High fructose corn syrup: Now with mercury?

January 27, 4:59 PMDenver Low Carb ExaminerLinda Duffy

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Mercury can be toxic even in small amounts

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) began replacing sugar in soft drinks and processed foods back in the 70's. HFCS was cheaper than sugar due to tariffs on sugar imports and artificially low corn prices due to subsidies. It didn't take long for high fructose corn syrup to seriously infiltrate the food supply.

Over the years, questions about the health effects of HFCS have cropped up, particularly the tie between HFCS and obesity. Studies have found correlations between HFCS consumption and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes as well. Other studies have found no health issues with HFCS use, but these studies were funded by the corn industry. 

Since the American public was able to detect the irony of a study funded by corn producers finding no issues with a corn sweetener, sales of foods containing HFCS have recently slumped. In response, the corn growers started an advertising campaign stating HFCS is just as healthy and natural as sugar. 

Apparently the corn growers never got the memo that the sugar they compare their product to DOES NOT contain mercury unlike HFCS.

"In one study, published in the journal Environmental Health, former Food and Drug Administration scientist Renee Dufault and colleagues tested 20 samples of high fructose corn syrup and found detectable mercury in nine of the 20 samples.

Dufault said in a statement that she told the FDA about her findings but the agency did not follow up."  (more)

Corn producers are, naturally, disputing this information, but you can't deny the process of creating HFCS is a chemical nightmare.

"One of those processes is a bizarre chemical brew involving the creation of caustic soda by exposing raw materials to pools of electrified mercury in a large vat. Through this process, the caustic soda gets contaminated with mercury, and when corn kernels are exposed to this caustic soda to break them down, that contamination is passed through to the HFCS.

Another toxic chemical, glutaraldehyde, is also used in the production of HFCS. It's so toxic that consuming even a small amount of it can burn a hole in your stomach.

But don't worry: The Corn Refiners Association insists that HFCS is a "natural" ingredient, and their Chicago-based PR firm Weber Shandwick is now also claiming that HFCS has been declared "natural" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It hasn't really, of course, but that doesn't stop the press releases from claiming it has. (If you think a liquid sugar processed with glutaraldehyde and contaminated with mercury is "natural," then you've been duped. There's nothing natural about a processed food ingredient made with toxic chemicals.)" (more)

While the corn refiners may want you to believe conclusive evidence of harm caused by HFCS isn't available, I can honestly say life without HFCS for the past year and a half has been pretty nice. My weight is down, my blood pressure is down, and my liver appears to be doing quite well. Since HFCS is usually contained in expensive, highly processed, high profit margin junk foods, avoiding it has also saved me a bundle of money. If you'd like, you can wait for more studies to see if HFCS will harm you, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that avoiding it entirely causes no harm at all.