Monday, November 30, 2009

Q&A: High-fructose corn syrup and liver damage?

Is it true that high-fructose corn syrup can damage your liver? —D.S.M., Framingham, Mass.

It’s unclear, though there are other good reasons for limiting your intake of the sweetener. Animal studies have found that consuming a lot of high-fructose corn syrup can damage the liver and contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

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Top 10 Fattest Countries in the world


"In the early 1960s, 24 percent of Americans were overweight. Today, two-thirds of Americans are too fat, and the numbers on the scale keep going up. Health experts attribute the rise to an over-production of oil, fat and sugar -- the result of government farm subsidies started in the 1970s that made it much cheaper to manufacture products like high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in processed foods."

If you tend to pack on a few pounds over the holidays, blame it on globalization. As the world has grown smaller, we've all grown larger -- alarmingly so. In countries around the world, waistlines are expanding so rapidly that health experts recently coined a term for the epidemic: globesity.

The common fat-o-meter among nations is body mass index (BMI), a calculation based on a person's height and weight. The World Health Organization defines "overweight" as an individual with a BMI of 25 or more and "obese" as someone with a BMI of 30 or higher. Yes, it's a big world after all:

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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Ill-conceived US corn subsidies make "liquid Satan" high-fructose corn syrup a cheap ingredient


United States crop subsidies have long directed the course of food consumption patterns among Americans. When a crop like corn is subsidized by the government, food producers hone in on it for use in their products because it is cheap. In the case of corn, the crop is subsidized so heavily that it sells below the cost of production, leading to its excessive use as a sweetener in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

For years the federal government has subsidized corn to the tune of several billion dollars a year. Much of America's heartland is covered by endless swaths of corn, often genetically modified because of the huge cash incentives offered to farmers who grow it. As a result, corn-based ingredients are present in a great majority of processed food products. Ingredients like maltodextrin, corn starch (typically modified in some way), corn syrup, and HFCS can be found in virtually every processed food.

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Exposed: Bogus Claims On Food Labels

"You might get a reasonable amount of fiber per serving from Pop-Tarts with added fiber, but it comes along with high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil."

Every time I go to the grocery store I seem to leave ranting about another dubious or downright bogus health claim on packaged food. Take, for example, the now-pulled assertion that Frosted Krispies "Now Helps Support Your Child's Immunity," which Michael Y. Park reported on here in the Epi-Log a few weeks ago. Questionable claims were dealt a blow when the "Smart Choices" food labeling system, which had given a thumbs up to sugary cereals such as Froot Loops, suspended operations a few weeks ago (read the full story, Food Label Program to Suspend Operations from The New York Times).

Now the editors of ShopSmart magazine (published by Consumers Union, which also publishes Consumer Reports) are striking out against dubious claims. The December issue of the magazine highlights amd debunks common food label myths.

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King Corn: The Secrets of High Fructose Corn Syrup

"For the first time in world history, obesity is associated with poverty."





Friday, November 20, 2009

Five Steps to Overcoming Gout Naturally

High-Fructose Corn Syrup is a Major Risk Factor



Often in past centuries, gout was laughingly passed off as an affliction of the rich, because it usually affected those who had easy access to fancy foods and plenty of liquor. However today we know better and this report will review these myths and help you understand the real cause of gout.

Anyone who has experienced the excruciating pain of a gout attack knows that it is no laughing matter. Some sufferers have described the intense pain of a gout attack as similar to being burned by a flame. Others say it feels like they were skewered by a hot poker.

A gout attack, or “flare,” usually strikes suddenly, and generally at night. Mysteriously, it often targets the large joint of your big toe. Your skin becomes red, inflamed, and overly sensitive. Even the light pressure of a bed sheet can become unbearable. A fever may also be present.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Cane Sugar Cola Diet Theory is Investigated

Coca-Cola is coming up with new products based on old recipes. Pepsi Throwback and some Coca-Colas bottled in Mexico are made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Some say they can taste the difference. And some of these soda drinkers even say that they have lost weight switching to the cane sugar formula. So why isn't soda made with cane sugar like it was a long time ago? U of U nutritionist, Wayne Askew gives a simple answer: "High fructose corn syrup is cheaper to use as a sweetener than sugar." Askew says corn syrup's reaction to the taste buds, rather than the calorie content, is why some people have found they lose weight.



Monday, November 16, 2009

Obesity in America linked to 'liquid Satan' from Iowa corn fields

The link has not been proven, but the theory is compelling. It suggests that America is doomed to lead the world’s obesity rankings as long as the process by which it elects its presidents starts in Iowa — a state known for its cornfields and corn subsidies.

With a minimum price of $1.90 per bushel of corn guaranteed by the 2007 Farm Bill, activists say that the crop is a guaranteed winner for the farmers of the Midwest — and one of the results is something called super-abundant high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Known to its detractors as “liquid Satan”, HFCS is the sweetener of choice in the vast bulk of fizzy drinks and packaged cakes and biscuits consumed in the US. Its producers have long enjoyed the solid support of the US Senate and most presidential candidates, who gravitate every four years to Iowa to pledge their allegiance to its voters. “Farm subsidies are a third rail of Iowa politics,” a former staffer on Senator John Edwards’s presidential campaign said yesterday. “You don’t touch them.”

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High Fructose Corn Syrup....CORN IS IN EVERYTHING!

Friday, November 13, 2009

High Fructose Corn Syrup: A Recipe for Hypertension


A diet high in fructose increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Cutting back on processed foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may therefore help prevent hypertension.

Over the last 200 years, the rate of fructose intake has directly paralleled the increasing rate of obesity. Obesity has increased sharply in the last 20 years since the introduction of HFCS. Today, Americans consume 30 percent more fructose than they did 20 years ago, and up to four times more than 100 years ago.

Researchers examined more than 4,500 adults with no prior history of hypertension. Fructose intake was calculated based on a dietary questionnaire. People who ate or drank more than 74 grams per day of fructose (2.5 sugary soft drinks per day) greatly increased their risk of developing hypertension.

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Green Dilemma • Gatorade vs. Vitaminwater


"The primary sweetener in Gatorade is high-fructose corn syrup, a sugar substitute that has been linked to obesity and a laundry list of other health issues."

Here’s a question to chew on: Do nutritional choices constitute a sustainability issue?

We say yes, that participating in the effort to create a more sustainable world requires that you be alive and well, and that maintaining good health means conserving resources better used by others.

A lifestyle that includes a vigorous fitness regimen is, or course, a great way to get there. But what about replenishing your body following exercise? The market for sports drinks has exploded, presenting fitness enthusiasts with an array of choices. Which offers the most health-friendly option? Or is there an alternative of the none-of-the-above variety?

We ask simply, sports drinks or not?

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