High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener found in many types of processed foods, such as candy, baked goods, salad dressings, yogurt, soda and other sugary beverages. There are many reasons why this sweetener is bad for you and should be avoided.

1) According to two U.S. studies, nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contains mercury.  It was also found in nearly one third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second-ingredient on the label. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that is known to wreak havoc on the nervous system, neurological function, and overall biological function.

2) Corn syrup was found to be more toxic to female mice than table sugar, shortening their lives and cutting their rate of reproduction.

3) High-fructose corn syrup consumption has been found to impair learning and memory in adolescents.

4) Fructose is found to increase cardiovascular and diabetes risk in adolescents.

5) Sugar sweetened drinks increase heart disease and diabetes risk in women.

Fructose, or simple fruit sugar is naturally found in fruits and vegetables where it is closely bound with fiber and is slowly released into the blood stream. Many processed food and drink manufacturers use generous quantities of pure high fructose corn syrup extract that is absorbed rapidly and metabolized through a different pathway as compared to glucose or table sugar. Fructose is processed in the liver and high amounts can lead to increased body fat production, weight gain, obesity, liver damage and fatty liver.

The Corn Refiners Association is now wise to the public learning about the dangers of HFCS and are now labeling it as “fructose” or “fructose syrup.” Packaging on products such as General Mills Vanilla Chex cereal now states the product contains no high fructose corn syrup, while the ingredients list contains the simple word, “fructose.” This fructose is actually a manufactured sugar called HFCS-90, and is made up of 90% pure fructose. High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, contains 42 or 55 percent fructose. Health issues relating to free fructose include diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, and liver failure.

While it is a good idea to cut down or eliminate added sugar in your diet for disease prevention, it is especially important to avoid any food that contains “fructose,” “fructose syrup” or “high fructose corn syrup.”

Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/06/us-usa-health-cornsyrup-idUSKBN0KF03820150106
https://jn.nutrition.org/content/142/2/251
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237607.php
https://www.naturalnews.com/046424_high_fructose_corn_syrup_adolescence_impaired_memory.html
https://www.naturalnews.com/048938_high_fructose_corn_syrup_labeling.html