Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup for Health

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a common sweetener in processed and store-bought foods, but it is dangerous for health as it can lead to obesity, diabetes, etc. because of its synthetic makeup.

If you are fond of reading, then you may have come across a word High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS or glucose-fructose syrup) on magazine articles, health websites, or television shows. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a required food ingredient for food producers and manufacturers since it is evenly sweet as table sugar, helps foods to maintain for long time period, and mixes well with other foods. HFCS is less expensive (because of government subsidies on corn) compared to other sweeteners like table sugar and baking sugar, and found in several food products like soft drinks, salad dressings, tomato sauce, ice cream, bread, fast food, jam/jelly, and many more. Several studies conducted over the past few decades signify that over-consumption of HFCS is connected with some health concerns like cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, hypertension, etc. Let’s see in detail, which are the side effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup.

You will be amazed by knowing that HFCS acts as the leading cause for obesity in the world, particularly in the United States. The sweetener can slow down your metabolism and obstruct the natural production of insulin and other appetite controllers. The dangers of HFCS are both and numerous, so it is better to consume less or avoid it in your diet. Instead eat more severe organic foods and get your natural sugars from fruits and vegetables, thus start living a healthier lifestyle. Moreover, you must read product labels and avoid those with HFCS. You can also use raw honey in place of high fructose corn syrup for sweetening needs.

Dangers of high fructose corn syrup:

Obesity

A sweetener found on various food labels - Fructose may contribute to weight gain and obesity as it has least effect on brain areas that regulate appetite. High fructose corn syrup limits your body's ability to make insulin and leptin, making it hard to metabolize food and control appetite. Since the introduction of HFCS, obesity rates have been increasing severely as natural sugar is less hard to digest by your body than HFCS. Natural sugar takes only one day for your body to digest, whereas HFCS takes around four days, due to which your body is always working to digest HFCS if you consume processed foods regularly or drink a lot of soda every day. Over time, this may cause overweight and obesity.

Diabetes

Because of obesity and an irregular fluctuation of insulin, HFCS can lead to a huge increase in the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, which is the leading cause of death in the world today. Soda, energy drinks, bread and junk-food contain high fructose corn syrup, so you take in lot of calories if you eat and drink these products in excessive amounts. All of these can lead to rise in blood sugar level drastically and over time, you will develop an imbalance in your blood sugar levels that can cause diabetes.

Mood swings and withdrawal

Excessive consumption of sugar and HFCS will cause your body to crave more, and when trying to reduce, the desire and cravings just increase. High fructose corn syrup isn't purely fructose, though it seems to trigger appetite-regulating hormones in a manner that’s just like that of table sugar.

High Insulin Levels

High insulin levels not only cause diabetes, but also affect your body in a number of ways. If you consume too much HFCS that result in high insulin levels can cause arthritis, heart disease, etc. Over time, HFCS will take its toll on your body by uplifting your insulin levels to unsafe levels.

High Blood Pressure

If you eat too many processed foods loaded with high fructose corn syrup, then it can lead to high blood pressure. So, try to lose weight and avoid high fructose corn syrup in your diet to help bring high blood pressure back down.

Other health dangers of HFCS:

• Eating foods containing HFCS can put you at an additional risk for mercury exposure, which can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage, particularly in young, growing bodies.
• Foods loaded with sugars and sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup rot teeth by decaying the enamel coating.
• Eating foods containing HFCS gives ton of calories, but they don’t have any nutritional value, thus this often gets labeled as the empty calorie phenomenon.
• High fructose corn syrup obstructs with the formation of hormones and enzymes in your body that generally protect major diseases.

Avoid high fructose corn syrup in your diet, and follow below tips to stay healthy:

• Don't eat processed foods, and foods containing added sugar
• Drink less soda and soft drinks
• Choose for fruit canned in its own juices rather than heavy syrups
• Consume fresh fruits, instead of drinking fruit flavored drinks or fruit juices
• Don’t replace milk with sweetened beverages, particularly for children