More on High Fructose Corn Syrup.

As more and more consumers and professionals steer clear of corn syrup, especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the industry is spending big bucks to fight back.

You have probably seen the ads in which one person questions the use HFCS and the second person shoots them down, saying (smugly) that it is a natural sweetener made from corn. The first person is left feeling foolish, and stumbling for words.

Advertising professionals know that one of the most effective ways to sell a product or an idea is to convince the audience that if they do not use your product they will look foolish.

In both TV and magazine ads, the corn producers argue that HFCS is natural since it does not contain aritificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. But they do not explain that in order to change corn into a sweetener, it must go through multiple chemical processes that may leave residues of the chemicals, and these can cause reactions. [read our previous article on how corn syrup is processed into HFCS.] People who have difficulty processing sulfur and sulfur-based preservatives may be reacting to this residue. This may explain why some families report that their child reacts to corn syrup and HFCS, but not to other sweeteners. [It is also widely thought by some parents of children on the autism spectrum that their children react negatively to sulfur based products.]

We find a similar situation with vanillin (imitation vanilla). Despite the argument that the two share a common chemical structure, our sensitive children and adults react adversely to vanillin, but not vanilla.

Carbonated soft drinks might be especially troublesome, according to research conducted at Rutgers University. Dr. Chi-Tang Ho, a professor of food science, has found that carbonated beverages with HFCS are very high in “reactive carbonyls,” which are believed to cause tissue damage. But they are not found in table sugar (sucrose). People with diabetes have elevated levels of these reactive carbonyls, which are linked to the complications from the disease.

 Another possible reason for reactions to corn syrup and HFCS is the use of genetically-modified corn. Researchers at York Laboratories in England found that in 1999, one year after Monsanto’s genetically modified soybeans first entered the food supply, soy allergies increased by 50% in just one year. Both soy and corn are over-used in processed foods, which may also explain why they are now common food allergens.

HFCS and Obesity

One of the biggest problems with HFCS could be its own success; it provides many benefits for food manufacturers. It gives bulk to foods, enables breads to brown and helps keep them soft, can prevent freezer burn in frozen foods, provides sweetness, and is added to low-fat foods to compensate for the loss of flavor when fat is removed. It is also very inexpensive.

Consumers expect to find sweeteners in desserts, but HFCS is used in many unexpected places, including: mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, lunchmeats, soups, salad dressings, crackers and cough syrup. Both low-fat yogurt and “healthy” smoothies can have a whopping 10 teaspoons of HFCS in a serving and soda has even more. In addition to other sweeteners, the average American eats over 40lbs of HFCS each year! Processed foods and restaurant food (especially fast foods) are loaded with it, but perhaps the biggest offenders are the typical foods served in school cafeterias. Visit school lunch. org .

Reprinted from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States, visit their website at Feingold.org

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