Not-So-Surprising Finding: Study Links HFCS to Hypertension

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 by: Frank Mangano
Tags: HFCS, hypertension, health news

(NewsTarget) Yet another study is linking the consumption of high fructose corn syrup to poor health, this time in the form of increased risk for hypertension. Quick, someone alert the Corn Refiners Association so they can issue a denial!

You really got to hand it to the Corn Refiners Association; they don't take negative publicity lightly. The moment a study is published that even vaguely brandishes high fructose corn syrup as adversely affecting health, they throw out a press release faster than a scandal-ridden politician. The latest example of this came this past September, when the American Heart Association reported that men who ate diets high in sugar significantly increased their risk for hypertension.

In a press release, leaders for the CRA pooh-poohed the study, saying that "pure fructose is not how sweeteners are consumed by real people" and that studies like these "don't reflect what Americans eat."

Well, the CRA is either stuck in the past or living in a fantasy world, because the use of HFCS has increased four times over since 1909 and by 30 percent as recently as 1989. From crackers to raisins, cans of soda to cans of soup, high fructose corn syrup is in virtually EVERY list of ingredients. Even for consumers that are vigilant about steering clear of it, it's hard not to avoid. In short, contrary to what the CRA thinks, Americans DO eat high fructose corn syrup because they've made it next to impossible not to.

Meanwhile, as the Corn Refiners Association breathlessly defends its "natural" product, even they acknowledge that a diet high in HFCS is not advisable. "Just be sure to eat it in moderation," they say, blind to the fact that its ubiquity makes "moderate HFCS consumption" a tough task, indeed.

It was certainly a tough task for the 4,700+ people that filled out food frequency questionnaires for some University of Colorado researchers. Despite the fact that the participants didn't have a prior history with hypertension, the researchers found that people consuming 74 grams of fructose a day increased their risk for hypertension by 28 percent.

Now, 74 grams sounds like a lot, but that's the amount found in two and a half servings of soda (or one 20 oz. bottle). Translation? The fact that the CRA has cornered the market on virtually every food and beverage that's not organic suggests most people are probably consuming way more than 74 grams of HFCS per day already! And that's bad news; because as the researchers found in their sample, people that consumed more than 74 grams of HFCS per day increased their risk for hypertension by almost 90 percent!

The full details of the study were recently published by the American Society of Nephrology.

The CRA will deny it, but the rise of HFCS use has mirrored the rise of health issues like obesity and diabetes. Sure, HFCS may not be entirely to blame for this, but that's like saying the getaway driver in a bank heist isn't entirely to blame for the theft; if you contribute to it, you share the blame for it. Will the CRA share some of the blame? Pardon the pun, but don't bank on it. It'll be the standard defense they throw out for the dozens of studies that have indicted HFCS for the health hazards it is: "Deny, deny, deny."

For those of us who see through the CRA's shenanigans, the evidence can no longer be denied.

Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10...
http://www.nottheexaminer.com/x-7160-Sacrame...
http://www.sweetsurprise.com/myths-and-facts...
http://www.physorg.com/news176100729.html

About the author

Frank Mangano is an American author, health advocate, researcher and entrepreneur in the field of alternative health. He is perhaps best known for his book "The Blood Pressure Miracle," which continues to be an Amazon best selling book. Additionally, he has published numerous reports and a considerable amount of articles pertaining to natural health.
Mangano is the publisher of Natural Health On The Web, which offers readers free and valuable information on alternative remedies. To learn more visit:
http://www.naturalhealthontheweb.com