Health concerns of High Fructose Corn Syrup

A while back on one of my instagram stories, I shared about the difference between an organic ketchup and one that was not and I got a lot of questions. I was basically emphasizing the importance of reading food labels. I advised that when you pick up an item and read the label, and find out that it has high corn fructose syrup, give it serious considerations before you make a decision whether to buy or not. Many times I have had to put items carefully back on the shelf. In my search for answers  about the real deal about high corn fructose syrup, I realized that many health care professionals do not believe that it has nutritional value. More often than not, it is usually added as an inexpensive sweetener to processed high-calorie food and drinks.
You have to be sure that yourself and your family are consuming healthy food content.

I once wrote a previous post on The dangers of sugar. You can read about it here. However, I want to share some insights I came across about the dangers of consuming food items with high fructose corn syrup.
Before I proceed, a couple of questions.
Do you read food labels? What guides the choice what you pick up from the shelf into your shopping cart? Is it cost or how attractive the package looks?
What I basically do is read every single ingredient listed, personally, if I see any preservatives or high corn fructose syrup(HFCS) I just drop the item.
High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a chemical enzymatic process.
HFCS also consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. Since there is no chemical bond between them, no digestion is required so they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people.The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin–our body’s major fat storage hormone.
Fructose is sweeter than glucose.
Fructose itself is a natural ingredient in several foods, such as fruits, natural fruit juice, honey, and even some vegetables. However, some food manufacturers artificially add the compound (High fructose corn syrup) to soft drinks, other sugar-sweetened drinks, processed foods, desserts, cereals, and other baked foods.
HCFR when consumed even in "moderation" is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay, and more.
HFCS can trigger body-wide inflammation and obesity.
Also, in the course of my researching this topic I found out that HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
Calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric over-consumption. Think about it, the sweeter it tastes, the more it appeals to your senses, as well as you! 

A comprehensive review of existing research confirms that fructose-containing drinks can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes more than other foods that contain fructose.
High corn fructose syrup can contribute unwanted calories that are linked to health problems, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high triglyceride levels. All of these boost your risk of heart disease.)
Glucose is easily transported and utilized by every cell in your body. It's also the predominant fuel source for high-intensity exercise and various processes.

In contrast, the fructose from high fructose corn syrup or table sugar needs to be converted to fat or glycogen (stored carbs) by the liver before it can be used as fuel. This is not helpful if your ultimate goal is not to gain extra weight.

High corn fructose syrup adds unnatural amounts of fructose to your diet, which the human body has not evolved to handle properly.
In essence, what I have been explaining is that as much as you avoid buying any food items loaded with high corn fructose syrup. The natural source is usually preferable. Also do not forget to always read food labels! Till research proves otherwise. Be safe out there people. 

"There's nothing more important than our good health - that's our principal capital asset."

- Arlen Specter