this article along to everyone I know!
This article has been very helpful. Years ago I noticed HFCS in everything I was consuming and took the steps to remove it from my diet. I had to switch grocery stores since it was in everything from bread, to granola, to dried fruit! Now I shop exclusively at a Natural Foods store in MKE and refuse to eat low cost, convenience foods. In the past year since the switch, I have literally shed my body weight – going from 180 lbs. to 125 lbs. My husband was about 200 lbs and has dropped his weight to 145 lbs. We were not trying to lose weight, nor do we eat less food than we used to, we simply changed the TYPES of food we ate, from nutritionally-dead to nutritionally-vibrant.
I am going to share this article with friends and family to spread the word about the dangers of our modern culture’s food source. Society deserves much better than this.
On a side note – I just want to point out that these low-rate, cheap foods are most obviously directed at the lower-to-middle classes who find better uses for their money (bills, health care, etc) than spending it on quality food. The HFCS needs to be addressed as a serious indicator of poor health among poorer communities. The low-cost foods need to be removed to create real social change among the health of these areas.
I hope everyone reading this is aware that agave is even worse the hfcs
About your article about the HFCS, I do believe there is a tie. I think the reason why corn production companies promote them because they are poor and are paid extra to promote them but then again, there is another “why” to be answered: They do that for another economic or political change. The release of HFCS is definitely going to be notified by someone who must know about these thihngs in order to know when to make certain moves on running the country. Though this may not involve the president, it doesn’t mean the president isn’t the only one running the things. Heck, heh, the president can’t come downtown and rescue one of our daily robberies going on in this world, either. Other people run things without hearing complaints.
I have once drank a cranberry minute maid on an empty stomach and I felt HORRIBLE. I felt both stimulated and LAZY at the same time. I did NOT want to move. I would love to have professional tests done on my own body to see what’s wrong. Then, after reading this, maybe even I will be able to explain everything as to WHY there is something even slightly wrong with my body. There probably already is something wrong, even mentally. Because I recognize that, I try to be mentally healthy or stable. If I can just get a job, I can buy foods that will help me. Sometimes, I worry if I will get dementia in my life, so I want to do things to help me. To maybe exercise that other part of my brain that doesn’t involve memory but living. If I can learn to bond with that side and STILL remain sociable and flexible, maybe that prepares me for dementia or how to live with dementia more properly but heck, I am ignorant; naive.
I will use this information when necessary. I am very happy to know HFCs are different from sugar. They are not the same. They have the same outcomes at high pharmacologic, or perhaps just high doses. I have even somewhere read that the withdrawal effects of heroin and crack are the same as to sugar; it’s just that crack and heroin are worse. So people somewhat beg on the inside for more sugar and don’t notice it. Walking “crackheads” who call me a crackhead. One thing about HFCS using up more energy, less like a monkey’s muscles, is hypocrisy! Because people think they know, they offend me but still contradict themselves, thus making them a hypocrite who is WASTING my energy away… however, I tend to enjoy it when someone who is actually honest and evasive towards me; THEN, I am accomplishing a problem. This right now: is education like vegetables but other times… doing nothing… having people beat around my bush is NOTHING. I LOVE IT when they at least can try to stir up shit. For some reason, I find that is more helpful to me.
Anyways, I support you, Mark, and thank you!
Dear Dr. Hyman,
I have recently heard some information about additives and preservatives in processed foods in America that suppress the feeling of satiation as well as some that are additive as they stimulate seratonin production or other neurotransmitters that mood altering. Do you know anything about this? Do you have a list of any such possible additives and/or preservatives?
I appreciated your article on the HCFS content in processed foods. Is this phenomenon an American one?
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Lucia Garner
Thank you for the great article and for promoting awareness of this serious issue!
On a related note, GM toxins have been found in the blood of unborn babies: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1388888/GM-food-toxins-blood-93-unborn-babies.html
Thank you for clearly stating the health risks of HFCS and for unmasking the new name that the industry has a great stake in selling. I didn’t know that we absorb the HFCS more rapidly, or that it is contaminated with mercury and possibily other unknown contaminants.
I have often looked to Kosher foods for purity, but I noticed this Passover that there were several drinks in the “Kosher section” of the grocery stories that contained HFCS and I was confused as to how that could pass muster?
I look to the Weston A. Price Foundation for rock-solid nutritional guidance. They may well have saved my life and ensured health for the generations of my grandchildren to come. Thank you, Sally Fallon!
I’m so grateful that educated, informed, and thoroughly researched individuals are Finally getting across to the public about this posion!! I was raised by a very nutrionally-aware mom so soda, canned drinks, and processed sugars weren’t kept in the house. As a Pediatric RN, it is nearly impossible to explain to under-educated parents about how horrible this chemical is. We have to beg parents to give them juice, fruits, water, and re-hydration fluids. But to have to go one step further and attempt to explain not to purchase or administer any of these if they contain HFCS is a losing battle. We are still begging parents not to put soda in their babies’ bottles, and then later, teach them how to monitor & administer insulin to their 5yr old son. I hope that you are supported, defended, and well-heard, and our society is able to eventually eradicate this toxin!
I wonder if some of the mystery markers in the GCMS test of HFCS are little “protein-ettes”; small chunks of protein strings left over from processing. Or simply unrelated chemicals introduced by using GMO corn to make the “corn sugar”?
We’ll probably never know.
I have heard that there are some antiquated laws on the books that encourage corn surplusses. Could these be the reason for the current use of corn in gasoline and food?
I have been speaking out about HFCS for at least 6 years now. If I consume any amount of HFCS laced foods I have an allergic reaction like none I’ve ever experienced before. The details are unpleasant, but let’s just say this stuff is poison and my body wants it out ASAP. One could do a documentary about it. Kinda like “Super Size Me” but more science and impact on people as a whole.
The science is good and real I’m sure of it. Speaking out against HFCS hurts profit margins and potential subsidies. We will probably see more marketing confusing people until there is a big smoking gun visible for all to see. Once there is that one undeniable fact that this stuff is killing us it may finally go away. Until then I’ll be reading the labels so I don’t live in pain from what I eat.
Thank you for this information.
I always knew HFCS was bad for you, but just how bad is another story. The propaganda campaigns from the industry are pretty sad. One of the major problems is that people will blame the government for subsidizing corn in all its various forms and will fail to realize that it is at the request of the industry that these subsidies are created. Through lobbying efforts, big-business industries are able to “muddy the waters” of government regulation to the point that those regulations no longer hold any real power. I guarantee the only reason it is unregulated by the FDA is because of corporate lobbyists. Lobbying should be left to the votes of the American people. One person, one vote, not one dollar, one vote.
Great article –
One point – you state “that’s like calling tobacco in cigarettes natural herbal medicine.”
Actually tobacco is a sacred plant that is often used by Native Americans and other cultures as herbal medicine. It is all the poisonous additives the corporate conglomerates add to the tobacco that renders it deadly.
This compares to your point #3 about the processing that injects mercury into HFCS (mercury in vaccines, mercury in tobacco, mercury in foods) – the most scary point of your article. Corporations do not make money on natural products (whether sugar or tobacco) – they have to process and poison natural products in order to profit.
This was most informative/confirming for those of us who genuinely have the best interest of the human race (and our families) at heart. I think the paranoia of the industry speaks for itself………………threats come from fear. Who would lose their multi-million-dollar bonus/guarantee of subsidy/job if the industry shrank due to the public’s awareness of the harm HFCS ? Lets see….um………….. Perhaps re-tooling to try to find a better product, or seeking the advice of the stellar researchers you referenced would be a great start and lend some much-needed integrity to the Corn Industry. “Making up” multi-million dollar ads to try to fool people is beyond deceitful. The good news is…….its just a matter of time. Thank you Dr. Hyman for caring and sharing with the rest of us. This is the kind of encouragement we, the consumers/parents/innocent need.
This really is a great article. It seems very well written. However, in my opinion, it is difficult for me to take articles seriously when there are so many grammatical errors in them. “HFCS” was replaced with “HCFS” quite a few times and you also used “know” instead of “now” at the end of the article. These are just examples that jumped out at me in just one reading. I would definitely re-read my work (especially a scientific article such as this) before publishing it on the internet.
And don’t get me wrong, I loved the content of the article and personally try to avoid HFCS whenever possible.
Most grateful!
I agree that it is a great article. There are people in the grociery stores muttering to themselves as they read the list of ingredients about “Not with high fructose cornsyrup in it!” I’m one of them, and I have overheard others–The same regarding trans-fats. Thanks Dr. Hyman! Don’t Back Down!
Thank you so much for this article. Thank you for standing up for what’s right, even in the face of threats.
I was aware of the ill effects of HFCS on our health, but had no idea there was mercury and other chemicals present, which is shocking to me. I avoid consuming HFCS at all cost. I absolutely think HFCS contributes to weight gain, as all simple carbs do.
I think the corn industry is putting the same (or worse) tactics at work as the sugar industry. They obviously feel threatened in their lucrative business and they want to protect it by whatever way possible. They must be truly ruthless people, to put so many lives at risk for their monetary gain. It is despicable that they deliberately misinform the public. But as always, the choice is ours, so avoid HFCS I would say.
Excellent article – I’m sharing this far and wide!!
If big pharma can manipulate doctors into thinking injecting mercury into babies is safe, getting people to believe corn syrup is safe should be a gimmie.
Keep up the good work.
I got this link from republic broadcasting. This generally is not my first interest in my day to day activities, but I thought I would let you know that you are assuredly on the right track. Two years ago I was literally on deaths door. I could barely walk, had heart palpitations, and a myriad of other “diabetic” related issues. Today, I’m on a very serious rebound. I walk where I want, and would describe my health as “Generally adequate” . Not awesome or where I intend to be, but a whole hell of a lot better than 2 years ago. The single thing I would assign the turn around to?
I quit HFCS. Not as easy as one might think, as it is in things one would never think to look for it in. But it can be done. It is absolutely worth it. Good luck, and good health.
I just wish there would have been 2 additional things mentioned. 1) HFCS is made primarily from GMOs (a whole other issue) & 2) that they are starting to change the labeling of HFCS to just corn sugar now.
You are absolutely correct in your condemnation of HFCS but it will do absolutely no good. It is here to stay unless something cheaper and probably more dangerous comes along. It is just like drugs, tobacco, aspartame and dozens of other dangerous chemicals that are available for use/consumption. In a fascias country the corporations call the shots. It is up to the individual to educate himself and avoid these dangers. Unfortunately most people don’t hence all the faties and all the disease.
Just another reason to avoid pop and the evils that it engenders. Pop has killed one neighbor that I cared about, and has put another in terrible pain and distress. Soda kills. Your research is impeccable, and your conclusions flawless. Thank you for posting this.
You have said it in your report, the Corn Industry is in danger of loosing profits if the American public lowers or ceases to consume products containing HFCS. Their high handed tactics are not ethical, and endangering consumer’s health without any regard. It is a very large statement on the issue that many European countries now do not allow HFCS in their food products.
The company I referred to is Suuthe by Mari. All natural – food grad ingredients – skin care, specifically formulated for dramatic skin issues. Eczema, psoriasis, burns, post surgical, etc.
http://www.Suuthe.com
And thank you, again, for everything you do.
Blessings.
Can HFCS be disguised by other names? When I started avoiding MSG, I was made aware that it is also designated as “natural flavoring” in the ingredients list of some products. I was wondering if there are any other names for HFCS that I should look for.
Am I reading you correctly that glucose does NOT stimulate insulin driven lipogenesis? Clarify please.
MOB
Not that I think cane sugar is healthy, but I have always been skeptical about using any and all of those “sugars”, be it splenda, zacarin, corn sugar, natural sweetener, etc.etc. Myself I am cosuming less sugar every day, and cutting sifnificantly on candy snacks. And after reading all of this document, I am certainly not in any form consuming any product that contains corn sugar. Whats more, I am forwarding this information to all of my friends in my e-mail and Facebook list. with the hope that they do the appropriate. Thank you, for opening my eyes wider to this killer.
I forgot to say thank you for such corageous study report for the well being of all of un interested in leading a healthier life, that leads into cutting Drs visits and less prescription drugs to sooth if you will most of our ailments, caused by this law protected killer the corn sugar. Thank you thank you thank you.
My wife and daughter interested me in this subject and we have all been following it for a while. We have nearly completely removed HFCS from our diets. I have a compound question to which I have not been able to find an answer. Perhaps you can help.
I know that one form of HFCS is approximately 55% fructose. Dr. Lustig has made the point in his lectures that sucrose is also about 50% fructose after enzymatic breakdown which he says occurs in the stomach. (You have said that much above.) We all also seem to assume that natural fruits are good for us. So, I looked up the distribution of sugars in various fruits and found that they are also roughly 50/50 fructose/glucose with only traces of other sugars. Additionally, I learned from one source that there are specialized structures relatively high in the small intesting that are primarily for the absorbtion of fructose.
All that leads me to wonder what is actually different in HFCS that distinguishes it from the sugar content of an apple e.g. I would think that chirality might be a point of investigation but I have found no references to whether there are chiral forms of HFCS “fructose” that might distinguish the it from fructose that occurs naturally.
As a related point, the fact that most pulp fruits naturally ripen and are ready to eat just prior to the onset of cold weather yield one explanation for why the lack of leptin response was not a problem for our ancestors. Peaches were ready to eat at precisely the time when a few extra pound of fat for winter might be welcome. That would seem to suggest that the conventional wisdom that fresh fruit is always good for us may also be questionable.
My intuition is that the obesity problem is due to both total sugar intake as well as the special characteristics of HFCS. That comports with my observations which are largely anecdotal. I just wish that the science was more definitive.
Comments are welcome.
JEC
yea that sounds like shit that the goverment dont do nothing about it the kids lunches are pizza for 3 times a week and now they are giving them flavored milk that has 28 sugars its garbage trash shit look at thoses kids that get off the buses there fat asses and yet they eat garbage that the schools give them then it doesent end there the parents eat like pigs every thing and anything.. the people need to eat food that comes from the ground and watch the meat ! this will clean there systems but it going to take time as well as it took time to add put it on watch the japan chinese people they are trim for a reason …look and study people ..train train your minds!! do do do !! ronnie
Thank you for this article. Yes. I strongly agree that HFCS is at the root of obesity and ill health in our country today.
It seems to me that the food we eat is dictated by the greed of companies not to help people eat for optimum health. It happened with the ‘where’s the beef’ and the ‘got milk’ campaigns – look what happed to the livestock industry and its effect on the evironment.
I wonder what additional fallouts will become apparent if we continue to allow companies to push these food recommendations on us??
Dr. Hyman,
I was directed to your article indirectly, by an associate who had read this article. I find the information you present to be disturbing. I want to understand the research behind your conclusions to better understand the problem.
In your second point, you discuss the research of CHORI concerning Chronic Inflammation caused by HFCS, however the link provided only links to that articles overview.
Could you please direct me to parent article that discusses Chronic Inflammation and Intestinal Damage?
Thank you for putting in the effort in brining this information to our attention.
-Michael
Really? So 10,000 years ago folks had healthier diets? You might have some valid points there, but:
“3. HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA”, but then show nothing to support this.
“5. HCFS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease creating industrial food products or “food-like substances”. ”
That almost deserves a “Duh, ya think?”
We have a serious obesity epidemic in this country, caused by foods fried in fat, or loaded with any kind of sugars or presented in restaurants in oversized portions. In my view, HCFS is only part of the issue and I’m not sure it’s that major a part. Coke with sugar is no better for you (although it does taste better).
I find this article out of proportion to the total problem and a bit overblown in its importance.
I stay away from HFCS, as it scares me a bit also. I’d like to learn more about how there is someone or a corporation that owns the patent on corn? Truly a great article here though.
You can have my Mountain Dew when you take it out of my “COLD DEAD HANDS”!!!
I find it interesting that when I was growing up we ate plenty of cake and cookies, homemade but we were not overweight. Now in spite of paying a reasonable amount of attention to our diet and avoiding a lot of prepackaged food we are overweight.
Thanks for this great info on this very dangerous substance! Since I’ve stopped consuming foods that contain it, I’ve lost 25 pounds! I read ALL labels of everything I consume now. Thank you for looking out for the people!
Thanks for the article.
I work with chronic mentally ill adults in a residental setting as a skills trainer. I was 1 of 3 providers that reworked the menu. There is a website and book called the Sneaky Chef. We load the food with as many fruits and vegetables as we can in the form of purees which can go in just about anything we cook. The client’s mood and behavior has improved 10 fold. The restrooms smell a LOT better too!
I do a lot of the shopping for the house and I am very selective about the foods that we provide. There are fantastic books and information about schools that provide wonderful school lunches with fresh fruits and vegetables. Some schools even have gardens and do hands on teaching in the garden. These schools have very few behavioral issues.
Thanks again!
-L Chapman
-To Skeptical About Everything, I encourage you to do your homework.
You can make your own ginger ale. Make simple sugar (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar) in the amount you want (2 n 2, 3 n 3, etc). Slice raw ginger root and boil this down. It will go down to about 1/2 way and turn dark yellow’ish orange. Remove the ginger itself and your done. Add how much of this syrup you made to your glass of club soda (I make that myself too. 5# tank, regulator from The Beverage Factory in San Diego, CA plus the tubing, connector and The Carbonator (a cap for soda bottles–no need for a special bottle from like, Soda Stream). Make as much as you like, without the salt in carbonated water or any other junks used as preservatives. I even recarbonate the soda if it is flat. It’s that easy. I also looked up root beer to try next: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Root-Beer
Greed and pure evil are my reasons why the corn refiners Industry pushes HFCS …..It is pure poison.Humanity going to hell in a hand basket…..avoid avoid avoid,or if your suicidal ,enjoy!! but if one consumes, one must pay their own medical bills….I am in Canada, we have medi-care.Should be illegal…..also should be common sense that soda and processed crap food-like products are not healthy, but maybe it’s the over consumption of HFCS that makes people seemingly stupid/blind to the truth….like my 5 year old says, DUH!
This really is an awesome post, I’m happy I recently found. I have been trying to find guest writers for my blog so if you ever decide that’s something you are interested in please feel free to contact me. I will be back to look at out more of your articles later!
See the documentary “Corn” which is available on Netflix, libraries, and some video rental stores. It will blow your mind and make you wonder why you ever ate processed corn anything!
Actually that was “King Corn” sorry for the mistake.
Have you also looked into the effects of GMO corn and how the process of creating it affects human health? HFCS is bad enough from naturally evolved corn. I fear that it is far worse from GMO corn.
This article has a number of basic scientific errors, but more important not a single reference to support these shocking assertions.
@Flytrap
Learn to Google
http://www.simplygreen.co.za/articles/articles/hfcs-and-mercury-an-interview-with-an-fda-whistleblower.html
Source: GO Media – Written by Cate Nelson – terren in Virginiaon Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
There are plenty of them to find.
One of the reasons the fatty foods do so much to us is because of our consumption of sugar. Our body absorbs fat more rapidly because of insulin – the rapid glucose digestion in HFCS causes insulin to be produced more rapidly, thus causing excess obesity. People weren’t eating less fatty foods a hundred years ago. They were eating whatever they could – mostly bread, meat, and cheese, but very little simple sugar, and absolutely no HFCS. The obesity, diabetes etc. epidemic problems began around the same time HFCS was subsidized. It depends on where you look in the world and who you look at over the past 10,000 years to see who had healthier diets. Japan has almost always had a healthier diet than current US trends. Even when they had large segments of malnutrition, they likely weren’t consuming massive amounts of sugar, starch and high-fat foods.
The portions are oversized, but what spurs the appetite to be able to eat that much? Read a little more carefully. The spikes in insulin etc. cause issues with fatty-liver disease, and:
“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [production of fat in the liver]. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption.”
Leptin regulates appetite as well as metabolism. So, your appetite goes up, your metabolism goes down.
Here are my criticisms of this article: http://t.co/CzqXDno
Again, it contains no references supporting its scary claims.
Even Princeton admits HFCS will make you fat
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/
James Cooper — you are wrong, and there is MUCH info out there, IF you WANT to find it. Even if just in this comment section.
The ONLY reason HFCS is cheaper is because it is subsidized by taxpayers, take away the subsidies and you’ll see this poison not be so competitive
I haven’t consumed HFCS in over 5 years and I avoid all preservatives and extra crap in foods. I cook all the time that way I know what’s in my food. Posts like this are wonderful for adding to my knowledge base and also to help others to get informed and hopefully make healthier lifestyle changes but posts like this also help me to realize just how messed up this world is and it truly disgusts me. I get so angry because people do not deserve this. I hope more and more people start to research more about what they are putting into their bodys as well as on their bodies…it’s so very important. Please do not be ingnorant and trust. It sounds terrible but sadly we cannot trust anything so do the research for yourself and listen to your instincts…don’t buy into these lame claims just for an excuse to eat something that is not good for you. Do the work, put the time in and give the effort and you will be rewarded and most importantly… LISTEN TO YOUR BODY…it speaks to you when something is wrong so stop ignoring the signs and buying into this crap…just listen!
There is undoubtedly a link between the obesity epidemic and HFCS. Clearly the corm refiners want money which is why they are taking advantage of the fact that people are very ignorant of what they put it in their bodies and any fears can be assuaged with a lame 25 sec commercial. I think the science presented is troubling and even worse than i thought. HFCS needs to be outlawed.
Unfortunately there are a lot of opinions out there, but no one seems to be willing to back them up with scientific information. As a nurse, I need the science to support the opinion. Thank you for finally doing that. (Apparently James Cooper didn’t read the same article that I did.) I looked up some of your references for more good information. Due to greed, our foods have become almost “nutrient-free”. We must consume ever increasing amounts of food (and calories) to obtain nutrients. I have personally changed my diet to a gluten-free (due to Celiac Disease) nutrient dense diet (mostly grown myself), and am finding I am not hungry all the time. It is amazing how satisified you become, when you get the nutrients that your body needs. Next, I would like to see you do an article on GMO’s. Thanks again.
We recognize that moderation of sugar consumption is important. However, there are numerous factual and scientific errors contained in Dr. Hyman’s article. If facts are important to you, please see our response to “5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You” at http://blog.sweetsurprise.com/2011/06/08/5-reasonshighfructosecornsyrupwillkillyou
Therese, Corn Refiners
After reading this article, I was researching the difference between HFCS and plain old corn syrup (a kitchen staple in my childhood). One site
( http://www.3fatchicks.com/9-common-sources-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/ ) listed various alternate names for HFCS:
Inulin Glucose-Fructose Syrup Iso Glucose Chicory Fruit Fructose
Is this accurate? I understood Chicory to be an herb. And I thought Inulin was a fiber source.
For many months I have had difficult issues with PVC’s, premature ventricular contractions. I thought I was eating well, until I discovered that Fiber One had Aspartame and the Bran Flakes I was also eating for breakfast had high fructose corn syrup in it. After eliminating both from my diet, I am much better.
I was diagnosed with Diebetes Type II last year, am managing it successfully now with diet and exercise, without insulin and manage to keep my A1C at 5.5-5.9. This was attained by removeing the Fiber One and Bran Flakes from my diet.
Yeah, I’m just going to keep it simple, read the list of ingredients, and avoid HFCS. I am fine with tried and true honey and cane sugar. I do the same with drugs, that is, I generally avoid new generation drugs if at all possible and stick with older proven drugs with well known side effects (with exception of Tylenol which is poison to the liver at barely past therapeutic levels.) There seems to be a pattern in our culture of money being at the bottom of a lot of public misinformation whether it’s food or drugs.
Thank you, Dr. Hyman, for your highly informative article on HFCS. I am sick and tired of being blamed for my illnesses or excused by my age (81). I asked my doctor to help me find the cause of my lack of energy. Her answer (so-called solution) to my problem was that at my advanced age, I could not expect to have very much energy. It has also been suggested that my 20-pound weight gain after I quit smoking (1999) caused my type2 diabetes. My fatty liver, high tryglicerides, and cholesterol suggest that I eat too much fast food – I have a hamburger once a year and I don’t like french fries. I lost the 20 lbs, take 1,000 mil. of Metformin daily and control my glucose fairly well. If I could have controlled my getting or not getting diabetes, doesn’t that mean I can be cured? No. As long as there is a market for drugs, nobody is going to cure anything. The food industry makes us sick and the drug industry sells drugs to treat, not cure, our illnesses. I hate to sound old and bitter when I am merely experienced and disillusioned. Thanks for helping to educate us.
I became fructose intolerant about 7 years ago. I lost 40lbs in the first month I cut our High Fructose everything. It is poisoning our country.
In response to Dr. Hyman’s HFCS article, James Cooper Ph.D in chemistry at above website asks ” If I buy Coca-Cola at my local supermarket, with HFCS in it, am I killing myself ?”
AND states that Dr. Hyman has gone deep into SOMETHING called ” functional medicine”, which is the sort you find on alternative medicine sites and complains that it is not science-based medicine
My response to that is : Are u f… kidding me !!!! I am not a Ph.D but a Dental hygienist
Go Dr Hyman – everything you say makes sense …
“To be able to see the world without the blinders of the civilizations dogmatic beliefs”
by Dr Bruce Lipton in his book Biology of Belief – best book I ever red
Last Sunday (June 26, 2001) there was an article in the paper titled “Study:Diabetes growing worldwide”, by Maria Chang(Asscoiated Press). In the artice it talks about the rapid rise of diabetes in almost all countries except in Britian and elsewhere in Western Europe. I wonder if the reason for this has something to do with the banning of HFCS there.
I totally agree with your book on UltraMind Solution. I do have a concern as to whether you have solid evidence that the FDA really had to pose as a representative of a newly created soft drink company When it is a know fact that the FDA will shut down companies which don’t meet their compliance requirements.
I would like to be assured that my favorite Dr. Hyman isn’t just so zealous about a bad product that He might lose His Honest Integrity.
Keep it true, keep it simple.
My 23 year old son had an interesting situation a few years ago. When he was 19 years old, he was in great shape physically. Never had a need to go to a doctor for anything other than check ups to play sports. One night he ran up the stairs in our home to talk to me. As soon as he came in the room where I was, he was worried because his heart was racing extremely fast. It would not slow down to a normal rate. After a couple of hours we finally decided to take him to the emergency room. His heart rate was extremely fast and not slowing down. The ER doctors watched him and finally administered a pill that eventually took his heart rate back to normal. The doctor said he had Juvenile Lone Atrial Fibrillation. After the emergency room experience, he went to an appointment with a cardiologist. He was asked many questions and among those questions was asked how many Soda pops he was drinking. He admitted about 7 Dr. Peppers a day. This was quite a surprise to me and I was shocked. The Cardiologist seemed to think there could be a connection with the amount of soda pop and his episode. He has not had another episode since that night. He has also cut way back on his soda pop drinking. Has anyone had an experience like this that may be related to excessive drinking of soda pop, or intake of HFCS?
Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill mentioned in your forth point that HFCS does not stimulate insulin or leptin production. Since HFCS’s contain about 45% glucose as free glucose, and we know that increases in glucose in the blood stimulates an insulin and leptin response, then why does he make such a statement like that? I am critical because I am confused by this article and I think you need to clarify the biochemistry pathways much more than you have attempted to do in this brief article. I also would like to know in more detail the specific differences between the absorption pathways of the free glucose and fructose from HFCS versus the mechanisms of absorption and biofeedback relays that go on from say an apple which also contains free glucose and free fructose. Thank you and please comment.
Thank you for writing this piece.
I’d like to say to John who posted a few months ago… That the fructose in fruit… Say an apple is different from high-fructose corn syrup. Firstly, it’s natural and not made from a synthetic chemical. Moreover, an apple is loaded with fiber which balances out the fructose in it… Since fiber balances blood sugar/glucose.
I’d like to share a little bit of my personal story concerning high-fructose corn syrup. Ever since I was 13 I’ve always had an irregular menstruation cycle. I’d go months without and then bleed for months. I even had to have a blood transfusion. Finally I decided that diet could be a factor. I grew up poor and we always at poor people food…..which is infested with HFCS. I eliminated high-fructose corn syrup from my diet and my menstruation cycle has been regular for FIVE months now!!!! It’s never been this regular…..ever. The reason? Well, HFCS affects the insulin in the body. Insulin is a major hormone….and when it’s off balance… Other hormones and things will be off balance. I believe that is what was wrong with me from the time I was 13 until 26. I’m 27 now. I can’t believe I ate/drank that stuff for 26 years! The body does have amazing ways of healing itself…. I’m proof of that.
thanks for allowing me to share my story of how HFCS almost killed me and made me.
HFCS will kill you. Educate yourself or else!!! Thanks for the article.
Someday hfcs will be the asbestos of the past. It will be removed from the market and lawyers will make lots of money from it’s litigation. And people will die for decades to come because of it’s use. It’s a sad situation but greed makes people do strange things. Have a nice day.
I would like to add that I have been reading that Agave Nectar is one of the worst offenders when it comes to high Fructose levels. From what I understand the process that some of the sources use creates a highly processed agave until it ends up far different and higher in fructose than when it was harvested. In addition, there are suspicions that corn syrup may be added since there are no controls for monitoring the sources since they are in Mexico. Here is the link to one of the articles I found. If this turns out to be the case then I am not buying anymore Agave Nectar.
http://www.low-glycemic-foods.org/agave-nectar.html
Dr. Hyman, thanks for your newsletter and for this article. I have recommended both to others.
I was banned from the “sweetsurprise.com” blog because I asked various corn reriners (like Audrea Erickson) “exactly how much of that artificial red drink (from corn refiner’s commercials) do you personally consume and give to your children?” Not one has answered–and I have asked many times on other blogs.
Do any fellow Americans suspect that these “dealers of addictive HFCS” do not consume that artificial red drink, or give it to their children–but expect other American parents to give it to theirs. The corn refiners indicated that “mothers who were concerned about what their children consumed” were stupid and misled.
I don’t want to be the only one asking them this question. Please join me in asking this question of the corn refiners lobbyists who are spreading lies and half truths, and trying to degrade important health research.
Therese Pompa has a blog article running down this very article by Dr. Hyman. Please go to the sweetsurprise blog and ask these lobbyists if they drink that artificial red drink (from the first corn refiner’s commercials).
Hello.
I am a Sport Conditioning Coach and have always been very sensible on the eating issues. Recently I watched the video Sugar: the bitter truth. Scary! It opened my eyes and I am preparing on post on my blog/website to let all my friends and clients about it. I need an info though.
In the past 4 years I have always used FRUISANA, which claims to be completely different from HFCS. What is the truth? Is it as bad as HFCS, is it as any other sucrose? Can it lead to same troubles? I obviously use a teaspoon per day, but in the past I advised many clients to swap the cane or white sugar for it. Can you please give me a quick opinion?
Thanks
Hi Marco, thank you for your comments. We cannot offer a comparative analysis of this product against HFCS. Perhaps someone in our community has heard of it and can comment.
Wishing You the Best of Health!
Thank you Dr. Hyman for being a true health voice in America. I’ve recommended your articles and newsletters to many people.
Therese, of the CRA (comment above), as well as all the other corn refiners and dietitians who work for them, do not let me comment on “sweetsurprise” blog because, as a health teacher, I have expressed concern about the fast food meals that are being served to American school children.
I have asked each of them, “How much of that artificial red drink (from the corn refiners’ commercials) do you personally drink and give to your children?”
Not one has answered, and yet they expect other American parents to give that stuff to their children, and (in their commercials) even made fun of the mother who questioned the red drink pouring mother.
Dr. Hyman, thanks for being concerned about the health of American children (as well as all Americans), and not being afraid to voice that concern.
Thanks very much for an informative article. I’ve understood the dangers of HFCS for years, and raised my kids to eat only healthy, whole foods. I’m appalled when I see the big corporations involved in the manufacturing/food processing industries pushing their products like the tobacco companies did for years…..very, very sad how many Americans don’t take time to understand how to eat right.
So, yes, I DO think there is a huge connection between HFCS and obesity, etc. It’s obvious to me that this is a huge culprit, yet parents continue to feed their kids these products without batting an eye.
Not sure parents will get it till it’s too late. Scary, and very sad. Not sure what the ultimate solution/answer will be!
A concerned Grammy of 11!
Heard from the manufacturer of Bunny bread that the FDA said that it was okay just to list HFCS was corn syrup
So, if I switch to sugar sweetened soda from my current HFCS sweetened soda, how much weight can I expect to lose? It’s clear from your article that the loss should be fairly substantial as I am clearly only drinking HFCS sweetened drinks because they are sweeter and cheaper. Would my decreased consumption due to the lack of sweetness and increased cost factor into this? Also in regard to fructose not triggering insulin production, how do I go about sucking the fructose out without getting any of the glucose? I mean, they are mixed together fairly well at the factory right? Should I shake the product first? Or perhaps tap it like one packs cigarettes before smoking? One last thing, you use the phrase “not natural” a lot in reference to the processing required to create HFCS, I wonder if you’ve ever looked inside a sugar beet? I’m fairly certain sugar doesn’t start out as a clean white crystal. Anyway, good luck selling your arguments, I’m sure the check from the sugar industry you cashed already will go a long way to easing your guilt for posting such nonsense. (Yes I realize this will get deleted very quickly.)
Hi Reasonable Guy, thank you for your comment. You can expect to lose as much weight as is your commitment in becoming healthy by how thorough you are with eliminating sugar from your diet and following an exercise program as well as eating a healthy diet.
Wishing you good health,
Dr. Hyman Staff
Dr. Hyman,
You have written a wonderfully supported article about the differences between HFCS and sugar and the dangers of both. I am extremely appreciative of this as it is indeed very difficult to get a straight answer out of anyone who actually sells the product. You also state at the top of your website “Your fork is the most powerful too; you have to change your health and the planet…” To this, I agree, but there are other factors to be considered, specifically money.
Those who make below a certain amount are very familiar with HFCS because they can’t avoid it. You even stated that the cost of producing HFCS is much lower than that of refined white sugar and it is this cost difference that has contributed to the rise of HFCS in the foods we eat. The truth of the matter is it is expensive to eat healthy. When someone is on food stamps, WIC or a very limited budget, they know that the plain loaf of white bread is three times cheaper than the whole grain, no HFCS loaf that is actually smaller. They can get more for their money and therefore more food for their family. Or the ‘red drink’ that everyone is so fond of mentioning in their comments. Little Hugs, the HFCS beverage sold in little barrels, is also about 3-4 times cheaper than a bottle of Juicy Juicy, which is 100% juice. I know because I lived this way for quite a while until we could afford to live otherwise. In fact, when it was possible, we did manage to eliminate HFCS almost entirely from our diet, (it is a stresser for my husband’s migraines, among other things).
I understand you can change a great deal about your health by changing what you eat, and I in way endorse anything that could be considered bad for your health, understand that money is a larger factor in people’s lives than their health. This is how HFCS got ahead to start with and how they are able to maintain their lead. Until a healthy, cheap alternative is found, HFCS will probably, in all reality, stay ahead.
Thank you for dispeling the myth that HFCS and sugar are equals. I’ve eliminated it from my diet and my children’s diet. I wish that everyone understood just how harmful it is and how the lobbyists control so much of our lives! I hope that it is not true that the FDA is allowing HFCS to be labeled as corn syrup!
Yes, I do believe HFCS is one of the primary reasons for the obesity epidemic, and the corn industry has mounted their massive campaign for the same simple reason they switched from cane sugar to corn sugar in the first place: MONEY!
Thanks so much though for mentioning something I didn’t know before about HFCS and which, I believe, is EVEN MORE IMPORTANT than the link between HFCS and obesity (!). The fact that HFCS digestion robs the gut of ATP required to maintain the integrity of our intestinal lining!! I am studying Ayurveda, from which I have learned that undigested food particles moving through the intestinal lining is THE MAIN FACTOR/CAUSE of almost ALL DISEASES….. You didn’t mention arthritis, and especially rheumatoid arthritis, which are caused by this movement of toxins through the intestinal lining and being lodged into the tissues of the body.
The worst part is that the HFCS is so innocuous in our society that even though I am a holistic, alternative health professional (Yoga teacher, massage therapist, Ayurvedic Health Counselor), both of my (grown) children, my boyfriend, and both of his (young) children consume outrageous amounts of soda sweetened with HFCS every day. They know the facts! But they still drink it! The toxins and the poisons in our food supply are practically ubiquitous and even given the knowledge of their dangers, nobody seems to give a damn. I am completely disheartened.
But thank you anyway, and hopefully some people who read this information can use their brain and stop poisoning themselves.
Regarding the question of HFCS owner’s children eating such swill, the answer is pretty simple:
Clearly not.
Let’s face it. The only people that eat products with HFCS are either ignorant, poor, and usually both. People eat these products not knowing the damage they are doing to their bodies, or worse, know the damage, but don’t have sufficient income to get anything else on a regular basis. The weight of children alone depending on their social class can be telling in this regard. I recently returned from a two month trip to Canada, and even though I exercised only sporadically and the diet was inconsistent, I lost ten pounds. I notice that I ate less up there, or rather, I found I was satisfied sooner. The chemical compounds involved might have something to do with that: Canada doesn’t use HFCS, or at least Newfoundland doesn’t. The article speaks accurately, the one change makes a huge difference. However, as long as HFCS is less expensive, and still legal, you’ll definitely see it in constant production. Let’s face it, humans, and especially American business, is exceedingly greedy. They may think they and theirs are too good for such dangerous products, but they have no problem shoving everyone else under the bus to make a profit.
It’s too bad businesses have such pull in US politics, otherwise any intelligent leader would have banned HFCS production by now. Unfortunately, people in power often have the money to buy better products, and couldn’t care less if the poor workers suffer. Fine place we live in, eh?
Reasonable Guy, while I agree with you the word natural is as often misused as the word organic. The logic that you are attempting to use is severly flawed. But I’m sure you use the same rational when buying your cigarettes. You want to know how much weight you will lose? NONE, because you are expecting a simple dietary change to do all the work.
Reasonable Guy,
IMO, the biggest difference between HFCS and sugar is that your body recognizes sugar in the feedback mechanisms of your digestive system. In other words, if you eat/drink enough you feel full or if you eat/drink too much you get sick to your stomach. With HFCS, this doesn’t happen. Do your own experiment, one day drink as many throwback Pepsi’s that you can, record the number, than drink as many as you can with HFCS, record the number that you can drink in one day.
So you are right if you consume the same amount of sugar and as HFCS, pound for pound, the results are the same. But you cannot consume as much Sugar as HFCS unless your body has become de-sensitized with overeating.
That’s why childhood obesity has increased, children will only eat as much sugar as their bodies need. My daughter who is one year old, will eat a full meal, I give her a cookie and she will only eat half because she know she is full. (My cookies are made with all natural ingredients, sugar, butter, these tell her that her body has enough). My children are healthy weights, they are not allowed HFCS, only on occasion, like somewhere we can’t get anything else to drink. But children who consume HFCS consume more because their bodies don’t recognize being full so they keep consuming it and this has been known for a while. I read about it in a Men’s Fitness Magazine about 11 years ago!
Switch to sugar and see if it makes a difference, but listen to your body and stop eating it when you feel full. You will eat less sugar, but that’s the point, your not supposed to eat that much!
The highly over exposed commercials came because people were just starting to ask questions. Dr Oz and others are telling people to read the labels. For me those commercials didn’t give me any positive outlook on HFCS. In fact the commercials triggered me to do research. Today, products that contain HFCS do not enter my basket or body and I look and feel great. I’m 52 years old, just wish I started earlier.
You people are hopeless.
As a chemistry major who is using research journals to write a paper on all corn syrups, I have to say that whoever wrote this article is misleading all of you.
The only valid argument he has is that sugar (in any form) in high amounts is not good for you. Let me explain why the rest of the points are wrong….
Sucrose and high fructose corn syrup are basically the same. Both have THE SAME sweetness. Although fructose is sweeter than solid sucrose, the fact that high fructose corn syrup is about 20% water makes the sweetness come down to that of sucrose. That is why they have the ratio of 55%fructose, 42%glucose, 3%other sugars.
Glucose and fructose are basically the same. Being structural isomers, (both have the chemical formula C6H12O6) when metabolized by the body, they have the option of the same three pathways to choose. Those pathways are (in order of the likelihood of them occurring): broken down into CO2 and H2O (create ATP), then stored as glycogen, lastly, and least likely, stored as fat. Having 5% more fructose doesn’t make any difference.
All of the obesity and other crap that people are correlating with HFCS is simply not conclusive. Yes, obesity has been rising- that doesn’t mean high fructose corn syrup caused it. Regardless of the horrible economic conditions, society is eating more food than normal and not all of those people get enough exercise to burn the calories. That’s what is causing the obesity problem. I know that because countries that also have increased food consumption without the use of high fructose corn syrup (like australia) have seen a rise in obesity and obesity-related diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, ect.).
Lastly, you people need to lay off high fructose corn syrup because they are already starting to replace it with something that really is bad: High maltose corn syrup.
High maltose corn syrup is composed of a slurry of glucose and maltose (a disaccharide of two glucose molecules that is also less sweet than fructose- not to mention being less sweet than glucose itself). The increased solubility of maltose compared to glucose means that more maltose is in it compared to glucose by mass- regardless of the percentages. High maltose corn syrup is usually around 50% maltose and 50% glucose. However, because it is less sweet than glucose (which itself is less sweet than sucrose), more of it must be used. Why is this bad? Because you are essentially getting about 6 glucose molecules when you would usually get 1 fructose and 1 glucose. This extreme increase in carbohydrate consumption would actually cause an increase storage of fat (because the first two pathways would become exhausted). This is what you people are bringing to us all. Thanks.
By the way, if you people are really afraid of HFCS, and since I mentioned it above, then I might as well enlighten you about calories. First of all, make sure you notice the lowercase “c” that I used in the word calorie. I calorie is 4.184 Joules. A Joule is a measure of energy. Therefore, a calorie is a measure of energy. A Calorie (with a capital “C”) is 1000 calories (with a lowercase “c”). This is the one that is written on all of your food. The values seen on food labels are measured by burning the particular item and measuring the amount of energy given off. This is an estimate of how much energy the body would receive from metabolizing the food item. Calories are neither good or bad. They are simply energy. What you allow your body to do with that energy is the thing that should concern you. If you eat many Calories and don’t burn them off by activity or exercise, they can be stored by the body as fat (this is only one option, other ways of storing Calories are available depending on what the Calories came from).
Stop being afraid of the crap people tell you and look information up by yourself. Once again, you people are hopeless.
Sharing with you the knowledge the government is paying for me to get,
-Anthony Lloyd II
Where is the truth.
I am here because my wife has dementia. She went through a nasty divorce 13 years ago and developed a habit of eating jujubs, alot of them. They are essentially HFCS. She would eat 10 or more ounces per sitting, essentially every day till just a year ago.
So, has HFCS been proven to cause dementia?
HI Larry,
We know that balancing blood sugar and having certain nutrients are critical to staving off dementia. You can learn more here: http://drhyman.com/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia-and-memory-loss-as-you-age-2-3304/ We hope you share this info with your wife.
In good health!
So, if there is a difference between sugar and HFCS, is there also a difference between sugar made from sugar beets versus sugar cane?
Hi Tam,
No difference-all sugar that is refined is sucrose. Sucrose is sucrose in the body so moderation or elimination is key!
Dr. Hyman:
Thanks for your insight, research, and expertise in this matter.
I’ve been telling people to stay away from HFCS for a long time, as I know
that none of us need MORE POISONS and TOXINS in our bodies, from
the everyday foods we eat.
I’m almost more than sure, that HFCS is one of the MAJOR contributors to
obsesity, diabetes, and cancer.
Anthony Lloyd II:
Ouch, you didn’t have to call us hopeless and sound so self-important. But yes, the evidence for HFCS being the cause for obesity is inconclusive, as huge companies are shoving a boat load of OTHER toxic substances into our foods, perpetuating the decrease in the overall health of Americans…and the rest of the world. I feel sick knowing I ate a Pop Tart this morning.
BUT, this article and you’re little essay, both agree that HFCS is bad for you. I was prompted to research this topic after I got home from school today, as my friend was vehemently arguing that HFCS wasn’t bad for you. Honestly, any food or substance in whatever you eat that isn’t natural should raise a red flag. So I hopped on my little laptop and began searching for answers. (I hope I’m not one of the hopeless ones!)
I’m currently taking an honors chemistry class at my high school, and last year I took a biology course, so I know what you’re talking about when it comes to Joules, as well as the structure and effects of these substances. What people need to be more aware of is the delusion of calories meaning anything. That’s what marketing is all about, misguiding your focus to something you don’t know about, and unfortunately, most people, who are completely complacent to what actually has an impact on them, will watch the television and say, “Oh, well the commercial said HFCS isn’t bad for you. I am completely satisfied and will take the TV for granted!” Everyone– it’s the ingredients you need to look out for.
ANYWAY, the simple way to avoid all of this crud in your body: research what you’re eating. Be aware of what you’re putting into your body. DO NOT take anything for granted, especially not from the television.
I am a 32 year old mail diabetic. I was diagnosed at the age of 27 . My diet consist of eating mostly red meat every single day from the time I was 14 till I was diagnosed. I ate sugar products only on occasion about once every other month. This is why I will never believe that sugar causes diabetes. For some strange reason there are people who believe that sugar is so bad for you that it will kill you. Medical science has research that prove sugar does Not cause diabetes. Dieticians tell me that meat is the worst food to eat. The manufacturers have been making more and more health foods with reduced sugar and fat for years and yet Americans are still getting fatter. We have low fat and low sugar ice cream, diet and zero calorie soda, organic and whole wheat bread and Pasta. Basically society has already put Americans on a sugar diet and ITS NOT WORKING! That’s because sugar is not the enemy. Sir you are misinformed and your warping the minds of people who believe anything someone says without using their own minds. High fructose corn syrup is a manufactured product that may not be healthiest product but I doubt it will kill you. Instead think about how much red meat you eat at home and from just about every restaurant around you. Red meat is every ware and sold in large quantities. This is the reason why Americans are getting fatter and diabetes has become a huge problem.
Hi Ike,
We appreciate your input and understand where you are coming from. The idea with systems biology is that it is not a one-size fits all approach to health and dis-ease. Our genes predispose us towards certain conditions in various ways which is why the humble road to understanding medicine, diagnosing and therapeutic protocols is often the most traveled. While we do not propose a diet rich in red meat, we advocate a balanced diet, with careful attention to all known foods which trigger inflammation and insulin resistance. Sugar, along with toxins and pro inflammatory fats in commercial red meats coupled with other variants (genetics, environments, overall nutrition, stress, level of activity,etc.) all contribute to Type 2. We hope you find the care you need and support from Dr. Hyman. He truly has your best interest in mind. Should you want further clarification or assistance we are more than happy to help you!
In good health!
Lizzy
Nutrition Coaching Program
Dr. Hyman:
Thank you for this great article and for finally blowing the Corn Refiners Association info that HFCS is just like Sugar… NOT! If HFCS is so natural, I like how they will not show how they “extract” the sucrose from the Corn. I myself have gone from products that contained HFCS to regular cane sugar (or beet sugar). I know anything in large amounts are bad for you so I try to keep drinking soda to once a week only as treat.
The misinformation campaign of the Corn Refiners Association is really appalling but not surprising since the corn is subsidized by our federal tax dollars. They buy the corn cheap and they then turn around and make something that is not regulated enough and unsafe in my view.
I still try to find items that are Natural and not processed.
Thanks again for your diligence in this matter!
-Francois
I am 37. I have been addicted to HFCS for years now. I have put on a considerable amount of weight and my body feels like I’m 70. I try to quit but the form I drink, mountain dew, is so addicting it’s been a challenge. I wish I had been more aware of the drug before I ever consumed it. If I had known how damaging it was I would never have accepted it into my life. Now I have to find the inner strength to stop consuming HFCS. Not just in my soda pop, but peanut butter, bread, crackers, you name it, HFCS is there. They say to drink it in moderation, yet they make it as addictive as cocaine. It’s all about making money. How sad is that?
Sugarbeets are 100 % roundup ready these days and sugar cane is not. That is the difference.