Misleading HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) Commericals
Here’s a quick post for everyone as I feel it is important that we all need some awareness of a recent marketing trend of the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) industry, and then some humor to recover and brighten our day and weekend. This is the Yin-Yang of posts.
The Yin (night) Part – High Fructose Corn Syrup
I will start with something I saw on TV this week and has been all the “rage” (not the good kind) among health/fitness bloggers and forums. Before I start, you can watch it first for yourself:
When I saw it, I had to stop and say “did that commercial really happen?”. Was it a dream? Nope. So apparently, shame on the woman for saying HFCS is bad for you. (oh and that is just 1 of 2 commercials with the same message) Wow! I think it was my buddy Greg at Performance Menu who said it best “It’s a hell of a strategy – making people feel like dumb ass(censored) for being concerned with their health.” Is that what the message was? I’m not the only one outraged by it as Ross at Rosstraining came out swinging and Scott at Modern Forager also had something to say.
So what is so bad about HFCS?
Well most artificial sweeteners are not what the body was meant to eat or process. While some can get away with it in small doses, most are taking it in high doses and don’t even know about it (as HFCS is everywhere!). Ever hear of “fatty liver”? When your most powerful fat burning organ, the liver, basically gets an excessive build up of fat inside of it. Usually seen in obese and people who drink alot (alcohol)….but it’s basically only the way to liver disfunction.
Malfuctioning liver = bad fat burning metabolism = increased insulin resistance = obesity and disease
So where does all the fructose have to go to get processed, guess where? The liver! Where it deposits more and more fat…..see the trend? HFCS is causing metabolic disfunction with the liver, and leading to weight gain (as find someone with fatty liver disease and they probably have weight issues as well). How can one turn this around? Simple….take the stress off the liver which means little to no (none is better) fructose!
From Weston Price comes this tidbit that explains why it is everywhere….because it is CHEAP and SWEET. (note healthy is not the reason manufacturers put it in there, although there are still allowed to market it as “all natural” because it came from corn.)
Until the 1970s most of the sugar we ate came from sucrose derived from sugar beets or sugar cane. Then sugar from corn–corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)–began to gain popularity as a sweetener because it was much less expensive to produce. High fructose corn syrup can be manipulated to contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose, or up to 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose.2 Thus, with almost twice the fructose, HFCS delivers a double danger compared to sugar.
(With regards to fruit, the ratio is usually 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, but most commercial fruit juices have HFCS added. Fruit contains fiber which slows down the metabolism of fructose and other sugars, but the fructose in HFCS is absorbed very quickly.)
In 1980 the average person ate 39 pounds of fructose and 84 pounds of sucrose. In 1994 the average person ate 66 pounds of sucrose and 83 pounds of fructose, providing 19 percent of total caloric energy.3 Today approximately 25 percent of our average caloric intake comes from sugars, with the larger fraction as fructose.4
High fructose corn syrup is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. It is cheap to produce, sweet and easy to store. It’s used in everything from bread to pasta sauces to bacon to beer as well as in “health products” like protein bars and “natural” sodas.
Still want more? Well how about this study about the link between HFCS and diabetes
Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.
Ok I think we get it. HFCS is not healthy…..but it is shocking what is allowed on mainstream media and how it is accepted by many as the solid truth! (because they wouldn’t allow it on TV if it was a lie right? Ummmm….try again) Not too mention crafty marketing with the happy music, children playing, smiling people….and the one who comes off the dumbest is the person who thinks HSFC is not good to have.
Wow…..we need to be more aware of what is going on TV, commercials and advertising. Your health is not that important, as sales and marketing comes first. If it doesn’t kill you instantly, it’s safe to most people in their eyes. So spread the knowledge, help others understand what is really going on, see all commercials and ads for what they REALLY are and take back control in your life and health….the TV is not going to look out for you!
The Yang (Day) Part – Simple Humor to Smile and Get the Message
Ok I need to mentally leave off on a good note…especially with the info above. I came across this really great site/blog called Indexed by Jessica Hagy. Truly a fun and creative blog we should all take time to look through…but I have a few of her pictures below to share, hope you enjoy!
This one is for all the HFCS people and their advertising….it says it all right there!! Lots of advertising for HFCS means….well you guessed it.
I think we have all been here before in the doctors office….as sad tale of modern health care.
All the good reason to never care what people think….as the most successful people also get the most criticism. Do what you do because of your own goals….not others opinions
Lessons in life. Do what you want, as the only thing you have left in the end is memories and regrets. Live for plenty of great memories and NO regrets! Find your passion and you will do it well.
Money Stress is probably #1 on everyone’s stress list. Master the art of not spending more than you make…and you should always have enough to go around.
We have all been at Thanksgiving before!
Less good intentions…..more action.
Where’s your mindset today? Will you do it or have you already lost the battle? You can make anything happen…if you think you can!
Above photo by ameba man
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20 Reader Comments
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Mike thanks for posting this and making people aware. Its the first time I have seen that YouTube advert and all I can say is that I am shocked at what they are trying to pull off, makes me pretty angry actually….
Similar to what’s going on in the UK now with the government demonizing saturated fats ( http://tinyurl.com/ysvtsx ) can you believe things like coconut oil and Butter are on the list of things to avoid…
Diagrams you put in at the end of the post are awesome BTW…..
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[...] up a quick bite on the go with all the processed crap available today. Shelves are stuffed with High Fructose Corn Syrup filled candy bars and Carb loaded potato chips which are expanding the worlds waistline, so what [...]
I don’t watch that much tv, so didn’t know about that commercial. Already mistrust mainstream media, so this just increases my suspsicions. As for the work from Jessica Hagy, I like the first pic. The better the product, the less advertising it needs.
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I don’t know if you caught this, but the tag-line at the end of these commercials is hilarious.
They end the spot with this line:
“Get the Facts…You’re In For a Sweet Surpriseâ€Â
I actually laughed out loud.
“Get the Facts…You’re In For a Sweet Surpriseâ€Â
Yeah, Type 2 Diabetes and a fatty liver……What a sweet surprise!?!
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I will put this right next to the Carl’s Jr. and AM/PM commercials as some of the most outragous acts of irresponsibility in the name of making a buck seen on TV.
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These commercials frustrated me as well. Any man-made material is going to do funky things to the body.
Mike, you said:
“Simple….take the stress off the liver which means little to no (none is better) fructose!”
What would you recommend as far as natural fruit intake? I IF daily and save my window as my PWO meal, so I eat fruits in the evening – carrot sticks throughout the day, or cottage cheese if I really have to. I read on a Ori blog that an insulin spike is necessary to fully utilize growth hormone PWO. What do you think?
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These commercials are ridiculous.
Two questions:
Dennis said “I IF daily…” I think in IF 101 you state that daily is okay if it works for you. Do I have that right?
And, you mention that hunger pangs can be hard to deal with at first – any suggestions on this? I’m finding it hard to even do a 15 hour fast, and often if I get to 18 or so, I’m nauseaus and really not feeling good. Tips or thoughts?
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Chris – Yeah I saw it on TV last week and was shaking my head. I mean I expect the corn industry to sell the health benefits of HFCS (since it is their business to sell more HFCS) but the overall tone was what struck me, basically a slap in the face of anyone that thought HFCS was bad for them in any way. Like we are the dumb ones.
Parth – so true, the best products don’t need to be advertised and have to convince people that they need it.
DR – I think the sweet surprise is really overweight and metabolically disfunctional children.
Primal – The Paris Hilton one wasn’t so bad.
Dennis – alot will depend on your current insulin sensitivity (as you want to max that). So if you are already lean, do resistance training and want to add muscle….i say have some fruit pre-post workout. If someone is more overweight and having insulin sensitivity issues then fruit should be in moderation or eliminated for a couple weeks to work on any issues involved with the liver. When someone is healthy and active, they can use fruits more often.
AT22 – Sure you can do smaller IF daily “IF” it works for you. Many may have other issues with anxiety or other issues that can be a problem with too much IF, so it’s best to start slow and work into it….to determine what level does work for you. I can eat Noon-8pm everyday and feel fine…but if I am having more stressful times or feel more anxiety then I will eat. Drink plenty of water during a fast, and I enjoy an Americano (expresso in water) as I find caffeine helps with any potential hunger. Start slow at 15….or you could try the “suck it up” method of pulling a 24hr fast once a week. (of course for any reason you think this may be bad for you health then you may want to see a Dr first…as I am not one). You won’t starve. The longer fasts are a good “mental” break from the attachments of food and learning to overcome any cravings. Honestly if you are having nauseau then something else may be going on like not getting enough food otherwise or having low blood sugar issues….if that is still the case you may want to see a Dr and get some bloodwork done to make sure things are ok.
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http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/sociss/release.cfm?ArticleID=1470
This page says that the only commonly used types of HFCS in food are 55% and 42% fructose. That’s practically the same as table sugar (50%). I haven’t found a clear answer to why HFCS is so much worse than sugar. Not to say mass consumption of sugar is a good thing either, but is it possible that it’s our overall increase in sweetener intake and not just HFCS that’s the issue?
I realize sugar is a disaccharide and that your body must break it down into fructose/glucose, whereas HFCS contains free fructose/glucose. Would that be the difference? Seems like you’re getting about the same amount of glucose either way.
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Greg – I agree that high overall sweetener intake is not good whether sugar or HFCS. The commercial is saying HFCS is as natural and healthy as sugar…which is such a false health assumption to begin with. HFCS is probably in alot more places nowadays as a replacement for sugar, but many probably don’t even know they are eating/drinking it. So like anything, too much (and an inactive lifestyle) will only lead to negative metabolic conditions (obesity, fatty liver, etc). Also I find it ironic (although very common) that the study you linked to was funded by Tate and Lyle whose largest US subsidiary is in the corn processing business….so they are heavily invested in the positive image of HFCS to the general public. Another sad irony is the picture of the person heading up the research to clear HFCS’s name in the obesity epidemic.
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Thanks Mike. I commercial is absolutely ridiculous, it’s on par with those commercials embracing CO2 production.
Thanks for pointing out the funding source of the study. I usually make it a point to check things like this and missed it this time. To help me understand the issue, can you point me at a resource that shows why HFCS is worse than sugar? I’m looking for something on the technical side.
Modern forager wrote “I don’t think HFCS is going to do a great deal more damage than an equivalent amount of sugar, honey, or agave. HFCS is more processed than sugar and even farther more processed than honey, but in the end, it’s all sugar and all about the same concentration of glucose-to-fructose. ”
The Weston Price article doesn’t make the HFCS vs sugar comparison either, just that fructose is bad. Thanks for the article and the links, they’ve been very educational.
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Greg – You may like this article:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19526192.800-diabetes-fears-over-corn-syrup-in-soda.html
“Chi-Tang Ho at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and his colleagues found that adding the syrup to fizzy drinks makes them up to 10 times richer in harmful carbonyl compounds – elevated in people with diabetes and blamed for causing diabetic complications such as foot ulcers and eye and nerve damage – than fizzy drinks containing cane sugar.
The most harmful compound, called methylglyoxal, is known to damage cells directly. “The link between methylglyoxal and diabetic complications is well documented,” says Ho, whose team found carbonyl compounds in 11 popular brands of soft drink sweetened with the syrup.
High-fructose corn syrup is popular in the US, where import tariffs make cane sugar relatively expensive. It is made by treating corn starch with enzymes that transform some of the glucose into fructose. Ho says these free-floating monosaccharides can undergo the so-called Maillard reaction, which converts them into carbonyl compounds. By contrast, cane sugar consists almost entirely of pure sucrose, a disaccharide.”
and another article on the same research but more info:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/532433/
“Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.”
another good article on HFCS
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL
In the end I think it is most dangerous because it is consumed in greater amounts than table sugar….because it is hidden in so many processed things nowadays.
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Thanks for the advice, Mike. I like the 12-8 window. I’ll “start” with that and then see if I can’t slowly move it a little. Or maybe that will be great for me.
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AT22 – just remember to stop if you are feeling really sick. Try to eat some more fruit to keep your blood sugar a little more stable (not knowing if that is the issue….as it could be more anxiety people have when they start fasting and not eating…as many are so addicted to food even subconsciously and start stressing out at the thought of not eating). Slow and steady wins the race and when in doubt check with a Dr if you think things are going wrong or want to know if you really have hypoglycemic issues.
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Mike,
Thanks a bunch for that info – I love the technical stuff. Sounds like both the overall increase in consumption as well as the undesired compounds that end up in HFCS are the problem.
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Like anything, in small doses it probably won’t kill you right off the bat but the body and it’s state of health is more the sum of all parts (or sum of what we put into our body). So it does have a big effect longterm if it’s coming in small doses from 1000 different places or we are getting small doses of 1000 different chemicals that our body has to deal with (and then that summation just overloads the liver and immune system). All in all….it’s about prevention and limiting the intake/damage as much as possible, because that is all we can do daily.
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Mike – frustration finally got the better of me and I created an alternative version of the HFCS advertisement that you may find amusing – check it out:
Alternative HFCS Advertisement
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These commercials ARE an outrage. I could not believe they were aired. A large number of graduates from Integrative Nutrition (I’m a graduate) were really upset about this mix-messaging. HFCS is totally artificial because it cannot be found “naturally” growing in the ground. It’s like calling cocaine natural (it’s processed from a plant too!). It’s like saying cocaine is not bad for you in small amounts. So obviously the corn association has an agenda on this. If you agree, check out Integrative’s blog on more issues: http://blog.integrativenutrition.com/.
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You can also add in high fructose ties to increased leptin resistance (which has a major link to obesity)
“Subsequent exposure of the fructose-mediated leptin-resistant rats to a high fat diet lead to exacerbated weight gain (50.2 ± 2 g) compared with correspondingly fed leptin-responsive animals that were pre-treated with the fructose-free diet (30.4 ± 5.8 g, p= 0.012). Our data indicate that chronic fructose consumption induces leptin resistance prior to body weight, adiposity, serum leptin, insulin or glucose increases, and this fructose-induced leptin resistance accelerates high fat induced obesity. ”
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/00195.2008v1
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[...] am sure most readers of this blog are aware of the dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS which is in just about every soft drink around the world at the moment, its not only in Soft Drinks [...]