The High-Fructose Corn Syrup Debate

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Permalink Reply by José Costa Ruiz on September 21, 2008 at 3:13pm

Well I supposed that, as every food company does, they present the product as healthier as they can, making people like think that the product is so healthy that even people with diabetes like us can take it. We( peole with diabetes) know that this is only a chinese tale, but other people who is not as informed as we are, may think that the company produces healthy products, which ,in fact,isnt true.In conclussion, before you buy one of this pseudohealhy products especially design for diabetics, I advise you take a little time to recover information about the ingredients.

Greetings for everyone :)

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Permalink Reply by Leah on September 22, 2008 at 11:11am

I have been making it a goal when I shop to look at the ingredients before putting anything in my basket at the grocery store. I have notice that there is HFCS in just the weirdest things! It is very annoying and certainly doesn't benefit anyone, diabetic or not.

I agree with the Time article that even if HFCS and table suger equate on the terms of good vs. bad, it's still in just about everything and that makes it hard to regulate how much you actually consume. It costs me a little bit more for certain things, but I think I benfit in the long run by eliminating a good chunck of in my diet.

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Permalink Reply by Sohair Abdel-Rahman on September 22, 2008 at 11:31am

Natural products vrs processed products,that is the issue,sugar vrs processed HFCS or else,our bodies can not handle it well,diabetics or not.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen on September 22, 2008 at 11:41am

And here I thought sugar was a natural product from canes.

Doesn't matter it it's from corn, from bees, from cane or any other natural source - it all has the same impact if you eat too much of it.

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Permalink Reply by Marie on September 29, 2008 at 5:27pm

The impact of all sugars is not the same, or perhaps is not the same for all people. The more processed, the more refined a carbohydrate is, the faster it it taken up by the digestive system and utilized by the body, and the resultant increase in BG. I do not use any artificial sweeteners, I only use "real" beet based sugar ( the kind that we grow and make here in Michigan) in very very limited amounts because I know what it does to my BG. But the fake stuff, pink or blue and the HFCS and the Sucralose stuff are poison in my book and I steer clear of them at all times.

Marie

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Permalink Reply by Danny Weems on September 22, 2008 at 11:56am

I have experimented with Corn sugar vs. cane sugar when I found Dr Pepper made with imperial sugar. I found if I drink soda with HFCS my BS will go up about 130 points. Cane sugar will send me up about 60 points.

Also, commercial White bread will raise my BS into the 200-300 range. Commercial Wheat bread will send me up to 200. for the past few weeks, I've been making homemade white bread with cane sugar and it barely affects me. This is true of beer vs. homemade beer. the homemade actually contols my BS.
all this is anecdotal, but I supect it is the yeast that survives the cooking process. I don't know for certain, but it is an intrigueing possiblity.
danny

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Permalink Reply by Paul in Chicago on November 13, 2008 at 8:10am

Danny, thanks for sharing the results of this experiment. It's quite amazing. I wonder what chemists who argue that HCFS is the same as sugar would say to this because this clearly goes against that argument.

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Permalink Reply by sweetpotater on September 22, 2008 at 12:29pm

Carbs are carbs. The only way to know how HFCS will affect your BG is to test yourself.

To me a bigger concern is the fact that so much of the world's corn is from genetically modified plants (GMOs) – well over half, even by conservative estimates. I know this is a controversial issue and am not trying to push anyone's buttons, so I'll just say that everything I've heard about this "food" technology makes me want to steer very clear it.

Those ads are deliberately misleading. Corn is just a plant, but in this case that does not mean it's necessary "natural" and it may not be all that "healthy" to eat, either – especially if you're diabetic.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Brown on September 22, 2008 at 7:32pm

Danny, where did you find Dr. Pepper made with sugar? Mexico has all Coke products made with cane sugar and I'd love to try it, but haven't been able to find it in Boondock, Indiana.

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Permalink Reply by Danny Weems on September 29, 2008 at 6:13pm

There are a few plants here in Texas making it usually around San antonio, kerrville area.. If I buy soda this is it, The Ima\perial sugar gives it a distinctive flavor, almost a vanila taste. The best part is it goes not blow my Bs up too bad.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Miles on November 13, 2008 at 9:46am

Some soft drinks for the US are made with sugar around certain Jewish religious events which forbid Jews from using certain of the ingredients in corn syrup. They're rather hard to find in many areas, though.

Don't be surprised if it raises your blood sugar about as much as regular soft drinks, except at a different time after you drink it.

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Permalink Reply by Sam F on September 29, 2008 at 6:10pm

HCFS is terrible. It's even in WHOLE WHEAT BREAD--it's a challenge to find bread without it. Check your labels.

The whole American diet is sweeter because of this- that's a problem. Sphaghetti sauces, maple syrup, sodas, cereal, juice (juice almost always has added sugar now, even healthy looking juices)-- there's cheap easy access to very very sweet things now.

This extra intake of sugar might be the most important factor in the increase of degenerative diseases like diabetes and cancer (50% of Americans die from cancer now, cancer rates are skyrocketing since the 70s). Sugar is not source for the vitamins, nutrients, or minerals that keep our cells healthy. It makes you age faster as well.

Whether it has adverse health effects compared to sugar is unclear. But the major ag businesses growing corn in America are terrible for the environment, use genetically modified corn, and have subsidies which throw off international corn prices, screwing small farmers.

I'm not a fan.

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