The Worst Food Ingredient Ever?
The word is out on the current state of American waistlines – we’re fat! According to the most recently published figures by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 33.8% of Americans are obese, and 68% of Americans are overweight. That is not a typo. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are carrying around enough extra weight to negatively affect their quality of life, and pre-dispose them to degenerative disease.
While there are numerous factors that contribute to this epidemic, one ingredient in particular has been suspected of being a prime offender when it comes to unwanted weight gain. High Fructose Corn Syrup has drawn the ire of health professionals for years due to its massive content of easily-ingestible calories and near lack of any additional nutrients. A recent study by Princeton University seems to confirm the suspicions.
When High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) was first introduced to the market in the 1970’s, the American obesity rate was 15%. In the decades since, the consumption of HFCS has sky-rocketed, along with the number of overweight and obese people who consume it. Advocates of HFCS feel there is no correlation between the increases, and claim that HFCS is no different than any other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain. The results of the Princeton study seem to have disproven that claim.
During a long-term study on lab animals, a group of male rats was fed a standard diet of rat chow along with water which had been sweetened with HFCS. A second group of rats was fed the same chow along with water sweetened with table sugar. The scientists monitored both groups of rats for weight gain, body fat, and triglyceride levels over a six month period, and the results were shocking. The rats fed HFCS sweetened water showed signs of increased heart disease risk, type 2 diabetes, and plaque buildup in artery walls. The finding that was most disturbing, the rats fed HFCS gained an incredible 48% more weight than rats not consuming HFCS. Miriam Bocarsly, research team member, said “These rats aren’t just getting fat; they’re demonstrating characteristic of obesity, including substantial increases in abdominal fat and circulating triglycerides.”
The takeaway from this study is that those of us who are mindful of our health and wellness should probably avoid the consumption of HFCS, which can be difficult to do. HFCS seems to be in EVERYTHING! We need to become a nation of food label readers to ensure that we are consuming only those things that will build our health. Cut down or eliminate the use of processed foods containing HFCS, and base your diet around whole, natural foods that provide your body with natural sugars and a host of other healthy nutrients as well.
Published by: Wallace V. Nelson, The M'lis Company
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/303/3/235?ijkey=ijKHq6YbJn3Oo&keytype=ref&siteid=amajnls
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/index.html
http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/