CORBIN — When I wrote a column about “high fructose corn syrup” for the Lexington Herald in 2008, there was limited information on the Internet about the sweetener, except to say that it was one of the main causes of diabetes and obesity in young children — and a few more pertinent notes to say that high fructose corn syrup is found to be toxic to the pancreas in laboratory studies. Nevertheless, I got plenty of feedback from the corn syrup industry — denying its toxicity.

This morning, I came across a 2008 magazine about healthy living called  “First,” with an article without a byline, called “Discovered!” A common sweetener prevents slimming. The culprit is high fructose corn syrup. Scientists have now confirmed that even a small amount of the corn sweetener, an additive found in at least 70 percent of prepackaged foods, can impair the body’s appetite suppressing hormones, making weight loss nearly impossible, the article said.

It went on to say: “HFCS is a mind-boggling common sweetener, yet one of the most toxic chemicals in our food supply,” maintains Gerard E. Mullin. M.D., director of integrative GI Nutrition Services at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Indeed, it has a devastating impact on human physiology. Among the problems: “It is made from corn, a highly allergenic substance,” says Dr. Mullin. “Plus, it significantly disrupts the function of the liver and pancreas, organs that control weight by metabolizing fatty acids and regulating blood sugars.”

Mullin went on to say that “repeat exposure to HFCS triggers a health-sapping cycle.” Eventually, even a single large dose of HFCS can trigger energy shock in the liver — a sudden severe drop in the organ’s function, and that can impact dozens of bodily systems.

The study of high fructose corn syrup goes back to the 1960s when the weight of the average American began to climb and when food manufacturers started swapping good old-fashioned sugar for the man-made, cheap sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). As more of the sweetener was introduced into the diet, Americans’ weight began to balloon. Children became fatter and fatter at a younger age. Diabetes in the young was on the rise.

With more studies, the findings set off a firestorm in the science community. Some experts were trying to prove, while others were striving to disprove the results. But with debates raging, HFCS continues to infiltrate our bodies. It is now in pre-packaged foods, even “health” foods like granola bars, yogurt, whole-wheat bread; the foods that we rely on to help us lose weight. And I ask, Where is the FDA on this subject? Do they really care? Health conscious women probably consume 62 pounds of HFCS each year, according to the USDA.

The “First” magazine article tells us the surefire way to begin to slim down is to eat foods with no HFCS. It calls HFCS a health nightmare that is a metabolic poison, raising the risk of disease. It raises blood pressure levels and causes inflammatory uric acid to spike. It ages the liver and reduces its ability to detoxify the body and break down fats. It hurts the memory and it makes the skin sag and hurts the pancreas which can cause diabetes.

High fructose corn syrup is not just corn. It has been chemically altered in the lab and has become toxic to the human body.

The annual consumption of HFCS has jumped from 1/2 pound per person in 1970 to 62 pounds per year per person in 1990, as they inadvertently eat foods that contain the sweetener. Catsup, cookies, barbecue sauce, breads crackers, soda pop — and hundreds of other foods.

Since the food supply continues to be flooded with high fructose corn syrup, more than 31 percent of the population is obese (fat). And they have a difficult time losing even a small amount of that weight... because of HFCS. Look it up!

Shirley Caudill of London is a former newspaper editor/publisher and longtime freelance columnist. She is a Nashville native who has lived in Kentucky 40 years. She has six children, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and is married to a retired Army First Sergeant. She can be reached at gunnstar4912@gmail.com