Sometimes people approach me and ask me how I got started in the food business. I also get questions about my reasons for not using high-fructose corn syrup. I have a lot of reasons why I choose the ingredients I choose, but more often then not my decisions are mostly ethical/moral or at least what I believe to be morally right.
We've all heard that High-Fructose corn syrup is made from corn and has the same calories as sugar so how can it be so bad for you? Notice I said High-Fructose Corn Syrup and not just regular Corn Syrup. There is a difference.
Corn Syrup is made by enzymatic conversion of cornstarch to a syrup mostly containing glucose (also known as blood sugar or dextrose) and is available for home use. It was invented in 1882.
High-fructose corn syrup is made by using other enzymes to convert glucose to fructose. It is as sweet as table sugar (sucrose) but much cheaper. It retains moisture and prevents drying, controls crystallization, and blends with other sweeteners, acids and flavorings. It was invented in 1957.
With that said, I would like to go a step further down the rabbit hole and talk about High-Fructose Corn Syrup, but before I do I need to mention this. I love corn and products from corn. I believe that corn syrup has it's uses in cooking and as a sweetener. I also believe that the public has a right to understand what they are eating.
When people say that its ok to eat high-fructose corn syrup in moderation my usual rebuttal is to “how is that possible?” How is it possible something in moderation that is almost everything we eat (especially processed foods)?
Also, the reason why high-fructose corn syrup is so many products is because of artificially low prices of real sugar in the US which is caused by tariffs on the importation of sugar and (you guessed it) direct subsidies to the corn industry.
High-fructose corn syrup contains high levels of reactive carbonyls compounds which are linked to diabetes and diabetic complications - reported by Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., in the 234th National meeting of the American chemical society August 23rd 2007.
The fructose in corn syrup elevates triglycerides levels, increases insulin resistance and confuses the bodies natural sense satiation which can lead to obesity and diabetes. - Reported in the American journal of clinical nutrition in April 2004 .
The consumption of high-fructose corn syrup increased 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. Also reported by the American journal of clinical nutrition.
In the 40 years since the introduction of high-fructose corn syrup as a cost-effective sweetener in the American diet, rates of obesity in the U.S. have skyrocketed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1970, around 15 percent of the U.S. population met the definition for obesity; today, roughly one-third of the American adults are considered obese, the CDC reported. High-fructose corn syrup is found in a wide range of foods and beverages, including fruit juice, soda, cereal, bread, yogurt, ketchup and mayonnaise. On average, Americans consume 60 pounds of the sweetener per person every year.
"Our findings lend support to the theory that the excessive consumption of high-fructose corn syrup found in many beverages may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic," - Nicole Avena -Research Associate Princeton University
High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. First, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars -- it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose -- but the typical high-fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. Larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized. -Research Associate Princeton University
A study done study by the Princeton University research team demonstrated that rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup -- a sweetener found in many popular sodas -- gained significantly more weight than those with access to water sweetened with table sugar, even when they consume the same number of calories. The work may have important implications for understanding obesity trends in the United States.
In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The Princeton University researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.
"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests," said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. "When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."
Freaky huh?
