High Fructose Corn Syrup Summary

Words: 892
Pages: 4

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Its Effects High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was made in the 1970s by Japanese food scientists and added to foods and beverages because it was, and is, cheap (Mercola). HFCS is even cheaper than table sugar (White). Companies went from using table sugar to HFCS quickly because it was cheaper, but still the same sweetness. In the manufacturers’ minds, it also can have positive effects on the foods it is put in. However, many health problems arose shortly after HFCS was introduced to foods and beverages. HFCS is cheap for being a sweetener. It “is as much as twenty percent cheaper than other sources of sugar” (Severson). HFCS can also extend shelf-life (Severson). This is a goal of food manufacturers because the …show more content…
Countries that use HFCS had about twenty percent higher rates of diabetes (Goodman). The researchers even looked at the consumption of sugars and calories to see if that could be the reason for the increase, but found that the consumption amount was very similar and could not be the reason for the increase in diabetes. The book, Death by Supermarket, noted that type two diabetes increased by forty-seven percent shortly after HFCS was introduced (Deville …show more content…
Insulin and leptin are key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight; thus, dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain” (Balistreri). To simplify, Dr. Balistreri is saying that the fructose in HFCS is affecting people’s insulin and leptin levels, which affect the body’s metabolism and receptors for knowing how full or hungry someone is. “Researchers found that fructose got ‘made’ into fat more quickly than other sugars. And…when fructose was eaten with fat (like in any junk food snacks) the fat was much more likely to be stored rather than burned (Bowden). As a result, the consumer gains fat quickly instead of it being burned