Sunday, March 21, 2010

Flaws in Duke University Statement About High Fructose Corn Syrup

HFCS in the news again.

Hey folks,

Here is something that I have been following for a few years. High Fructose Corn Syrup. September 21, 2008 was my last update on this. OPNTalk - High-Fructose Corn Syrup Update In that, we learned that Time.com was telling us that it really wasn't as bad for you as first thought. I wrapped it up with this.

So I guess we may have yet another "Coffee issue." In other words, today is good, bad, good, tomorrow it may be bad again. Red Wine? You get the point. I guess just like with most things, just take it in moderation. Especially since it is in just about everything.
Peter

So now we learn, that apparently, Duke University did another study that shows it really IS bad for you. Well, of course, that does not sit well with the Corn Refiners Association. They just released this statement.

Flaws in Duke University Statement About High Fructose Corn Syrup

WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A March 18, 2010 press release entitled "High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Liver Scarring" issued by Duke University incorrectly singled out high fructose corn syrup as being responsible for scarring in the liver and other liver diseases, when the underlying study for the release reviewed dietary intake of fructose containing beverages -- not high fructose corn syrup.

In the study "Increased Fructose Consumption is Associated with Fibrosis Severity in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease," researchers asked patients who were already diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to recall how many fructose-containing beverages they consumed over the prior year. Although the researchers acknowledged that beverages containing fructose accounted for only 50% of total dietary intake of fructose -- leaving out other important dietary sources of fructose such as fruits and vegetables -- they nevertheless elected to base the findings of the recall study on beverages sources only. Magnifying these problems with their data interpretation still further, the researchers counted intake of fruit juices and other beverages containing fructose from sugar, even though those beverages contain no high fructose corn syrup at all.

It should be noted that fructose has not been proven to be a cause of NAFLD in humans, and NAFLD subjects are compromised individuals with significant health problems which have very little to do with fructose intake. Moreover, associative studies of this kind are widely judged to be of low scientific value when trying to establish cause-and-effect, data from studies like this that are dependent on recollection of the study subjects are notoriously imprecise, and these studies are full of confounding variables and exceedingly difficult to control.

This study unnecessarily confuses consumers about the impact of dietary fructose. Fructose, or "fruit sugar," is safe and is commonly found in fruits, vegetables, fruit juices, table sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, and maple syrup.

For more information, please visit www.SweetSurprise.com.

CRA is the national trade association representing the corn refining (wet milling) industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, bioproducts, corn oil, and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein, and fiber.

Source: Corn Refiners Association

OK So? Like I said, YOU be the judge. I issued you a challenge a while back to go into the Supermarket and just look around. HFCS is EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. That's a lot of money. I encourage you to look into all the information out there, and YOU decide if it is good or not for you. Just like Coffee, Red Wine, ETC. YOU should be the one to make the final decision as to what to put into your body. the better educated you are, the better decisions you will make.
Peter

2 comments:

Peter said...

Well, believe the industry of course. The oil industry says they don't mess up the environment or contribute to climate change. The gun industry says people should be able to buy tanks. The ag industry says they need genetically modified seeds. I mean why not trust Monsanto or Chevron? We need to make sure these corporations can continue to control various parts of our lives like our movement and our nutrients.

It's strange how you trust some industries and what they feed you (like big oil) but not others and what they feed you (no pun intended), like the agriculture industry.

It's quite a conflict. Isn't it? The need to make a profit and the need for a safe healthy environment to exist in.

Anonymous said...

Remember the tobacco lobby...