Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Just this morning I was perusing my pantry (which at the moment is fairly sparse) while trying to find something quick to eat for breakfast. I picked up a box of fiber granola bars and almost as an afterthought I glanced at the ingredients, bad idea, the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th ingredient either were sugar or contained sugar. So I picked up the box of generic rice crispy cereal, and shockingly the second ingredient was sugar! I grabbed the box of organic fiber cereal that I picked up in the natural foods aisle and spent $4 on, and sure enough..added sugar. Needless to say I didn't eat any of those things this morning (if you really want to know, I cut up some strawberries because I figured if I was going to eat sugar for breakfast it may as well be natural sugar.).
Now I know the subject line is about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), but the idea is the same, added sweeteners and what they mean for our health. Some may say that the controversy over HFCS is all conspiracy theory about the FDA's desire for money over care for the citizen's health, but lets take a look at it anyway.
Most HFCS is found in soft-drinks so if you don't drink soda you probably avoid a large portion of this hidden sweetener (I personally cut out soda about two months ago in favor of more water...remember the email on H2O?). You might be surprised to find that HFCS is used in all kinds of processed foods like cereal, bakery products and dairy. Ultimately the use of HFCS is economic because it's cheaper to covert cornstarch into HFCS than it is to use cane sugar or beet sugar, it's also easier to transport and has a much longer shelf life.
Here is the question: Is HFCS natural? HFCS is being marketed as natural because it's derived from corn, however what you don't always know is what kinds of chemical processes that corn had to go through to become HFCS. The FDA does not regulate the use of the word "natural" so they can apply it to products that contain a laboratory developed sweetener that isn't found in nature at all.
Here is the next important question: Does the body process HFCS in a different way than table sugar or sugar in fruits and vegetables? Sugars and complex carbohydrates are broken down in the digestive tract, transported to the liver and released into the body as glucose. In order for the body to use the glucose it needs a corresponding amount of insulin. The argument FOR HFCS is that it is largely metabolized in the liver and negates the need for insulin. Straight to the liver means that it discourages the production of leptin which lets your brain know you are full.
Now we see a problem. The lack of insulin production needed and the lack of leptin being produced prevent the body from knowing when to stop eating. You can come to your own conclusions but it sure seems like there is a growing problem with childhood obesity (and obesity in general) and this COULD possibly be a contributing factor.
There is MUCH more to learn about HFCS, if you are still interested in learning more about how the brain processes HFCS and it's links to diabetes and obesity just let me know and I can get you a print out!
Thanks for joining me this week! Hope everyone is well. Stop in this month and get $12 off your first adjustment in June. Tell your friends and family to try us out this month and they'll get their first exam and x-rays free (monetary discounts are not applicable to medicare, a/a or w/c).
Take care,
Karla Harmon
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
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