HFCS is Numbing Our Senses

NP: High Fructose Corn Syrup: The ‘Silent Killer’…. Of Our Minds?

By James W. Astrada

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a corn derivative used as a sweetener and preservative in most processed foods. It became popular in the 80s as a cheap, easy-to-produce alternative to sugar made from sugar cane and beets. HFCS is made up of fructose, the sugar found in fruit, and glucose, which comes from corn. When HFCS is made, the two sugars are combined (usually with more fructose). When HFCS is added to drinks and processed foods, this process has the potential to cause real damage to the body due to it going straight to the liver and bypassing the pancreas (which normally processes sugar). This in turn converts the HFCS into fat and stores it in the body. Another quaint fact about the dangers of HFCS is that is it made from GMO corn loaded with high levels of mercury. Although major studies have shown HFCS leads to the obesity, Type-2 Diabetes, long term liver damage, and hypertension, now it is believed that the consumption of HFCS could lead to lowering our intelligence with long term consumption.

According to UCLA laboratory studies, only 6 weeks of ingesting HFCS in needed to “lower smarts” of the individual. Food that have been deemed “healthy” are also loaded with this dangerous chemical raising many questions as to why the FDA is allowing this to transpire. Baby foods, applesauce, white bread, sodas, juices, sauces/marinades, ketchup, and other condiments are loaded with HFCS. Dr. Gomez-Pinilla at UCLA has confirmed that ingesting enough of this sweetener can change brain function for the worst; especially attacking the memory and learning ability. With Americans consuming more than 35 pounds of HFCS a year, it is no wonder we are suffering from the infamous “brain drain” scenario.

A study at UCLA on rats split into two groups was performed to research the effects of HFCS. Before the experiment, both groups of rats were trained on navigating a maze until they were all familiar in finding the exit. One group was fed HFCS in their water for 6 weeks without Omega-3 fatty acids and the other with. When placing the groups back into the maze, the ones without Omega-3 fatty acids had trouble navigating and displayed slower behavior. Dr. Gomez-Pinilla was certain that this test proved the dangers of consuming large amount of HFCS over long periods of time:

“This could hamper normal energy processing, which could impact thoughts, emotions, memory, and learning. Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body; this is something new.”

Although the Corners Refiners Association tried changing the name to avoid worse PR in 2010 to “corn sugar,” the FDA rejected this move in 2012. If this ingredient causes so many problems on human/animal health, why do governments still allow the use of it? Do they intentionally want to lower the IQ of their citizens for certain reasons? Although there is no ban on this ingredient, there is under quota limitations in Europe and other countries for “financial” reasons. Also in the EU due to concerns of GMO corn, they have rejected imports of GMO products based on moral or “religious” grounds. It seems that more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of contaminated GMO crops that have long term effects on our health. Greedy food manufactures want the public to believe that this product is “natural” just because it is derived from corn. Since corn is not a vegetable, how can it be these food manufactures try to convince people that HFCS is “healthy?” Regular corn (non-GMO that Native Americans have used for hundreds of years) is a grain that metabolizes into sugar that spikes up the body’s blood sugar levels that can lead to a number of health problems. This does not include the other effects of GMO corn.

It seems that food manufactures care little about public health if they were attempting to alter the name as to fool the already foolish population. With research clearly showing the dangers of these foods, it seems that a marketing scheme between food manufactures and pharmaceutical companies are keeping the public sick in order to make profit. The author suggests shying away from HFCS as much as possible if one can financially afford to. If the UCLA studies are accurate, then consuming a diet rich in omega fatty acids would be recommended as well to slow the process of HFCS in the system. As an environmental scientist, studies clearly show that anything mercury contaminated never degrades and remains forever in the environment. The toxic effects alone are enough to damage people and wildlife. While producing GMO corn the nutrient run off into bodies of water along with heavy uses of antibiotics, incestides, and pesticides, and environmental hazards, this should get the public thinking second thoughts before buying GMO corn and its products. Many who support GMO crops use the excuse that these crops are resisting the cold, pests, disease, drought/salinity and “feeding the third world” suffering from malnutrition. This draws curiosity on why many African countries such as South Africa rejected GMO crops or food when offered; even at the grip of famine. Why would they reject food in the face of starvation? Even in desperation, most people would do things they normally wouldn’t do, so why the hesitation on GMO foods? Most of the locals did not want these GMO seeds to cross breed with their local flora; and even more importantly, many starving locals called the food “poison.” The bottom line is yes GMO can help feed millions of people around the world, but at what expense? Will they all have lower intelligence, obesity issues, hypertension and other health risks? Is this really “helping” humans in their futures? The debate concerning HFCS and GMO foods is far from over. The only thing the individual can do is research as much as they can and eat organic foods that do not contain poison chemicals affecting the most important muscle in or body. The rest is up to individual’s thoughts and practices; if we keep on consuming these contaminated ingredients, we may not have that luxury in our near future to remember how to do so.

References

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:060:0006:0009:EN:PDF

CBS News Staff. “FDA rejects industry bid to change name of high fructose corn syrup to ‘corn sugar’.” CBS News. May 31^st, 2012.

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#hfcs

Leah Zerbe. “The common food ingredient that’s making you stupid.” Rodale News, 2009.

http://www.natural-health-guide.com/foods-to-avoid.html

http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Meron Tesfa Michael. “Africa Bites the Bullet on Genetically Modified Food.” Worldpress.org. September 26^th, 2002.