Make you Fink on Friday

High Fructose Corn Syrup

There has been much written about this insidious stuff, and none of it good. It has invaded the world as a glucose substitute.

Recent figures show that our body, while it needs sugar, it doesn’t need it in large quantities. A recent survey showed that Americans are consuming it at the alarmingly high rate of 150 grams (5¼ ounces ) per day, whereas the body only requires 15 grams (½ ounce).

HFCS is the main source of calories in the United States. As well as containing mercury, a known carcinogen, cancer cells feed on high-fructose corn syrup after it is metabolized by the liver. The link between refined sugar and cancer add further evidence to the reports of many health experts and scientific studies that have drawn the connection between excess sugar consumption and the development of cancer. Researchers have shown that fructose directly contributes to cancer risk and other health problems, including:

* DNA damage

* Inflammation

* Altered cellular metabolism

* Increased production of free radicals

As much as 80 percent of all cancers enhance or mimic the effect of insulin on the tumor cells. Fructose and glucose metabolism are quite different and it has been shown that cancer cells can readily use fructose to increase proliferation.

Even more concerning is that the scientists conducting the research used pancreatic cancer cells, widely considered to be the most deadly form of cancer. The discovery was monumental because not only did the researchers prove that tumor cells feed on sugar (glucose), but the tumor cells used fructose for cell division in order to speed up the growth and spread of the cancer. Fructose consumption actually led to a massive increase in tumor cell growth and proliferation way beyond that of glucose.

Cancer-feeding fructose is what the majority of Americans are consuming on a daily basis, to the point where high-fructose corn syrup is their number one source of calories. Even children are consuming excessive amounts of sugar in juice boxes, candy, and even ‘healthy’ sports beverages.

As cancer rates continue to explode, it is vital that dietary changes are made involving the removal of fructose from the global food supply.

NB: This post has been paraphrased from this post on Running ‘Cause I Can’t Fly

Another post worth reading from The Almighty Dad