High fructose corn syrup has begun to gain national attention here in the United States. This has occurred in large part due to a marketing campaign instituted by corn distributors and lobbyists. Their commercials extol that high fructose corn syrup, or hfcs for short, is safe in moderation. They base these claims on studies that did not find a considerable difference between the physiological effects caused by hfcs as opposed the the effects caused by other sweeteners such as cane sugar. Hfcs supporters often claim that there is little or no empirical research that point to potential dangers of hfcs. It is a fact that there is limited body of research about hfcs; however, within the limited research data available about hfcs there is enough information available that should concern the average consumer and prompt certain segments of the population to outright avoid hfcs (which, as I will point out, is not an easy task).
According to some studies, individuals with bowel function disorders (e.g. IBS, Crohn's), ingestion of fructose can be a major catalyst for flare ups. Hfcs in particular was demonstrated to cause flare-ups in over 70% of the participants in the following study:
Austrialian GI/HFCS study
A study conducted in 2005 suggested a correlation between insulin sensitivity and hfcs:
Insulin resistance study
A study published the previous year in the JAMA suggested a link between the ingestion of sugar sweetened beverages (most of which contain hfcs) type II diabetes:
JAMA sugar study
Perhaps there is some cause for concern. Like most things moderation is the key. Right? That sounds like a reasonable plan of action. Is it possible to ingest hfcs in moderation? Unfortunately, you cannot avoid hfcs without becoming fully cognizant of the constituent ingredients in everything you eat or drink. Hfcs is ubiquitous! It's often used as preservative in foods, such as whole wheat breads, that many "health conscious" individuals eat without a second thought. So how do you become more knowledgeable of hfcs you may ask. Admittedly, most of the information that is critical of hfcs is subjective. Never the less there are some fairly reputable resources that can help assist you.
The following URL's contain information about brand names foods that do not contain hfcs:
http://stophfcs.com/list.html
http://highfructosehigh.com/
http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php?cat=304
Due to a dearth of directed studies, the jury is still out on how detrimental hfcs is. Some people have equated it's possible dangers and the corn industry's response to those possible dangers to the tobacco industry of the mid 20th century. While it may not be as egregious as tobacco, there is enough information to prompt the average person to limit it's intake and for some populations to eliminate it from their diet altogether. Just remember that, unlike tobacco, it takes a much greater conscious effort to eliminate hfcs from your life. You must learn to read labels of all the food that you ingest and become more knowledgeable of the ingredients in foods and drinks that aren't conveniently labeled.
Ks3(Keep safe, smart, strong),
JD Blackstar
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Mis-information goes global
Well before the age of digital communications half-truths and out right falsehoods have been able to spread rapidly. Our current technologies can almost instantaneously transform a fantasy into a fact. There is an abundance of misinformation spread throughout the Internet. By far the largest culprit is the forwarded "chain" email. It's content ranges from true stories that have been inadvertently altered to outright lies and hoaxes.
Most individuals are too rational to believe patently false assertions. Clearly Obama is not secretly a radical Muslim nor is McCain a Manchurian candidate. Regardless, many people are more easily deceived by the information they have received by email because written words(especially when nicely spell checked) appear to add a degree of veracity to the information. Fortunately, there are resources available to help people sort through all the (mis)information they're constantly bombarded with. The following sites are not infallible (somewhat biased in my estimation), but are never the less useful in determining rumors:
www.snopes.com
http://skepdic.com
The next two sites are excellent resources for determining hoaxes:
http://www.hoaxbusters.org
http://www.hoax-slayer.com
Once we have discovered the origins and history of a story it is incumbent upon us as individuals to weigh every aspect of a "true" story, tall tale or hoax. True stories may remain open to interpretation and context. A tall tale or hoax may contain some important aspects of truth within it, or it could simply be an outright mendacity.
The next time you're shocked by an incredulous email, text, or other multimedia message, stop before you blindly forward it. Think about its content for a moment. If you have any doubts make a search to prove whether or not it has any validity. Once you have more information about the story you can then make an informed and intelligent decision about its total authenticity. If it's true then you can be confident in passing the story along. If it's false or a misrepresentation of facts you'll have the ammunition to set the record straight.
Ks3(Keep safe, smart, strong),
JD Blackstar
Most individuals are too rational to believe patently false assertions. Clearly Obama is not secretly a radical Muslim nor is McCain a Manchurian candidate. Regardless, many people are more easily deceived by the information they have received by email because written words(especially when nicely spell checked) appear to add a degree of veracity to the information. Fortunately, there are resources available to help people sort through all the (mis)information they're constantly bombarded with. The following sites are not infallible (somewhat biased in my estimation), but are never the less useful in determining rumors:
www.snopes.com
http://skepdic.com
The next two sites are excellent resources for determining hoaxes:
http://www.hoaxbusters.org
http://www.hoax-slayer.com
Once we have discovered the origins and history of a story it is incumbent upon us as individuals to weigh every aspect of a "true" story, tall tale or hoax. True stories may remain open to interpretation and context. A tall tale or hoax may contain some important aspects of truth within it, or it could simply be an outright mendacity.
The next time you're shocked by an incredulous email, text, or other multimedia message, stop before you blindly forward it. Think about its content for a moment. If you have any doubts make a search to prove whether or not it has any validity. Once you have more information about the story you can then make an informed and intelligent decision about its total authenticity. If it's true then you can be confident in passing the story along. If it's false or a misrepresentation of facts you'll have the ammunition to set the record straight.
Ks3(Keep safe, smart, strong),
JD Blackstar
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
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