4 February 2009
The Debate About High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Posted by admin under: Healthy Eating; Organic; Ramblings .
You may have noticed some lame commercials recently showing an attractive young couple in a park on gloriously sunny day. A Popsicle is introduced, and the couple has a stilted conversation about whether or not high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sweetener found in many processed foods, is bad for you. The commercial, which I believe is funded by the HFCS industry, ends with the assertion that HFCS is perfectly fine.
But is it?
There have been many studies about the effect of HFCS, with a lot of conflicting results. Some link increased consumption of foods with HFCS to increased likelihood of obesity, while others that are more recent seem to disprove this link.
Although HFCS itself doesn’t seem to be the culprit, the fact remains that many of the foods that are sweetened with this product are foods that aren’t very good for you. Soft drinks, snacks, fruit drinks, etc. all contain HFCS. And, HFCS is often made from genetically-modified corn (if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know how much of an opponent of GMO stuff I am!).
Although the industry, and the FDA, consider HFCS to be natural, I do not, simply because of how it is made. First, it’s made from GMO corn. Franken-Corn is not natural!! Second, it goes through a complex process involving three different enzymes to convert it to a sweetener (see this article for more info).
The bottom line: In my opinion, although HFCS isn’t outright harmful, it’s not natural, it’s made from GMO corn, and is often found in highly-processed foods. So although HFCS isn’t necessarily to blame for the obesity epidemic, I think it’s something to consume sparingly, just like any other sweetener.
Here are some links to articles I read for this article:
Myths about HFCS by The Corn Refiners Association
Mayo Clinic Q & A on HFCS
