High Fructose Corn Syrup is Poison

I've posted before here about HFCS. It is bad news for most people and especially bad for those with weight problems, insulin resistance or diabetes. I test my blood sugar at least once a day and often twice or three times a day. I also monitor what I eat pretty closely. I know from personal experience that if I allow HFCS in my diet it makes my blood sugar worse. Now there is even more evidence that this is not just me. Asinus Asinum Fricat brings together the latest research on fructose versus glucose over at La Vida Locavore.

You are also what you drink. Yet another damaging HFCS report surfaces: researchers from the Monell Center in Philadelphia report that overweight people who drank a fructose-sweetened beverage with a meal had triglyceride levels almost 200 per cent higher than the same group who drank a glucose-sweetened beverage with a meal. In plain words triglycerides are manufactured by the body from dietary fat and function as fat transporters. While normal levels of triglycerides are essential for good health, increased levels have been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

The Corn Refiners Association has been running cute little ads about "What's wrong with HFCS?" lately. Someone offers another a popsicle or something with HFCS and when the other refuses because of the HFCS content they get the "It's made from corn and has the same calories as sugar" speil. Of course, the person hesitating to eat the HFCS doesn't have a response. The reality is that the body doesn't understand HFCS. The body hasn't evolved to eat HFCS and therefore doesn't respond to it like it does regular sugars like glucose or even plain fructose.

You have a choice. You can eat it and suffer the consequences, which aren't fully understood but are apparently real and not good, or you can avoid it like the plaque that it is. The choice is yours. I know from personal experience that it causes my blood sugar to go up and stay up. I do not get the same result when I sin and eat something sweet with just plain sugar. Yes my blood sugar goes up but it comes down fairly quickly as soon as the body produces enough insulin to metabolize it. A significant dose of HFCS and my blood sugar runs higher for a couple of days. It's hard enough in today's environment to avoid sugar and carbohydrates when you are insulin resistant like I am. Fortunately it is not too hard to avoid HFCS but you do have to read labels like a maniac. It's in everything from salad dressings to crackers and even pickles. Look for some pickles on your grocery store shelf without HFCS(except dill) and you will be surprised. Look for some sandwich bread or crackers without it. If you read labels as religiously as I do you will find it everywhere, and everywhere you find it it is going to be bad for you.