I hope all is well with you. Thank you for asking my opinion about high fructose corn syrup. Rest assure I do not want you to be concerned, I will try to explain it as much as I can. Let me start by explaining to you what high fructose syrup means in comparison to regular sugar. HFCS is composed of a mix of glucose and fructose (Beil). This same chemical components are also found in “regular” table sugar. Table sugar also has another name called sucrose. It has a linear ring structure with three to seven carbon atoms (Phelan 854). To make it easier on you to understand, we eat sugar it breaks down in our stomach as glucose and fructose (Busken 112-113). If the breakdown of HFCS and sugar is compared you will find that HFCS gives the better opportunity of using in food (Busken 112-113). The digestion of sugar is 50/50, while the breakdown of HFCS is 42% fructose and 55% glucose (Busken 112-113). The remaining 3% are chains of saccharides (Busken 112-113). Now looking into the graph that you sent me I do not think that high fructose corn syrup is the main cause of obesity. Through my understanding of the readings I have read that interacting with a substance does not necessarily mean that it is the cause of it. Throughout the years Americans have developed a bigger appetite and specifically a sweet tooth (Beil). The graph demonstrates that between 1975-2000 the high fructose corn syrup intake rose frequently. In between the same years, obesity has rise and fallen multiple
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an inexpensive syrup created by changing about half of the particles comprising corn starch into fructose. Due to the cheapness of HFCS it has replaced natural sugars in most of the food consumed in America. Resulting in HFCS being found in just about all processed foods made today. Consuming any kind of sweetener has shown to greatly increase the chances of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome (Zeratsky, 2015). Since the invention of HFCS American obesity rates went from fifteen percent of the population to around one third of the population suggesting a strong
High-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used artificial sweetener in foods. High-fructose corn syrup is a hydrolyzed version of ordinary corn syrup, which is produced via a steeping process. It is so widely used because it is both economically favorable and it helps to preserve food for extended periods of time. However, the drawbacks of high-fructose corn syrup include issues like potential obesity, diabetes, loss of liver function, malnutrition, and cancer. The fact that the producers of high-fructose corn syrup can deceive people that HFCS is harmless makes matters worse.
We eat every day, rarely thinking about what’s going into our bodies. Take soda, for example, when was the last time you read the label before taking a sip? For me, it is never. One of the first ingredients listed on the can is HFCS or high fructose corn syrup. This ingredient is a secret additive to many products in today's market. High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the cheapest to make and hardest to get rid of in the body. Since its introduction to food products in the 70's it has slowly been added to most foods, even ketchup.
Studies show that high fructose corn syrup fat. The article “sweet confusion” Say’s that high fructose corn syrup started out as a scientific achievement. After high fructose corn syrup was made most factories started using it instead of sugar cane because it was a lot cheaper. Which is bad because now the factories are mainly only using high fructose corn syrup, which is also really bad for you and they have yet to find that out. This done by “After factories started using high fructose corn syrup obesity rates grew rapidly.” (Beil, Laura, 2013) So then people began to wonder if the unnatural sweetener was the effect of why the rates were growing.“Beil then exams science designed to look for any health effects specific to fructose.” (Beil,
Confusions and debate over sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which leads into a large debatable topic. With food and bread products that HFCS has found its way into. Most are unaware of this product as processed sugar. HFCS is an altered sweetened product. Natural sugar is an entirely unprocessed ingredient, for example, milk, and vegetables. A standout between the most widely known everyday sugars is fructose, which is found in natural fruit product (“Add”). To make corn syrup, first will blend the corn starch with water and then include a catalyst, which breaks down into a sweeter sugar substance that is delivered by a bacterium that separates the starch into shorter chains
The jig is up. It's no secret that high fructose corn syrup is detrimental to your health. Unless you have been under a rock for the last few years you have seen a massive media campaign done by a group called (C.R.A.) Corn Refiners Association, to repair the damaged public image of high fructose corn syrup (H.F.C.S.).
In the human body, the metabolic system is really complicated. When HFCS affects the metabolic system, it causes metabolic syndromes. As researcher Leon mentions in their research, consumption of HFCS is related to the metabolic syndrome, which includes a group of common diseases like obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension (Leon et al. 105). A number of people who have metabolic syndrome are not low. According to a data of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, almost 34 percent of people have the signal of metabolic syndrome in USA (Shaheen et al. 1). In past 30 years, people have consumed HFCS, so nowadays obesity becomes an epidemic. According to the journal “Potential Health Risks From Beverages Containing Fructose Found in Sugar or High-fructose Corn Syrup”, M.D Bray says that the increase of HFCS consumption is parallel to the increase obesity epidemic and metabolic syndrome (Bray 1). In the words of another researcher Shaheen, obesity nowadays is a universal health problem. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of adult are obese in the USA and Europe (Shaheen et al. 1). Therefore, using HFCS a lot can cause metabolic syndrome, which lead to
This research essay will investigate the effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup. The liver is effected because the fructose—as it is being metabolized deposits fatty acids into the liver, it also develops cirrhosis, which has the same effect normally seen in alcoholics. High Fructose Corn Syrup increases cholesterol which blocks the inner walls of the arteries and may be fatal if not treated. High Fructose Corn Syrup was believed to be beneficial to diabetics, but studies show the they may actually promote more diseases. Obesity is a major problem, as High Fructose Corn Syrup does not release leptin—which is what signals the brain to stop eating, so society is prone to over consumption. It also alters the heart's use of other
High fructose corn syrup is a by-product derived from corn and a sweetener used in a plethora of food items, such as beverages and processed food. High fructose corn syrup differs than table sugar in composition: high fructose corn syrup is made of either 55% of fructose and 45% glucose, or 58% fructose and 42% glucose, while white table sugar is composed of 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Although there is a small difference between the compositions, the body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than table sugar, which contributes to a myriad of health problems such as obesity, liver scarring, and diabetes. Therefore, high fructose corn syrup is detrimental to our health and can cause severe damage to our bodies.
Abstract: The use of high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener in various food and drink products has drastically affected the American people in the last three decades. Dominating 55% of the sweetener market because of its industrial benefits, HFCS’s increased use has caused dramatic effects in its consumers, including upsetting normal hormonal functions, destroying vital organs, nerves, and throwing off the body’s mineral balance. As the use of HFCS increased, the rates of obesity, diabetes, and related health problems have escalated, resulting in a nationwide epidemic.
High fructose corn syrup is one of the main causes of the rise in obesity rates in america. In Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma he writes “National health and nutrition examination survey results from 1976 to 2006 show an alarming increase in the percentage of obese children ages 6-19” pg.92, This is especially important because along with obesity means risks of diabetes, heart disease, shorter life span, and many other unpleasant things. Michael Pollan also writes “every year approximately 500 million bushels of corn are turned into hfcs. One bushel of corn yields 33 pounds of hfcs, that's more than 16 billion pounds of hfcs a year” pg.93. Which is a lot of high fructose corn syrup that is being manufactured and
forty-five pounds to sixty-six pounds” (104). On top of the high-fructose corn syrup people intake, the other sugars also must be accounted for. Therefore, this excessive amount of sugars in processed food is the main cause to the increase of obesity in America.
Knowing the causes to obesity are important. Some causes of obesity are thought of off the bat. But some causes aren’t all that well known. Researchers have found many causes to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Two main causes to obesity are added sugars/processed foods and genetics, specifically with one’s parents and grandparents. The last cause of obesity is the American government. Many citizens of the U.S think that all sugar is bad. This statement is not true. As stated in http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/1/13/14219606/sugar-intake-dietary-nutrition-science “ Sugar is in so many of the foods we eat. It’s loaded into our granola and our juice, our BBQ sauce and salad dressing. Some ¾ of packaged foods and drinks in the US now carry caloric or low-calorie sweeteners.” In a healthy diet an American should consume roughly 6-9 teaspoons of added sugars. However the average in America is currently 41 teaspoons! Statistics have found that in the 13th century one pound of sugar would have costed roughly 360 eggs. Nowadays one pound of sugar would cost the same as only two eggs… this is a serious problem. The 1980’s was the national start of making and selling “low fat” products such as milk. In all reality this was also when the lowered the fat levels and raised the sugar levels sky high. As a result of extreme amounts of sugar in products it has given scientists evidence to prove that sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. Another cause of obesity is
Thesis As I said earlier high fructose corn syrup is commonly used for a cheaper sugar substitute. But government subtitles aren't the only price we are paying. Fructose corn syrup is much more fattening than sugar. Michael pollen states in omnivore's dilemma that “Kids in the us today may turn out to be the first group of Americans with life spans that are shorter than their parents.” This important because fructose corn syrup is part of that. If we keep eating the way we do things are not going to go well. Already “momently 17% of children and teenagers are obese in 2015b compared to 5% back in the 1970s”. If we keep eating way it could lead to debits heart problems and more food policies need to be change so there is not even a possibility of choosing colorful high fructose corn slurp over an apple
Besides artificial sweeteners, it is further theorized that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has similar effects on weight gain as artificial sweeteners. HFCS is preferred to cane sugar by food and beverage manufacturers because it tastes similar to sugar, mixes well and is cheaper than sugar.