High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has already saturated the American food market and is now appearing more readily in the Australian food market. So what exactly is HFCS? Before we define HFCS it is also important to note that some other names are often used to describe HFCS such as maize syrup, corn sugar or glucose/fructose syrup.

HFCS comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert its glucose to fructose to produce a desired sweetness. It is widely used in the United States as a substitute for sugar and is becoming more and more prevalent in processed foods now available in Australia.

Two recent studies have added more reason for concern that HFCS causes significantly more harm to the body than its mere sugar content would suggest. HFCS contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose which differs from table sugar (or sucrose) which contains a 50/50 split.

In the first study, published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour, researchers from Princeton University found that rats consuming HFCS gained more weight and developed more cardiovascular risk factors than rats consuming equivalent amounts of just sucrose. In their experiment EVERY rat on the HFCS diet became obese while the rats in the control group, who were still fed high fat diets but not containing HFCS, did not ALL become obese.

In the second study, conducted by researchers at Duke University, diets considered high in HFCS were found to result in increased chances of liver damage. Previous research has suggested that large amounts of fructose affected the liver in the same way as excessive alcohol consumption. Another study linked high-fructose corn syrup specifically with a form of liver scarring known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The new study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, found that high-fructose corn syrup worsened the effects of NAFLD.

"We found that increased consumption of HFCS was associated with scarring in the liver among patients with NAFLD," researcher Manal Abdelmalek said.

The researchers analysed the diets and livers of 427 adults with NAFLD, and found that only 19 percent of them never consumed fructose-containing beverages. In contrast, 52 percent of participants had between one and six servings of a fructose-containing beverage per week, while another 29 percent had at least one serving per day. The higher patients' fructose intake, the worse the scarring of their livers.

"We have identified an environmental risk factor that may contribute to the metabolic syndrome of insulin resistance and the complications of the metabolic syndrome, including liver injury," Abdelmalek said.

Abdelmalek noted that NAFLD is a severe problem that cannot be treated and may lead in some cases to liver cancer, liver failure and a need for liver transplant.

Researchers are still unsure why high-fructose corn syrup appears to damage the body more than its extra 5 percent fructose content would suggest. Some have hypothesized that the negative effects come from the massive quantities in which it is consumed -- high-fructose corn syrup is found in nearly all processed foods.

Other researchers have observed that beverages made with high-fructose corn syrup contain high levels of reactive carbonyls, which can damage cells. Still others have noted that the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup is chemically unbonded and thus spreads through the body more freely than the fructose in table sugar.


Of course with all research studies there are two sides to the story and some researchers do not agree with the above information so it is up to each one of us to make an informed decision for ourselves. Personally I would avoid HFCS as much as possible and if you need to consume sugar in any form, the more natural (for example in fruit) the better.

Fast Food Frightening Facts

Do you know the makeup of a standard fast food meal? In this case a standard fast food meal consists of a burger, fries and a coke.

Did you realise that when you eat the above mentioned typical fast food meal you are actually eating almost entirely genetically modified corn! Pretty scary stuff and certainly not good for your overall health.

Let’s analyse the meal a bit further and start with the coke (or other flavoured soft drink). The coke obtains 100% of its calories from a corn derivative being high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The burger contains beef generally from farm fed cows with controlled diets that usually consist of mainly corn. The cheese which is in most burgers is also produced from these same cows therefore making the burger almost entirely derived from corn.





The bun on the burger contains corn derivatives including HFCS with the remainder of the calories in the bun coming from refined wheat flour and possibly a small amount of soybean oil

Finally the fries and most of the calories that come from these are from the oil that’s soaked into them during the deep frying process. This oil more often than not is either corn oil or soybean oil.

So it’s surprising that we even contemplate eating these meals on a regular basis and perhaps if we really knew how and what they were made from we wouldn’t stop at the nearest drive through next time we are hungry and can’t be bothered cooking.

Clint's Weight Loss Challenge

Don’t become Diet obsessed

As you will see in today’s newsletter, one of our valued clients, Clint from Mulberries Cafe in Morley, is embarking upon a ‘Spring Challenge’ to lose 10 kilos in 3 months. With help and guidance from Lifestyle Improvers we wish Clint all the best in his challenge which will involve a well managed eating plan along with a structured exercise regime.

One piece of advice we can offer Clint during this challenge is not to become obsessed with his diet or eating plan. Obviously Clint wants to do everything possible to get the 10kgs off and while our natural instinct is to focus very closely on our food intake, perhaps maintaining a food diary, counting calories and fat and measuring and weighing every piece of food that crosses our path, it is vitally important that Clint does not focus obsessively on this area.

While being more aware of your food choices, balancing protein and carbohydrates and making sure that you are eating mindfully is important, becoming obsessed with every morsel that goes into your mouth may actually be doing you more harm than good. When we are focusing on one small aspect of life, it actually results in the brain becoming limited in its ability to see the bigger picture. A good example of this is when you buy a new car you suddenly notice more of that type of car on the road as the brain has been focussed on an important decision and has limited your ability to notice other types of cars.

If you have been trying to make dietary changes and find that the more you concentrate on your food intake, the worse it gets it may be time to ensure you are also balancing your dietary changes with other lifestyle shifts that will help support your new eating regime.

Are you dedicating enough time to your exercise and relationships? Are you keeping yourself busy at times when you’re more likely to overeat? Are you putting your dietary changes in the context of your life? Surprisingly enough, in more cases than not, weight loss comes into place once we work towards being happy in all areas of our life.

So if you are avoiding social and family eating situations, cutting back more and more and still not getting results, it may be time to relax a little, evaluate the bigger picture, let go of your need to control every situation and live a little. As long as you keep the basic diet and exercise principles in place things tend to fall in line pretty quickly.