Heat Forms Potentially Harmful Substance In High-fructose Corn Syrup
Main Category: Nutrition / DietAlso Included In: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Article Date: 27 Aug 2009 - 0:00 PDT
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Researchers have established the conditions that foster formation of potentially dangerous levels of a toxic substance in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) often fed to honey bees. Their study, which appears in the current issue of ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, could also help keep the substance out of soft drinks and dozens of other human foods that contain HFCS. The substance, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), forms mainly from heating fructose.
In the new study, Blaise LeBlanc and Gillian Eggleston and colleagues note HFCS's ubiquitous usage as a sweetener in beverages and processed foods. Some commercial beekeepers also feed it to bees to increase reproduction and honey production. When exposed to warm temperatures, HFCS can form HMF and kill honeybees. Some researchers believe that HMF may be a factor in Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious disease that has killed at least one-third of the honeybee population in the United States.
The scientists measured levels of HMF in HFCS products from different manufacturers over a period of 35 days at different temperatures. As temperatures rose, levels of HMF increased steadily. Levels jumped dramatically at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. "The data are important for commercial beekeepers, for manufacturers of HFCS, and for purposes of food storage. Because HFCS is incorporated as a sweetener in many processed foods, the data from this study are important for human health as well," the report states. It adds that studies have linked HMF to DNA damage in humans. In addition, HMF breaks down in the body to other substances potentially more harmful than HMF.
Source
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (3)
HMF
posted by Audrae Erickson on 27 Aug 2009 at 2:32 pmConsumers should know that high fructose corn syrup is a safe ingredient. Our members have numerous safety measures in place and follow best practices for producing quality ingredients. High fructose corn syrup has been used safely in the food supply for humans and honeybees for decades.
There are several relevant points concerning colony collapse disorder (CCD) and Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) that should be taken into account:
•HMF has been found in all sweetener syrups, including honey and invert sugar.
•The case for HMF (from any syrup source) as an explanation for widespread CCD in honeybees is dubious, given the highly unusual conditions — extreme storage temperatures, prolonged storage times or non-standard storage containers — required to generate potentially harmful levels of HMF.
•In a recent paper published by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on CCD, the authors list compromised immune response, specific pathogens, and pesticide exposure, but not high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners in the food supply, as the leading explanations for CCD. This research suggests rather that virus-induced ribosomal RNA degradation is the most likely cause of CCD.
High fructose corn syrup has a strong history as a safe ingredient recognized by food manufacturers and the U.S. government. In 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally listed high fructose corn syrup as safe for use in food and reaffirmed that decision in 1996.
The American Medical Association stated that, “Because the composition of high fructose corn syrup and sucrose are so similar, particularly on absorption by the body, it appears unlikely that high fructose corn syrup contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose.”
According to the American Dietetic Association, “high fructose corn syrup…is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.”
Consumers can read the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at http://www.SweetSurprise.com.
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
Associate Professor Foods And Nutrition, Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio
posted by David F. Vanata Ph.D. R.D. on 28 Aug 2009 at 8:05 amErikson's commentary is right on target. Our society looks for simple explanations to complicated issues. This oversimplification is evident with the problem of obesity. We have gone from blaming HFCS for the present obesity rates, to blaming it for CCD. The idea that levels of HMF available in HFCS can be potentially toxic to humans has no basis.
Anyone who understands basic disaccharide metabolism realizes this non-risk. If CCD was due to HMF in HFCS, we would have seen this indication many years earlier. The average consumer should not be bombarded with fear mongering in the field of nutrition. One study does not make something fact or true. All scientists know this, consumers do not.
Diet high in fructose
posted by J Davis on 8 Nov 2009 at 6:57 pmA diet high in fructose increases the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, California. The findings suggest that cutting back on processed foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may help prevent hypertension.
Over the last 200 years, the rate of fructose intake has directly paralleled the increasing rate of obesity, which has increased sharply in the last 20 years since the introduction of HFCS. Today, Americans consume 30% more fructose than 20 years ago and up to four times more than 100 years ago, when obesity rates were less than 5%. While this increase mirrors the dramatic rise in the prevalence of hypertension, studies have been inconsistent in linking excess fructose in the diet to hypertension.
Diana Jalal, MD (University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Centre), and her colleagues studied the issue in a large representative population of US adults. They examined 4,528 adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. Fructose intake was calculated based on a dietary questionnaire, and foods such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy were included. Dr Jalal's team found that people who ate or drank more than 74 grams per day of fructose (2.5 sugary soft drinks per day) increased their risk of developing hypertension. Specifically, a diet of more than 74 grams per day of fructose led to a 28%, 36%, and 87% higher risk for blood pressure levels of 135/85, 140/90, and 160/100 mmHg, respectively. (A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg.)
'These results indicate that high fructose intake in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the US adult population with no previous history of hypertension,' the authors concluded. Additional studies are needed to see if low fructose diets can normalise blood pressure and prevent the development of hypertension.
Study co-authors include Richard Johnson, MD, Gerard Smits, PhD, and Michel Chonchol, MD (University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Centre). Dr Richard Johnson reports a conflict of interest as the author of 'The Sugar Fix.' The authors report no other financial disclosures.
Source: American Society of Nephrology
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