High Fructose Corn Syrup is now the leading source of calories in the American Diet!
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (HFCS) IS MADE BY STEEPING CORN TO SOFTENTHE HARD KERNEL; PHYSICAL SEPARATION OF THE KERNEL INTO ITSSEPARATE COMPONENTS-STARCH, CORN HULL, PROTEIN AND OIL; BREAKDOWN OF THE STARCH TO GLUCOSE; USE OF ENZYMES TO INVERTGLUCOSE TO FRUCTOSE; REMOVAL OF IMPURITIES; AND BLENDING OF GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE TO MAKE HFCS-42 AND HFCS-55. THE 42 MEANS 42% FRUCTOSE TO 58% GLUCOSE AND THE 55 MEANS 55% FRUCTOSE TO 45% GLUCOSE. GENERALLY, THE 42% IS FOR CANNED FRUITS, BAKED GOODS ANDOTHER PROCESSED FOODS BECAUSE IT WON’T MASK NATURAL FLAVORS, ANDTHE 55% IS FOR CARBONATED COLAS. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY USES HFCS-42.
IN ADDITION, HIGH CONSUMPTiON OF HFCS HAS BEEN LINKED TO HIGHERINCIDENCES OF DIABETES AND HIGHER CHOLESTEROL IN ANIMALS. THELINK TO HUMANS HAS NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED.
DESPITE THE LACK OF CLARITY IN RESEARCH, THE FACT REMAINS THATAMERICANS CONSUME LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUPIN THE FORM OF SOFT DRINKS, FRUIT-FLAVORED BEVERAGES AND OTHERPROCESSED FOODDS. THESE TYPES OF FOODS ARE OFTEN HIGH IN CALORIESAND LOW IN NUTRITIONAL VALUE. THIS FACT ALONE IS REASON TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT FOODS CONTAINING HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS:
CORN SYRUP IS LARGELY UNREGULATED BY THE BODY AND IS MOSTLYCONVERTED TO FAT.