There was a time when soft drinks and sweet treats were sweetened with sugar cane, sugar from the juice of a pressed, all-natural sugar cane. Our bodies evolved to make good use of the calorie-rich sweetener, so things remained under control.
With the arrival of high fructose corn syrup, health issues have soared. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is almost twice as sweet as table sugar, and it’s cheaper to produce, which is the reason today nearly all soft drinks, candies, canned fruit, and store-bought pastries are sweetened with HFCS.
It took time for the scientific community to figure out why heart disease, obesity, and other maladies raised in the last half of the 20th century. Now, most of them are to HFCS. Here are some facts and reasons why this popular sweetener is dangerous for your health.
Unwanted Calories
For starters, HFCS adds lots of calories to your diet, and unless you’re running a marathon, you have no good use for them. Even is small amounts, HFCS will interfere with your health plans whether you’re on a diet, trying to lose weight, or getting back into shape.
Empty Calories
We get calories from our food, but we also get nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. That’s not the case with HFCS. The sweetener adds calories to your diet, but no nutritious compounds. Your organism needs more than energy from calories to function; it needs nourishing.
Too Much Fructose
The problem with fructose is not only its caloric content; your body processes it differently than sucrose, the compound in natural cane sugar. Before your organism can use HFCS as energy, it must convert it into glucose and fat. Your liver works extra hard, and your body gets little out of it.
Reduces Hunger
Drinking a sugary soft drink, or a fructose-sweetened snack makes you feel full and lose appetite. And that’s not the right way to eat less, because you’ll be missing out on the nutrients you get from eating regularly.
Fatty Liver
Scientific research has proven that consuming high fructose corn syrup causes your liver to accumulate fat as it converts fructose into energy. A fatty liver loses its ability to function correctly, causing life-threatening diseases.
It Causes Inflammation
Chronic inflammation, which differs from the normal swelling of a sprained ankle, is generalized, progressive damage to your tissue, and it’s linked to heart problems and even cancer. HFCS speeds up inflammation and damages your cells.
Weight Gain
High Fructose Corn Syrup is the leading cause of weight gain in the world, and it’s not only a few extra pounds you carry, but we’re also talking about overweight. From your bone structure to your circulatory system, your body suffers from excess fat.
Type 2 Diabetes
Consuming too much high fructose corn syrup leads to insulin resistance that might end up as diabetes. We’re not as efficient in breaking fructose as it is processing sucrose.
Metabolic Syndrome
HFCS can lead to the development of Metabolic Syndrome, in which the risk of heart diseases and other illnesses like diabetes are increased. Biochemical processes in your body don’t work like they should, leading to a wide range of problems, particularly in your circulatory system.
High Triglyceride Levels
Abuse in the consumption of HFCS causes high blood sugar and leads to increased triglycerides in your bloodstream, a type of fat that can clog your arteries, causing heart failure.
Forget about high fructose corn syrup; you can live without it; you won’t even miss it.
