(NaturalNews) High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used as a sweetener in thousands of mainstream packaged foods sold in the United States and around the world, from bread to soda and even breakfast cereal. It has been blamed for increasing the number of empty calories in the U.S. diet, and researchers have linked it to type-2 diabetes and obesity.
Beyond the link to detrimental health effects, another danger from this ubiquitous ingredient comes from the toxic chemicals that are used to turn corn into corn starch and then finally into HFCS. One of these chemicals,
glutaraldehyde, is a toxic chemical used in industrial water treatment systems and to sterilize medical equipment by killing living cells. It's also a well-known embalming chemical. It is toxic to the human body and causes eye, nose, throat and lung irritation (asthma, sneezing, wheezing, burning eyes, etc.). It can also cause drowsiness, dizziness and headaches. (
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/glutaraldehyde/)
The chemical is so toxic that it can actually
burn a hole in your stomach. As explained on this Material Safety Data Sheet (
http://www.tedpella.com/msds_html/18411msd.htm):
"Due to the severely irritating or corrosive nature of the material, swallowing may lead to ulceration and inflammation of the upper dimentary tract with hemorrhage and fluid loss. Also, perforation of the esophagus or stomach may occur, leading to mediastinitis or peritonitis and the resultant complications. Any material aspirated during vomiting may cause lung injury. Therefore, emesis should not be induced mechanically or pharmacologically. If it is considered necessary to evacuate the stomach contents, this should be done by means least likely to cause aspiration (e.g., gastric lavage after endotracheal intubation)."Contaminated with mercury
Because two of the chemicals used in HFCS production introduce mercury into the mix, a study published in 2009 found that between one-third and one-half of all HFCS-containing products on the market tested positive for
mercury contamination. (
http://www.naturalnews.com/025442_HFCS_Corn_Refiners_Association.html).
The presence of mercury in
high fructose corn syrup was documented by researchers at the
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and published in
Environmental Health. In some cases, the level of mercury was high enough that a woman eating an average amount of HFCS as represented in the American diet could ingest more than five times the maximum recommended upper limit of
mercury.
The bottom line? If you love eating a highly-refined liquid sugar made with the use of hazardous chemicals and often contaminated with brain-damaging mercury,
eat more high fructose corn syrup!You'll find it in thousands of common grocery items, including ones you wouldn't expect such as salad dressings, beef jerky and pizza sauce.
Look for it on the label and avoid all foods made with HFCS.
Source: 25 Amazing Facts About Food, authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals surprising things about where your food comes from and what's really in it!
Download the full report (FREE) by clicking here. Inside, you'll learn 24 more amazing but true facts about foods, beverages and food ingredients. Instant download of the complete PDF. All 25 facts are documented and true.
Additional sources for this story include:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutaraldehyde
http://www.slate.com/id/2216796/
http://blog.friendseat.com/is-there-mercury-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup/
http://www.naturalnews.com/025442_HFCS_Corn_Refiners_Association.html
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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