Corn Sugar? No, Still High Fructose Corn Syrup

Call it what you will, it's still not the healthiest thing for you.

Hey folks,

I just posted about how Mayor Bloomy the Nanny, of New York, wants to ban larger sodas, Slurpees, Big Gulps, that sort of thing. Nothing over 16 oz. Oh, yes BG. I did see that. I posted it Thursday, May 31, 2012, at 6:22am. OPNTalk2- NYC Food Police At It Again

It has been all over the place. Rush had it on his show. Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, my favorite radio show of all, the Rich Stevens Show. They all had it on. I think Tom Sullivan, and Mark Levin, had it as well. In some cases, it has been on for the rest of the week. See, you sometimes do see it here first. {Smile}

But the point is, it has been big news. One of the arguments for it, is because most soda contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, HFCS. Now I have talked about HFCS in depth. I'm not fan of it. Back on Sunday, July 08, 2007, I issued you a challenge.

Actually folks, you would be surprised at what products it is in. Like juices, candies, baked goods, including breads, cookies, syrups, yogurts, soups, ketchup, breakfast cereals, and pasta sauces. After I read this yesterday, my Wife and I went to the local grocer. We DID find it in nearly everything. Here is an interesting statistic.

In 1966 per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup was zero – in 2001 that rose to 62.6 pounds per person per year.

You, as I found out, will be hard pressed to find products that do NOT contain HFCS.

Over the time we talked about HFCS, we learned that, like with most things, there are two sides to the debate.

Nutritionist, author and food-policy doyenne Marion Nestle has blogged and written extensively about the issue and says in response to the commercials, "Lots of people think high-fructose corn syrup is the new trans fat. It isn't. ... Biochemically, it is about the same as table sugar (both have about the same amount of fructose and calories) but it is in everything and Americans eat a lot of it — nearly 60 lbs. per capita in 2006, just a bit less than pounds of table sugar. High-fructose corn syrup is not a poison, but eating less of any kind of sugar is a good idea these days and anything that promotes eating more is not."

And therein lies the problem. The commercials claim that just like sugar, high-fructose corn syrup isn't unhealthy when consumed in moderation. But it's hard to know exactly how much of it we're actually consuming because it shows up in so many unexpected foods. "It was in my children's vitamins!" said Elise Mackin. Because high-fructose corn syrup extends the shelf life of foods, and farm subsidies make it cheaper than sugar, it's added to a staggering range of items, including fruity yogurts, cereals, crackers, ketchup and bread — and in most foods marketed to children. So, unless you're making a concerted effort to avoid it, it's pretty difficult to consume high-fructose corn syrup in moderation. "We did a consumers survey," says Doug Radi of Boulder, Colo., based Rudi's Organic Breads, "and less than 25% of them realized that high-fructose corn syrup is commonly used in bread."

So basically, in moderation, it's not that bad. But is this not the truth in all things? I can drink one or two adult beverages at a social event and be fine. One or two cases? I will be sick for days, and not remember that social event. A Big Mac? Today? Cool. A Big Mac for breakfast, lunch, and two for dinner? Bad.

However, HFCS is what it is. And those that profit from it, are tired of hearing people talk negative about it. They feel that if they could only change the name, all would be better. The name they want to change it to? Corn Sugar.

But the FDA said that it defines sugar as a solid, dried and crystallized food — not a syrup.

Separately, the Corn Refiners Association has also been running a marketing campaign to explain that its syrup is actually a form of sugar and has the same nutritional value as the familiar white, granular table sugar that consumers are familiar with.

That in turn prompted a lawsuit from the Sugar Association last year claiming that the campaign is misleading.

Dan Callister, a lawyer for the Sugar Association, said the FDA's decision confirms his group's position that sugar and high fructose corn syrup are two distinct products.

"What's going on here is basically a con game to suggest otherwise," Callister said. "What do con men do? They normally try to change their name. The FDA has thankfully stopped that."

The Corn Refiners Association issued a statement Wednesday noting that the FDA denied its petition on "narrow, technical" grounds.

The group said it stood by its claim that "the vast majority of American consumers are confused about HFCS."

High fructose corn syrup came into the U.S. market in the late 1970s and 1980s. The product is used widely in cereals, sodas and other processed food and drinks because it's cheaper and mixes easily into recipes.

Despite the name, the Corn Refiners Association says the most common forms of it are about half fructose and half glucose.

This AP article wraps up with what we have been talking about for years.

The American Medical Association has said it wants more research on high fructose corn syrup, but says there's not enough evidence to restrict its use for now. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has said that there was no evidence that the sweetener is any worse for the body than sugar — and that Americans consume too much of both of them.

So it all comes back to moderation. The problem here, with HFCS, is it is in so much of what we eat. So eating A Sandwich with ketchup, a yogurt, and cookies for dessert, washed down with a soda, There is a good chance you just consumed HFCS in EVERYTHING you just consumed. Not to mention regular sugar.

So, is the solution, having the government to come in and ban it? Is Bloomy the Nanny right in banning Slurpees? Nope. The government has no right to dictate to you what you can and can not eat or drink. ZERO! No right whatsoever. No matter how good the attention is. One is responsible for oneself. It really is this simple. You CAN find products without HFCS. It's not easy. I know, trust me, I've tried. But you can. You can also moderate what you consume. The choice is your's. NOT the government.
Peter

Sources:
AP - FDA rejects new name for high fructose corn syrup

 By CANDICE CHOI | Associated Press – 8 hrs ago