HEALTH High Fructose Corn Syrup Addictive Like Cocaine, Says Researcher

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High Fructose Corn Syrup Addictive Like Cocaine, Says Researcher
By News Staff | May 22nd 2013 09:52 AM

Is the obesity epidemic due to the addictive qualities in food or that a lot more food is cheap and plentiful than ever before in history?

A paper presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN), says the problem is addiction rather than food wealth - the authors claim that high-fructose corn syrup can cause behavioral reactions in rats similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine. It's the "Food Addiction" hypothesis that has recently become popular, which posits that we could be addicted to food just like drugs.

Addiction happens when drug use shifts from positive reinforcement to the negative kind; drugs are relied on to prevent or relieve negative states that otherwise result from abstinence (e.g., withdrawal) or from adverse environmental circumstances (e.g. stress).

Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, suggest food addiction could explain the global obesity epidemic, though binge eaters have greater rates of psychiatric diagnoses involving negative emotional states compared to the general population, so eating may be the symptom and not the cause. The National Institute of Mental Health recently declared an end to support for symptom-based treatment in mental health.

Leri says increased availability of such highly-palatable foods could partly explain the high incidence of obesity around the world, but simple availability does not explain why some people are obese and others are not, given the same amount of available food. Leri, and others have instead suggested individual differences in vulnerability to addiction. Surveys of consumption of cocaine show that though many individuals try these drugs, only a small percentage of them become addicted. Leri set out to show that the same could be true of "addictive foods". "We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and for cocaine" says Leri. Specifically, Leri wants to prove that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is worse for us than table sugar.

Other studies instead say addiction is a disorder of decision-making.
Leri used rats to examine the behavioral, chemical and neurobiological changes induced by consumption of "addictive foods" containing HFCS. "We are not rats, but our children do not think too much about the impact of sweets on their brain and behaviour. There is now convincing neurobiological and behavioural evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible. Our primary objective is to discover biological predictors of vulnerability to develop excessive consumption of high fructose corn syrup ," says Leri.

John W. Bode, President and C.E.O. of the Corn Refiners Association, said in a statement, “It is irresponsible and ultimately counter-productive for these researchers to associate safe and widely used foods, such as high fructose corn syrup, with illegal narcotics such as cocaine. There remains no credible scientific evidence to suggest that caloric sweeteners, such as sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), are addictive to humans in general. One of the main weaknesses of the research conducted by Dr. Francesco Leri, like most research seeking to demonize HFCS and other caloric sweeteners, is they are often conducted on animals, such as rats, in scenarios not likely found in the real world experienced by humans."

I'm surprised no one has commented on this, because this stuff is so heinous. Its in so much of the food on the shelves of the grocery stores. I started to say the food that we eat. but I don't eat food with HFCS in it, at my house. I check every label before I buy something. One cannot control food we eat out completely. But then again, I don't eat out frequently.

Judy

'It's' in nearly everything. Just as GMO crap is in nearly all corn and soybean products.

Just Say NO.

Leri says increased availability of such highly-palatable foods could partly explain the high incidence of obesity around the world, but simple availability does not explain why some people are obese and others are not, given the same amount of available food. Leri, and others have instead suggested individual differences in vulnerability to addiction.

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I really do not understand how researchers continue to ignore the genetic differences when determining why some people are obese and others are not. It is NOT simply a matter of amount of food people consume, it is also their genetic metabolic rate that contibutes to the amount of energy stored as fat as well as a genetic tendency to become addicted to certain food or alcohol. I agree that certain foods create an addictive craving, but we all know folks that can eat 10 times their weight in junk and never gain a pound.

I work with a young woman who cannot believe that I can exist on the few amount of calories that I consume. She is constantly eating and can barely maintain 100 pound weight (she is the same Height as I), while I cannot lose any weight consuming 1000-1100 calories per day. We are similarly active and she sleeps more than I.

When will researchers spend more time on finding genes to increase metabolism rather than find excuses that do not explain reality? Researchers are always changing their theories - like yesterday, where I read that the claim that a higher weight increases likelihood of death - not always, they now say.

Check out the video on youtube "sugar the bitter truth" by dr. Lustig.........it has a section on HFC and its chemistry on the liver.............a very credible source of its impact from a medical prospective......

New Log Cabin syrup. Billed as "All Natural," well look at the ingredients.

"Natural Flavors" is MSG.



I was at the local China mart today, and I looked and looked at their bakery items and everything I picked up had MSG in it. Donuts, coffee cakes, cookies, etc. And not just the bakery itself but also in the bread isle, brands as Entemans, etc.

MSG is known to be addictive. In a country where obesity is a huge problem and growing, and diabetes is therefore going up through the roof as well, they've got to put MSG in bakery items?

THIS IS SICK.

Have you looked at the ingredients in your non-fat refrigerated creamer? I'm not talking about flavored stuff. Nope, plain old Land O' Lakes non-fat half-and-half. Check out your ketchup label too. And barbecue sauce. And your Vlasic bread and butter pickles. Your jar of spaghetti sauce. Stuff that you'd never guess contained it. In some cases, it's the first or second ingredient, meaning it's the biggest percentage make-up of your food item.

MSG is just as bad! I was making homemade ranch using Greek yogurt and Hidden Valley Ranch's Buttermilk Ranch packets. I thought I was being "healthy" by staying away from bottled brands and making my own. Nope. MSG is the second ingredient on the list in that packet, meaning it's mostly just MSG with some buttermilk flavoring and a scant pinch of powdered milk thrown in. No wonder the crap tastes so good. It's like a drug messing with our brains! I now use my own handmade mix. It's unbelievable.

Natural flavoring, no or low fat, surgar free all raise a huge red flag for me, when I see these things I see bad for ya.

Judy

IS THAT YOUR PICTURE, NOMIFYLE?????

I spend more time reading labels and matching coupons than really shopping.........but we try to eliminate as many bad additives as possible and save at the same time....all these extreme couponers have nothing on me!!

I do buy a very few things with HFCS.....but I'm looking for alternatives.............

Scotto said:

"Natural Flavors" is MSG.

MSG is known to be addictive. In a country where obesity is a huge problem and growing, and diabetes is therefore going up through the roof as well, they've got to put MSG in bakery items?

THIS IS SICK.

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This isn't sick, this is greed, American greed. If anyone there really thinks folks will pay for whole, clean foods, they should start a company. They will see soon enough that they might be able to make money, but it could be working 60-80 hours a week and bringing home only $40K/year if that. There is money to be made in true natural foods, but there isn't enough interest to make it widespread at this time. People won't pay for the extra work it takes, the quicker expiration and thus rotations, etc.. Things are slowly changing, and I'm glad we here in Indiana have had what seems to be an explosion of farmer's markets and natural food stores, but prices aren't cheap, and that is what most people more than anything.

Heck, I try and try to get off soda pop......the withdrawal is horrid.

Scotto said:

New Log Cabin syrup. Billed as "All Natural," well look at the ingredients.

"Natural Flavors" is MSG.

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No it's not. "Natural Flavors" includes a HUGE range of "aromatics" or VOCs, whether actually derived from nature or synthesized (the synthesized ones are chemically identical). There's a massive pile of legal requirements that have to be met if a food producer includes that ingredient on their label, and there are several food companies that do nothing but produce the flavoring compounds that other companies use. MSG is labeled differently, and must be included separately on the ingredients, since it is more of a mineral additive or flavor "enhancer" (MSG has no real flavor of its own; it's very similar to table salt in that respect). I can buy MSG by itself of the shelf here in India; it's used specifically to bring out more flavor, and is usually labeled "Chinese salt" here.


Also, just on personal experience, the OP seems more like scaremongering than anything. I moved to India three years ago. Everything here uses cane sugar. HFCS is basically unknown. I went through no withdrawals, despite the huge amount of HFCS I was getting in the US before the move (processed foods and sodas, mainly). Yes, it's bad, but hardly in the same class as cocaine.

The Mountain said:

No it's not. "Natural Flavors" includes a HUGE range of "aromatics" or VOCs, whether actually derived from nature or synthesized (the synthesized ones are chemically identical). There's a massive pile of legal requirements that have to be met if a food producer includes that ingredient on their label, and there are several food companies that do nothing but produce the flavoring compounds that other companies use. MSG is labeled differently, and must be included separately on the ingredients, since it is more of a mineral additive or flavor "enhancer" (MSG has no real flavor of its own; it's very similar to table salt in that respect). I can buy MSG by itself of the shelf here in India; it's used specifically to bring out more flavor, and is usually labeled "Chinese salt" here.


Also, just on personal experience, the OP seems more like scaremongering than anything. I moved to India three years ago. Everything here uses cane sugar. HFCS is basically unknown. I went through no withdrawals, despite the huge amount of HFCS I was getting in the US before the move (processed foods and sodas, mainly). Yes, it's bad, but hardly in the same class as cocaine.

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My bad, I'm glad to know its MSG, I've read that it is.

Judy

SAPPHIRE said:

IS THAT YOUR PICTURE, NOMIFYLE?????

I spend more time reading labels and matching coupons than really shopping.........but we try to eliminate as many bad additives as possible and save at the same time....all these extreme couponers have nothing on me!!

I do buy a very few things with HFCS.....but I'm looking for alternatives.............

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Yes, that's me.

Its hard to eliminate everything with HFCS and MSG in it, but it is possible. One thing I was having trouble finding with out HFCS was sweet pickle relish, but I did find a good size jar without it at the health food store. Its worth the price, I don't use much but I do like it in tuna and chicken salad.

Judy

High Fructose Corn Syrup Addictive Like Cocaine, Says Researcher

This could be why I get violent when someone tries to take my gobstoppers away.

I definitely agree with the drug comparison. Getting the sugar out of my diet was the hardest part of losing weight for me. I had AWFUL cravings for months. Just smelling candy would make me crave it. Now that my body has adjusted to the change, and I've lost a bunch of weight, I don't really miss it. If I do have something sweet, which I rarely do anymore, I don't crave it like I used to.

Sugar is sugar. Whether from corn or cane or beets or honey. The food industry puts it in a lot of off-the-shelf foods these days that don't need it. The key is to eat simple basic, home-cooked stuff from basic ingredients. Meat (not injected with flavorings), basic dairy and eggs, vegetables, fresh fruit, and bread in which you can control the amount (if) any of sugar added.

That is way too much work and planning for most people in the U.S. today. But it IS the way people in this country ate up until about 40 years ago.

Scotto said:

New Log Cabin syrup. Billed as "All Natural," well look at the ingredients.

"Natural Flavors" is MSG.

I was at the local China mart today, and I looked and looked at their bakery items and everything I picked up had MSG in it. Donuts, coffee cakes, cookies, etc. And not just the bakery itself but also in the bread isle, brands as Entemans, etc.

MSG is known to be addictive. In a country where obesity is a huge problem and growing, and diabetes is therefore going up through the roof as well, they've got to put MSG in bakery items?

THIS IS SICK.

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Don't buy Frankenfood products. Log Cabin makes products from chemicals, not from the tree, so I would never assume any product they put out was "all natural" no matter what it said. There are just certain companies that I know right from looking at them that they would never put out an "all natural" product, no matter what the label said it was.

Have you ever seen the cans of spray Pam or cooking sprays. They say "100% fat free". Uh, the whole can is fat, how can that be? Because the FDA allows anything under 1% Fat per serving to be labeled fat free. So what did they do...? They put the "serving size" on the back of the can as 1/3 of a second for a "spray". Who sprays for a third of a second?

Lies and deciet. Don't trust labels.




If it doesn't say 100% pure maple syrup, and that is the only thing on the ingredient list, I don't use it.

If it didn't have a mother, or grow from the earth, don't eat it.

WalknTrot said:

Sugar is sugar. Whether from corn or cane or beets or honey. The food industry puts it in a lot of off-the-shelf foods these days that don't need it. The key is to eat simple basic, home-cooked stuff from basic ingredients. Meat (not injected with flavorings), basic dairy and eggs, vegetables, fresh fruit, and bread in which you can control the amount (if) any of sugar added.

That is way too much work and planning for most people in the U.S. today. But it IS the way people in this country ate up until about 40 years ago.

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Basically this is true, but corn and beet sugar is GMO and it reacts differently in you body than cane sugar, honey actually has health benefits.

Judy

It's not hard to eliminate either HFCS or MSG. Allergies to both in this house. I kept on drinking sodas for a while and then found that the preservatives were linked to Parkinsons. I didn't have to do anything - my body decided that soda didn't taste good anymore. To me it now tastes like battery acid. But yeah you'll go through a withdrawal period. A year or so later we eliminated caffeine. It's not a hard diet to follow once you make the decision to do so.