Warning: Your Soft Drinks and Favorite Snacks
May be Loaded With Toxic Mercury
© 2017 Health Realizations, Inc. Updated

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has replaced sugar in many processed foods, and is now found in soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, breads, cereals, lunch meats, soup, condiments, yogurt and much, much more.

The sweetener, which has been linked to everything from obesity and accelerated bone loss to increased levels of triglycerides, has gotten bad press before, but perhaps none as alarming as that from two new studies.

After testing samples of commercial HFCS, researchers found nearly half of the samples contained mercury.

The first study, published in Environmental Health, found mercury in nine out of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. The second study, conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeled
Ingredient -- including products by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s.

Mercury was most prevalent in HFCS-containing dairy products, followed by dressings and condiments, according to the IATP study.

How Does Mercury Get Into HFCS?

To make HFCS, caustic soda is used to separate corn starch from the corn kernel. For decades, the caustic soda used for this purpose is mercury-grade caustic soda produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants. Because mercury cells are used to produce the caustic soda, it can be contaminated with mercury, and then transfer that mercury contamination to the HFCS.

While most chlorine plants around the world have switched over to mercury-free technologies, four chlor-alkali plants in the United States still use mercury cell technology.

Why is Mercury Dangerous?

Mercury is one of the most toxic elements and is cumulative (meaning it does not pass easily out of your body but instead accumulates there). It is even more neurotoxic than arsenic.

In adults, chronic mercury poisoning as listed in toxicology literature can result in the following symptoms:

• Anger/irritability
• Mood swings
• Mental confusion
• Memory loss
• Insomnia
• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Indigestion
• Tremors

Another of the primary health concerns surrounding mercury pertains to pregnant and nursing women, or women who may become pregnant, as mercury can harm a developing child. One study, for instance, found neuropsychological deficiencies in children who had higher levels of mercury in their cord blood sample, including deficiencies in:

• Language
• Memory
• Attention
• Motor function
• Visual-spatial functions

Recent studies have also found a connection between increased mercury levels and heart disease and depression.

HFCS Use Has Skyrocketed

It’s always concerning when a toxic substance is found in our food supply, but when it’s found in one of the most widely used elements in our food supply it takes the concern to another level.

On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons of HFCS each day; however, teenagers and other high consumers may consume up to 80 percent more than that.

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms,” said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. “Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply.”

How to Avoid HFCS

The first thing to do is to give up all soft drinks and other sweetened beverages that contain it.

But HFCS is in much more than just beverages, so start checking labels meticulously. The vast majority of processed foods contain HFCS -- including products that aren't thought of as "sweet' (like croutons and flavored almond slices for salads).

Sources

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

WashingtonPost.com

Environmental Health 8:2