Health Alert: High Fructose Corn Syrup & Mercury

By Jason Hackler, NLTC

We, at Natural Life Therapy Clinic, want to keep you informed of health issues and concerns that may affect us all. A few days ago, January 26th, the HealthDay News came out with a news piece on the following:

According to two US studies almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup contained mercury. Mercury was also found in almost a third of 55 popular brand name food and beverage products where high fructose corn syrup is the first or second ingredient (Washington Post).

High fructose corn syrup in recent years has replaced sugar as a sweetener in many products, such as, cereals, breads, yogurts, soups, lunch meats, condiments and any number of beverages, especially soft drinks. There is already much concern about this over-use and side effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which I'll explain in more depth in the next newsletter. Mercury is part of the natural world, however, overexposure to it can pose a health threat, causing any number of unwanted symptoms.

Please inform yourself as best you can of what you're consuming. High fructose corn syrup is usually found in the ingredient list on labels; mercury, of course, at least presently, is not listed. One solution: avoid most products with high fructose corn syrup – manufacturers use it because it's cheap and has a long shelf life, not because it's good for Your Health.