High-Fructose Corn Syrup, A Public Health Concern
By Dr Joshua Shain DTCM
High-fructose corn syrup is emblematic of a society of excess, unrestrained capitalism and corrupted policy makers. It is an unnatural, highly processed chemical that is useful only because of an over-abundance of a regional crop commodity. This over-abundance is by no means of natural origin, for it too is the result of reactionary public policy and systemic corruption. To put it simply, this nation’s health has been borrowed against for both political and economic gain. Physiologically speaking, high-fructose corn syrup menaces our gastro-intestinal tract and leads to a litany of illnesses. Though HFCS cannot be said to be “uniquely” responsible for any of these illnesses, it is however a major contributing factor. This is because of both its chemical composition as well as the body’s pattern of saccharide digestion and absorption. This paper will show the origin, execution and consequences that HFCS has on humanity, from a macroscopic historical perspective to a microscopic physiological.
In order to understand why high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is such a controversy, it is of crucial importance to put it in a historical context. Back in the 17th century, a process was devised to turn beet juice into refined sugar, or sucrose. By 1811, 30,000 hectares of beets were planted in Napoleonic Europe and 40 sugar factories were built to relieve the demand on imported cane sugar (13). Since then, beet industry has waxed and waned, but today Europe produces 16 million tons of white (beet) sugar and almost 90% of sugar consumed in Europe is locally grown (13). Sugar was considered a luxury commodity until Napoleon built sugar refineries throughout Europe in the hope of placating his empire in the face of the British blockade (10). This was not the last time that sweeteners were used for political gain, one of the first actions signaling U.S. displeasure with Fidel Castro’s new government in Cuba was the elimination of the Cuban sugar allocation. The price of sugar in the United States is significantly higher than the world price (10). Even though corn based sweeteners are cheaper than sugar they were also much less sweet. That is, until the 1970’s when Japanese scientists invented the process to turn the less sweet glucose of corn into the very sweet fructose (10). This process eliminated the American need for imported sugar because during this time, in 1973 Nixon appointed Earl Butz to the USDA. Butz basically reversed the American corn subsidy policy, instead of leaving land fallow and not growing extra corn, he was known to say, “Get big or get out” and “plant anywhere your tractor will till”, the new policy actually paid farmers to produce extra corn (14). With all of this extra corn on the market, HFCS became a cheap and viable alternative to imported cane sugar. Interestingly, corn today is worth so little that an acre of corn will actually costs more to grow than it will fetch in the market, the only way farmers survive is because of the government subsidies.
Until 1957 there was no such thing as high fructose corn syrup because, until that time, people had operated with the understanding that there is no fructose in corn syrup (10). The more glucose in regular corn syrup is enzymatically converted to fructose, the sweeter the syrup becomes. High-fructose corn syrup’s name reflects the high percentage of the glucose that has been converted to fructose (10). There are three types of HFCS, each with a different proportion of fructose: HFCS-42, HFCS-55, and HFCS-90. The number for each HFCS corresponds to the percentage of synthesized fructose present in the syrup. HFCS-90 has the highest concentration of fructose, and is typically used to manufacture HFCS-55, which is used as sweetener in soft drinks, while HFCS-42 is used in many processed foods and baked goods (8). This processing does not significantly contribute to the cost or HFCS production. In part, because of high tariffs placed on imported cane sugar, but also because of its liquid form, high-fructose corn syrup can be inexpensively shipped in tanker trucks (9).
Manufacturers embraced HFCS wholeheartedly because it is substantially cheaper than table sugar and mixes well with a variety of products, including beverages, baked goods, jams and jellies, candies, and dairy products (3). It is now found in every type of processed prepackaged food and its use has increased in the U.S. by 10,672% between 1970 and 2005 (1); greatly exceeding the change in intake of any other food or food group (3). High-fructose corn syrup is now the primary caloric sweetener added to soft drinks in the United States, and comprises more than 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages (3). One researcher estimates one can of soda a day is worth 15 pounds of fat per year (1). However, the average American is estimated to ingest about 141 pounds of sugar every year, of which HFCS makes up 63 pounds. Throughout most of human history we consumed no more than about 15 grams of fructose per day (about 12 pounds a year), but daily consumption in 1997 was estimated to have increased to 81 grams per day (3). In fact, a single Cargill plant produces every day enough high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten 30 million cans of soda (11). Unfortunately not all high-fructose corn syrup is found just in sodas, many infant formulas are more than 50 percent sugar, of which 43 percent is corn syrup (1). A 2004 ecological correlation study compared the relationship between food consumption of refined carbohydrates and the prevalence of type-2 diabetes in the United States from 1909 to 1997. During this span of time the consumption of corn syrup based sweeteners increased by 2,100%. After controlling for total calories sourced in other foods, it was only the increase in corn syrup and a decrease in fiber intake that correlated positively with the increased rates of type-2 diabetes (4).
The alarming rise in diseases related to poor lifestyle habits has been mirrored by an equally dramatic increase in fructose consumption, particularly in the form of the corn derived sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup (4). So what is fructose and why should we be worried about corn syrup getting high in it? Fructose is actually a natural monosaccharide found in fruit and is abundant in agave nectar, which boasts fructose levels ranging from 50-92% (7). In fact, high concentrations of free fructose in apple and pear juices can cause diarrhea in children. Enterocytes that line children's small intestines have less affinity for fructose absorption than for glucose and sucrose (7).
Common table sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose bound together in the disaccharide known as sucrose. Sucrose is digested by sucrase into its component entities in the upper part of the small intestine. Once the disaccharide interacts with sucrase, there is a 1:1 ratio of glucose to fructose present (7). In determining the relative perceived sweetness of sugars, a scale has been devised with sucrose having a value of 1. Glucose has a value of 0.6, while fructose has a value of 1.6 (10) Corn, originally 100% glucose has been modified by the enzyme glucose isomerase into high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS-42, which refers to the percentage of glucose converted to fructose, is about as sweet as sucrose, or liquid sugar; 55% high fructose corn syrup is sweeter than liquid sugar (10) the major difference being that the fructose and glucose exist within HFCS as independent moieties whereas sucrose binds the two together in one molecule (7). "Gram for gram, table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are equal in calories," says Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, a New York City-based nutritionist (2). However, the difference in the relative proportions of fructose and glucose in HFCS (1.31:1) versus glucose (1:1) may not be insignificant. In order to be absorbed by the small intestine as glucose and fructose, sucrose must first be hydrolyzed by intestinal mucosal disaccharidases. Therefore, the absorption of fructose from sucrose could be considerably slower than the absorption of the free fructose present in HFCS. Fructose malabsorption is a common cause of gastrointestinal symptoms that mimic irritable bowel syndrome (12). Fructose malabsorption tends to occur primarily when the fructose concentration of a meal exceeds that of glucose, because glucose enhances the intestinal absorption of fructose. HFCS, therefore is much more likely to cause gastrointestinal symptoms than is sucrose (12).
Truly, both table sugar and HFCS on average contains four calories per gram, so caloric intake cannot be the factor leading to type-2 diabetes, instead metabolism of excess amounts of fructose is the major concern (3). Unused glucose is stored in the liver as a carbohydrate that can later be converted back into glucose. Conversely, fructose is rapidly metabolized in the liver; the consequence of which is not only to increase triglyceride synthesis and fat storage in the liver. This can cause a rise in serum triglycerides, promoting an atherogenic lipid profile and elevating cardiovascular risk (3).
Additionally, increased levels of fat stored in the liver can lead to an increased incidence in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. One study used two groups of healthy young men, one on a high glucose diet and the other on a high fructose. After just one week the high fructose feeding was accompanied by a significant reduction in insulin sensitivity and insulin binding, where as no significant changes were seen in the high glucose group (4). Additionally, fructose may have less impact on appetite than glucose, so processed foods rich in fructose can contribute to weight gain, obesity, and its related consequences by failing to manage appetite (3). Research suggests that a diet high in fructose may lead to leptin resistance (2), the effect of which would be to increase the body’s threshold for satiety.
Excessive fructose intake contributes to hypertension by inhibiting endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which is located in blood vessels walls and is essential for the production of the vasodilator, nitric oxide (5). Furthermore, fructose is known to at the simultaneously increase the major lipoprotein responsible for transporting cholesterol to the tissues as well as decrease levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is responsible for carrying cholesterol particles back to the liver to be eliminated (4). Fructose is preferentially stored in the liver as fat, and is associated with abnormal spikes in blood levels of uric acid (4), which contributes to symptoms of gout. Consumption of high levels of fructose is also associated with the development of advanced glycosylated end-products (AGEs) that are linked to accelerated aging and some of the worst side effects associated with type-2 diabetes (4). From a human evolutionary standpoint, exposure to the large amounts of free fructose consumed by the average American consumer is unprecedented in history, and there is no reason to believe that our physiology is capable of handling this new stressor (13).
In addition to the dangers posed to our nations health by this new influx of highly processed sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup is also contaminated with mercury (1). A search of the literature yielded only two mildly related papers concerning this topic, but much research needs to be done. A compound known as caustic soda, which is used to separate the corn starch from the kernel, can be tainted with mercury, and there's no way for you to know whether the caustic soda used was contaminated (2). One recent study demonstrated that almost nearly half of the HFCS samples collected contained small amounts of mercury. Another study, by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, found that one-third of all HFCS-containing foods it bought in the fall of 2008 tested positive for the toxin (2). Of course as Coca-cola tells it, “there are no “good” or “bad” foods or beverages. It’s possible to fit all of your favorites into an active, healthy lifestyle through balance, variety and moderation—and being physically active” (6). Yet there are reports that have found sodas sweetened with HFCS have high levels of compounds called reactive carbonyls, which are found in excess in the blood of people with diabetes and may contribute to tissue damage (2).
Additionally sweetsurprise.com has been promulgating misinformation touted as science, but a cursory glance at their “evidence” will show that the vast majority of it has been in one way or another sponsored by the HFCS manufacturers or related industry (8). Their favorite catch phrase “there is no scientific evidence to suggest that high fructose corn syrup is uniquely responsible for people becoming obese” is very tricky indeed. The use of the word ‘uniquely’ here is meant to deceive the reader in to thinking that it has no adverse affects on weight gain (8). Another fact from sweetsurprise.com claims high fructose corn syrup accounts for about 8% of caloric sweeteners consumed world wide (8), which is likely to be true as HFCS in a phenomenon of American policy-making. No other country in the world would bother to turn glucose from corn into HFCS when they can simply use beet or cane sugar. A symposium published as a supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, titled "High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask." was funded by the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and the Kellogg Company (the makers of Frosted Flakes), and was sponsored by the American Society for Nutrition (publisher of the American journal of Clinical Nutrition). Readers of scientific journals might not realize that these supplements may sometimes be closer to advertisements than to real science (11). Furthermore, sweetsurprise.com touts HFCS to be well within the classification of “natural” by the FDA. However, the FDA has not now and has no plan in the immediate future to assign any parameters to the word “natural” as it pertains to food (15).
High-fructose corn syrup is a public health concern. It is contained within the vast majority of foods found on supermarket shelves and has been linked with many fatal illnesses such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, to name a few. It is a product born of a corrupt corn subsidy policy and big agro to placate the masses in a Napoleonic maneuver designed to get Americans fat, insatiated and over-medicated. There is no place in a healthy democracy for such rubbish when alternatives can be made available for much less, that is when the deflated cost of corn rises.
References
1. Gerson, C. (2010). Dr. Joseph Mercola explains The Connection Between HFCS and Obesity. Gerson Healing Newsletter, 25(2), 5-9. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database.
2. Goldstein, J. (2009). HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP How Dangerous Is It?. Prevention, 61(5), 58-61. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database.
3. Flavin, D. (2008). Metabolic Danger of HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. Life Extension, 14(12), 68-77. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database.
4. Gross, L., Li, L., Ford, E., & Liu, S. (2004). Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment. The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 79(5), 774-779.
5. Plante GE, Pcireault M. Lanlhier A, Marette A, Mahcux P. Reduction of endothelial NOS and bradykinin-induced extravasation of macromolecules in skeletal muscle of the fructose-fed t-at model. Cardiovasc Res. 2003 Oct l:59(4):963-70.
6. Coca-cola website
7. www.wikipedia.com
8. www.sweetsurprise.com
9. www.wisegeek.com
10. http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/2489
11. Gaby, A. (2009). Literature Review & Commentary. Townsend Letter, (313/314), 50-52. Retrieved from Alt HealthWatch database
12. American Society Against Nutrition. Fulgoni VL, ed. High-fruclose corn syrup [HFCS): everything you wanted to know but were afraid lo ask. Am I Ctin Nutr. 2008;88(suppl):l 715S-1744S.
13. http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/sugar/artid/sugar-from-beet/
14. http://www.grist.org/article/the-butz-stops-here/
15. http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Natural-will-remainundefined-says-FDA
