Sugar by any other name..................

[Guest guest]

Thought y'all might find this article interesting, esp in light of all the

recent bnf on the growing problem of obesity in children. For instance, I

occasionally look at the labels on juices and juice drinks at the grocery, and

am

absolutely appalled at what's in them: very little juice, mostly water and sugar

in some form. I am amazed that our gov't allows them to be called " juice " at

all! I've been a label-reader for over 2 decades, and I know to watch out for

anything ending in " ose " as some form of sugar--as do probably most people on

this list. But if they start using euphemisms and abbreviations (like HFCS)

for ingredients, it won't be so easy to sift thru the info. Like Dr. Weil, I

eat mostly only fresh foods, raw or cooked from scratch. But even then, we're

not getting the nutrients we used to, bcuz of additives to animal feeds, and

depletion of the soils. It's a sorry state of affairs. One starts to think the

only way to REALLY be healthy is to grow everything one eats...............

Carol A

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From Dr. Weil's newsletter " Self-Healing "

While food mfrs view the development of hi-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as

revolutionary, I consider it a crying shame. From soft drinks and energy bars to

baby foods and salad dressings, HFCS is seemingly everywhere in the American

food supply. And some health professionals, including me, feel it's doing more

harm than good.

First developed by Japanese scientists in the early 70's, this popular

sweetener is made by converting cornstarch into a thick liquid. It's then

treated

with enzymes to create even more fructose, which makes is significantly sweeter.

Although fructose is a sugar found naturally in fruits and some vegetables,

HFCS contains highly concentrated fructose in amounts not found in nature. HFCS

is cheaper to produce than refined (cane) sugar and less is needed bcuz of

its concentrated sweetness. It's also the darling of food mfrs bcuz its liquid

form blends easily into beverages, it can extend a product's shelf life, and it

prevents crystallization in frozen foods.

I feel that HFCS is a contributing factor to obesity since the public may be

less conscious of calories from added sugars than those from dietary fat. As a

cheap sweetener, it's allowed fast-food mfrs to increase portion sizes (and

therefore calories) without raising the price of say, soft drinks, and these

companies can still make sizeable profits. Whether it's pure coincidence or a

direct correlation, the rise in use of FCS over time has closely matched a

similar increase in obesity rates.

I also wonder about the metabolic effects of such a steep increase in

fructose consumption. Some researchers believe that fructose is broken down and

absorbed differently in the body from other sugars and may be more easily

converted

to fat by the liver. Early studies suggest that high levels of fructose may

raise triglycerides (blood fats), increase insulin resistance, and boost blood

glucose levels: factors that favor weight gain.

To my mind, HFCS is a low-quality sugar introduced by food mfrs for their

economic advantage. Its pervasiveness in the diet is symbolic of the way food

has

changed: we're moving away from whole, unrefined foods in favor of processed

foods stripped of many nutrients, yet laden with calories. I'm especially

disturbed by the amounts of HFCS consumed by children--in sodas, juice drinks,

ice

cream, and baked goods--and the potential created by these additional

calories, when not offset by physical activity, for weight problems and type 2

diabetes.

For these reasons, I avoid foods with HFCS. And I'm conscious of other added

sugars in my diet. Read labels to see whether HFCS is present and note its

place on the ingredients list.