High Fructose Corn Syrup - DO NOT EAT IT - It helps cancer cells grow

I read this article and thought I had to share it. We all better read our food labels better and not buy foods with this crap in it. It is in many processed foods. So, read your labels carefully!

A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, is challenging the idea that all sugars are processed equally, as producers of sugar subsitutes would like consumers to believe.

Cancer Cells Gorge on Fructose to Grow and Spread
Just a spoonful of fructose makes the cancer cells divide...
Doesn't have quite the life-affirming ring to it, does it?
A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is challenging the idea that all sugars are processed equally, as producers of sugar subsitutes would like consumers to believe.

The researchers fed glucose and fructose to a set of pancretic tumor cells, and found that the cancer cells used the two sugars in very different ways—notably, the cells soaked up fructose, metabolized it, and used it to divide and multiply.
High fructose corn syrup comes from federally subsidized corn.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers. The researchers say their findings are important in prescribing a diet for patients with pancretic cancer. Although the study was limited to pancreatic tumor cells, the results are not necessarily unique to that cancer type.

According to the report, written by UCLA's Kim Irwin, "it’s widely known that cancers use glucose, a simple sugar, to fuel their growth"—but this is "the first time a link has been shown between fructose and cancer proliferation."

Many Americans unknowingly consume high levels of fructose daily in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a super-sweet substance made from corn. HFCS is used in a number of foods, from bread and pasta to tomato sauce and soda pop.

Irwin explains:
Between 1970 and 1990, the consumption of HFCS in the U.S. has increased over 1,000 percent, according to an article in the April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Food companies use HFCS—a mixture of fructose and glucose—because it’s inexpensive, easy to transport and keeps foods moist. And because it is so sweet, it’s cost effective for companies to use small quantities of HCFS in place of more expensive sweeteners or flavorings.

While the average consumer might understand the risks of sugar—and even avoid foods high in sugar—HFCS is less familiar, and consequently, so are its risks.

The study quotes Dr. Anthony Heaney, an associate professor of medicine and neurosurgery, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and senior author of the study: "The bottom line is the modern diet contains a lot of refined sugar including fructose and it’s a hidden danger implicated in a lot of modern diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and fatty liver."

So what can be done?

The first step to eliminating these dangers is an understanding of HFCS's popularity. As the study explained, it's inexpensive. Why? Because the U.S. government subsidizes corn, and high fructose corn syrup (as the name implies) is corn based. As long as companies are focusing on the bottom line—and as long as customers continue to accept sugar substitutes—the cheapest option available will always win out.

There are plenty of stakeholders. In April, the Corn Refiners Association petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to simply "corn syrup," in an attempt to salvage its image in the wake of studies that said HFCS causes obesity, and even attributes to mercury poisoning.

There's also Sweet Surprise, an image-cleanup campaign (also by the Corn Refiners Association) designed to "inform" consumers by softening HFCS's increasingly unpopular reputation.

The good news? Consumer demand has pushed some companies to make a change. Two months ago, Hunt's Ketchup announced that, bowing to consumer demand, it was going back to the basics, removing high fructose corn syrup from "every bottle of its ketchup products."

In a new era of consumer awareness, there is hope that other companies will follow suit, if only to appease their customers.

Until then, you can make a personal change by opting out on high fructose corn syrup, or take a bigger step and urge congress to tax high fructose corn syrup.