Mercury contaminates high fructose corn syrup

Statesville R&L ^ | February 19, 2009 | Julie Whittington

[neverdem]

High fructose corn syrup is not as sweet as it may seem, as recent research and new publications have reported this past week. Products containing the sweetener, which I have encouraged consumers to avoid in prior articles, were recently tested for mercury contamination. Yes, that's right — mercury.

Apparently, the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made by a process through which contamination with mercury can occur. The caustic soda that removes the corn starch from the kernel has been done for decades by mercury-grade caustic soda. Unfortunately, the mercury can end up in the HFCS. While most processing plants do not use the mercury-grade caustic soda anymore, some still do. And, it is impossible to know which HFCS has been contaminated without testing.

However, in 2003, when the EPA identified that seven tons of mercury were missing from each of the eight U.S. plants still using the mercury-grade process in the year 2000, investigators jumped on the case. As a side note, while there are eight U.S. plants still using the outdated process, there are 50 plants worldwide.

So testing is what they did. Actually, the USDA tested 20 samples of HFCS in 2005. The results showed that nine of the samples contained mercury. However, the FDA failed to inform consumers of this finding. And, here, four years later with Americans consuming on average 12 teaspoons of HFCS per day and teenagers consuming potentially up to 80 percent more than that, where are we? A nation full of individuals who may be affected by hidden mercury in their foods.

Additionally, new research released last week by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brandname food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeled ingredient. Some products were by popular brands like Quaker, Hershey's, Kraft and Smucker's. Are you reading your food labels?

If you know that mercury is a neurotoxin, deemed not safe at any level — and especially dangerous to children, pregnant women and their fetuses — does it send a chill down your spine? It does mine. This evidence gives new light to the idea that mercury is a more significant health threat than before. And, I wonder, does this have any influence on conditions like autism? I mean, we fret about not giving our children vaccines that contain thimerosol (a preservative containing a very small amount of mercury that the FDA has deemed safe) — but this is something even bigger in my mind.

So, what can you do? First of all, read food labels. While much of the HFCS produced in the U.S. is made now with mercury-free technology (in fact, the FDA allows HFCS to be called "natural"), not all of it is. Likely, many brands will now conduct their own product testing and begin to market their products as mercury-free.

Also, pay attention to health news and updates to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Finally, encourage legislation like the one that then-Sen. Barack Obama introduced to Congress in 2007 that would ban mercury-grade processing by 2012. We cannot afford to ignore this information.

For more information, visit the following Web sites:

• http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/much_high_fructose_corn_syrup_contaminated_with_mercury_new_study_finds/

• http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2

[rmh47]

Every sample tested had mercury in it. I guarantee that. Every glass of water anyone drinks has mercury in it. So does the food we eat, even if it's only a few atoms. Most people do not understand the "fineness" of matter. Saying there is "no safe concentration" of mercury (or arsenic, or any other material) is ridiculous.

Whether it's safe or not depends on the amount of mercury consumed and how, or if, it is compounded with other elements.

Judging from your comments, you guys know this already, but the scaremongers will use it on a public generally ignorant of science for their own purposes.

[KarlInOhio]

Check the big brands around Passover if you live in an area with a large Jewish population. I don't even pretend to understand Kosher rules, but Coke and Pepsi with cane sugar are produced to follow them during Passover.

Also Pepsi is coming back with Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback with cane sugar sometime this year.

[Cyropaedia]

I don’t see that at the Targets where I shop. I get the cane sugar Coke in the glass bottles at Costco for 18.95 ( 24 pack ).

[Yaelle]

Yes, we are Jewish, and some Jews will avoid corn ( we do as well but not all do) during Passover. So they make some of the big name soft drinks with cane sugar instead, and it is probably in many big city supermarkets right now.

[neverdem]

The Statesville R&L: I lived in Iredell County [NC] and this rag was refered to as the ‘Refuse and Landfill’.

Even the NY Times can have really good health & science articles.

The threat of mercury is another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup(HFCS), even if the public is ignorant of the various toxicities of various mercury compounds.

I used to think what's the big deal with HFCS? Both fructose and glucose are 6 carbon sugars and have the same amount of calories. That was until I read some papers describing de novo lipogenesis when fructose is metabolized.

According to Maureen Storey, Ph.D., CFNAP director and a member of the study team, there are three types of HFCS products (HFCS-55, HFCS-42, and HFCS-90), but only HFCS-55 and HFCS-42 are commonly used as sweeteners. HFCS-90 is mainly used in the production of HFCS-55, but is seldom directly added to foods and beverages. The composition of HFCS-55 (55% fructose and 42% glucose) is very similar to that of sucrose (50% fructose and 50% glucose). HFCS-42 (42% fructose and 53% glucose) actually contains less fructose than sucrose does.

HFCS-55 is used mainly in beverages, such as carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks; HFCS-42 is used to sweeten a wide variety of foods.

If you can understand the biochemistry, then you'll have an idea about the obesity epidemic with the consumption of soft drinks. What do parents do when they want their kids to do something. Physical threats are long gone. Bribing their kids with sweetened soft drinks is one of the few options left.

Fructose, insulin resistance, and metabolic dyslipidemia

One protein mediates damage from high-fructose diet

The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup - The Science Behind the Sweetener

Fructose consumption as a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

FReepmail me if you want on or off the diabetes ping list.

[rmh47]

The threat of mercury is another reason to avoid high fructose corn syrup(HFCS), even if the public is ignorant of the various toxicities of various mercury compounds.

There may be many valid reasons to avoid HFCS, mercury among them, but that can not be determined from the article posted.

[Nipfan]

You know I meant “live”. It would be lovely if we could correct mistakes rather than have them there in perpetuity!

[Ditter]

I don't eat anything with corn in it because it gives me a headache, I am very allergic to it but there are a few soft drinks on the market that use cane syrup. I bought some Jones Rootbeer yesterday that is made with cane sugar, there were a couple of others but I can't remember their names.

[Excellence]

At Target they are shelved individually and not in six-packs. They’re packed in glass not plastic, and look like the bottles we used to buy out of the vending machines.

[neverdem]

There may be many valid reasons to avoid HFCS, mercury among them, but that can not be determined from the article posted.

I post stories as I find them. My undergraduate major was chemistry. I worked over a few years in a quality control lab. I had no idea that there was mercury-grade caustic soda.

"The caustic soda that removes the corn starch from the kernel has been done for decades by mercury-grade caustic soda."

There's always something new to learn.

[Mase]

This is bad reporting at its worse. From what I know about the report on mercury in HFCS from the IATP, they randomly selected 55 products from store shelves representing the top branded retail food products in each category. They had an array of beverages, flavored milks, dressings, canned and frozen foods, ice cream, confections and more.

They measured only for total mercury and the limit of detection was set from 20-100 ppt. The mercury found ranged anywhere from the LOD up to 350 ppt. As a reference, salmon is allowed to contain 190,000 ppt of mercury ( I believe this is methymercury which is more toxic than mercury). Of course, we don't know what kind of mercury they found in HFCS but, since mercury is found in the air, water and soil, this seems to be more ado about nothing from chemophobic activists. Did these studies compare the amounts of mercury found in HFCS to those typically found in foods that don't contain HFCS? Shoddy reporting or shoddy research?

It is also important to note that the IATP found little or no mercury in beverages. Only three of the 19 beverages tested had amounts of mercury above the LOD. Mercury was most common in dairy products and dressings. Why would they find a high prevalence of mercury in dairy and dressings but little or no mercury in beverages? The report also shows they found detectable mercury in just 17 of 55 samples. This differs from the USDA finding detectable mercury in 20 out of 50 samples.

Since little or no detectable mercury was found in beverages, and beverages account for the majority of HFCS consumption (5.3 million short tons for beverages vs. a total of 9.3 million short tons consumed), you have to wonder what the agenda is for those crying danger. There are a lot of agendas out there and the demonzation of HFCS has become very popular. You can find all sorts of toxins when you're looking for them in parts per trillion. One only needs to look at the alarm created by the toxic terrorists when they found benzene in soft drinks. Of course, the issue died when someone pointed out that anyone living in or near a big city would get many times more benzene from just breathing.

[SunkenCiv]

from mid-February.

Oh, no! We’d better not burn all our food!!! /sarc

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[tubebender]

Holy Corn Crib Batman!!! I knew HFCS was bad crap but now this?

[tubebender]

This is why we need to stop subsidising sugar so we can start eating real food again. And Coke would taste as good up north as it does in Mexico.

Absolutely...