The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change the name of HFCS to a less controversial name like “Corn Sugar.” The FDA has another one to two  months to approve or deny the change, but no matter what they call it, the facts about HFCS still remain the same.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener containing 40 to 90 percent fructose and a carbohydrate extract from corn. Just because this sweetener is extracted from corn doesn’t make it any healthier than ordinary table sugar. Syrups are really sugar concentrates and one tablespoon of syrup, corn or maple, contains about twice the amount of calories as a tablespoon of granulated sugar. While syrups do contain traces of a few minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and sodium, they essentially have the same nutritional value as sugar.

HFCS is cheap to produce and is the most popular sweetener for beverages, juices, cereals, crackers, bread, condiments, packaged meals and more! It’s popularity as a sweetener in many foods has resulted in many people unknowingly consuming excess amounts of simple carbohydrate sugars that are detrimental to their health.

Excess sugar depresses immunity. Studies have shown that downing 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about 20 teaspoons of sugar, or the amount that is contained in two average 12-ounce sodas) can suppress the body’s immune responses. Simple sugars, including glucose, table sugar, fructose, and honey caused a fifty- percent drop in the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacteria. In contrast, ingesting a complex carbohydrate solution (starch) did not lower the ability of these white blood cells to engulf bacteria. The immune suppression was most noticeable two hours post-ingestion, but the effect was still evident five hours after ingestion. This research has practical implications, especially for teens and college students who tend to overdose on sodas containing caffeine and sugar while studying for exams or during periods of stress. Stress also suppresses immunity, so these sugar-users are setting themselves up to get sick at a time when they need to be well.

If the FDA approves the name change it may take another 12 to 18 months for the name to appear on food labels. However, if it does, keep an eye out for this sugar that is in many of the foods available everywhere!