Expert: Tanya Zilberter, PhD - 5/25/2008

Question
QUESTION: I was reading an article in "First" discussing "high fructose corn syrup" that made it sound like the very worst thing you could possibly consume. It talked about liver and pancreas and kidney damage, as well as suppressing "natural appetite suppressors." I just wanted to ask: 1) did this article overstate or understate the negatives about the item?, or 2) reading labels, I see corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup: what is the difference, and are they equally damaging, or is the latter actually worse? Thank You

ANSWER: Michael,

I haven't read the article but just being an 'empty calorie' food makes corn syrup really bad for you robbing the body  of vital nutrients. It's made of 55 percent of fructose and 45percent of glucose, that's why it is called "high fructose corn syrup" and this is what is used by processed food industry.

Here's a list of only some of the problems caused by high fructose corn syrup:

- Increased bad bad cholesterol
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Increased osteoporosis risk
- Increased risk of diabetes
- Elevated insulin levels
- Accelerated aging
- Copper, which can cause increased bone fragility, anemia, ischemic heart disease and defective connective tissue.

Read entire article by Dr Mericle "Why is high fructose corn syrup bad for you?" at:

http://atkinszone.com/faq/2008/02/why-is-high-fructose-corn-syrup-bad-for.html

Tanya Zilberter

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you! Your answer confirmed many things that I have read. And the article by Dr. Mericle was very important reading. However, it led me to this question: He said that Aspartame was even more dangerous than HFCS-A lot of the things that I have used to cut down calorie intake have contained Aspartame: Is there any other artificial sweetener that is not harmful to the body?

Answer
Interesting you asked! I've just answered a similar question and here it is:

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The artificial sweeteners topic causes heated debates in the health professional and many health-conscious people, especially when it comes to aspartame. There are at least two aspects to this problem: 1) is this or that sweetener toxic and 2) are they all any good at helping the dieters to reduce calories.

1) Aspartame can provoke a wide range of symptoms including depression and headaches. In 91 studies researchers came to the conclusion about aspartame's potential for harm (see references below)

2) No double blind, placebo controlled studies supporting aspartame's weight loss effects has been published


Read more:

Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. T. Zilberter. British Medical Journal, 15 Oct 2004
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/329/7469/755#78439

REFERENCES

Aspartame and its effects on health. BMJ 2004;329: 755-6

Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population. Biol Psychiatry 1993;34(1-2): 13-7.

Aspartame ingestion and headaches: a randomized, crossover trial. Neurology 1994;44: 1787-93

Aspartame as a dietary trigger of headache. Headache 1989;29(2): 90-2.

Survey of aspartame studies: correlation of outcome and funding sources. www.dorway.com/peerrev.html

Independently funded studies have found potential for adverse effects, BMJ  2005;330:309-310