High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a primary sweetener in processed foods and beverages. U.S. food manufacturers started substituting HFCS for natural sugar back in the 1970’s, because it was WAY cheaper and we hadn’t yet run into the issue of executive overcompensation, but it’s clear now why they did it. Greed.
Since then, regular consumption has now been categorically and undeniably linked to a number of chronic health concerns. Take that BigFood! We got you on another massive conspiracy aimed at the people who fund your lavish lifestyles!
The biggest danger? Our bodies undergo a massive shift just trying to metabolize this crap.
Unlike glucose, which is absorbed throughout the body and used for energy, fructose is metabolized almost entirely in the liver and when consumed regularly, it leads to fat buildup (especially in the liver), insulin resistance, and whole-body inflammation. (Think of a once-saggy balloon being slowly blown up and you’ll see why Americans are at 40% obesity. FORTY PERCENT!
Don’t even think about waving the “fat shaming” card at us, because this isn’t about shaming anyone. This is about Americans wising up and realizing what severe, sometimes permanent damage, HFCS does to your body, because at some point, unless consumers begin truly considering and monitoring what goes into our daily meals, one or more of their organs is going to have a major crisis.
Over time, the metabolic stress of constant HFCS turns a normally fit body into a crenulated pile of goo. It also attacks your pancreas, literally throwing you into your doctor’s office with a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.
Another proven result of consumption of HFCS is appetite regulation. Because fructose does not stimulate normal insulin secretion or boost leptin production (two key hormones involved in satiety and hunger control), people who consume a more than a nominal amount of HFCS don’t feel full after eating or drinking.
What does that do? It makes you eat and drink more of this stuff!
How many people do you see walking around everyday who fit the above description? Answer: you can’t swing a bag of apples and NOT hit somebody who sports a BMI of 40 or more. So, what are the FDA guidelines on the daily consumption of high fructose corn syrup?
What the FDA / U.S. Dietary Guidelines say
- HFCS is considered an added sugar under regulation and labeling rules. U.S. Food and Drug Administration+2U.S. Food and Drug Administration+2
- The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020–2025) recommend that people age 2 and older limit added sugars to less than 10% of total daily calories. sugar.org+3Dietary Guidelines+3Dietary Guidelines+3
- For reference, on a 2,000-calorie diet, that 10% limit corresponds to about 200 calories from added sugars, which equals about 50 grams (roughly 12 teaspoons). sugar.org+3Dietary Guidelines+3Dietary Guidelines+3
- The FDA’s requirement for the Nutrition Facts label includes labeling “added sugars” (including HFCS) to help consumers track how much they consume. U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The problem is…who’s reading the labels? If you judge by what you see every day, the answer is no one. This is precisely why we’ve gone from being a relatively healthy nation to–in the past 30-35 years–we’re among the fattest and least healthy in the world.
Sugary beverages sweetened with HFCS are especially problematic, since liquid calories are less satisfying than solid foods, yet they contribute just as much (if not more) to daily sugar intake.
Guideline Translations
U.S. Dietary Guidelines (10% of calories from added sugars)
- On a 2,000 calorie/day diet:
- Limit = 200 calories from added sugars
- That equals 50 grams (≈ 12 teaspoons) of HFCS
American Heart Association (stricter limit: ~6% of calories)
- Women: ~100 calories/day from added sugars
- ≈ 25 grams (≈ 6 teaspoons) of HFCS
- Men: ~150 calories/day from added sugars
- ≈ 37.5 grams (≈ 9 teaspoons) of HFCS
Or, if you want to see it in chart form:
In addition to your liver and pancreas, HFCS also wrecks your heart. Diets high in added sugars, particularly those from HFCS-sweetened products, rocket your triglyceride levels, increasing blood pressure, and causing whole-body inflammation — all of which turn the knob on cardiovascular disease up to an ‘8’.
But beyond the physical health risks, there’s the practical issue: HFCS is cheap. That’s why the money that normally goes to using more natural sweeteners like beet or cane sugar, goes for the cheap stuff (leading to higher executive compensation, of course!).
Putting it in perspective
- A single 12-oz can of soda sweetened with HFCS usually contains 35–40 grams of added sugar — enough to max out a woman’s entire AHA daily limit in one serving.
- Two cans would exceed even the more lenient U.S. Dietary Guidelines (10% of calories).
The B.S. line you’d hear from Pepsi, Coke, etc, even if they dared to field the question, is that it’s “cost prohibitive” to go back to a healthier option. Pure malarkey.
Ok, BigFood, show us the models! Show us a reasonable price breakdown of what it would take to do a top-down restructuring of putting a syrup in place of a dry ingredient on your production lines. Having once worked in QA for a food manufacturer, I already know the answer: it ain’t that much. But you won’t hear that from any manufacturers, because then the CEO/CFO/COO, etc, wouldn’t be jetting off to Tuscany to sit on their duffs in the 3rd vacation home you bought for them.
In the memorable words of the dear and departed Charlie Kirk: Prove me wrong.
Next time: Stop The Pop!
P.S. Here are some real beauties, courtesy of ChatA.I……Bon Appetit!
“High Fructose Corn Syrup: because who doesn’t want their liver working overtime…unpaid?”
“Coke’s secret ingredient? A side of Type 2 diabetes, free of charge.”
“High Fructose Corn Syrup: tricking your stomach into saying ‘feed me’ since Watergate…er, WalletGate…or both! D’oh!”
“Drink up! Nothing says ‘fun’ like a fat liver, sugar crashes, and a 48″ waistline in middle school.”
“Want to stay hungry AND feel lousy? BigFood has you covered…in FAT!”
“High Fructose Corn Syrup: Mother Nature’s way of saying, ‘You didn’t need that pancreas anyway.’”
Sources: LinkedIn, Dr. Manish Motwani, SDX Training.com, Dementia Care Education, U.K. Reddit and Thomas Williams’ book, “HFCS: The Leading Cause of Cancer”