Four Words, One Big Problem

I'm sure that i have already touched upon the general size of the American waistline over here (or the fact that most people fall into either the 'very health conscious' or the 'rather overweight' category). Indeed, even if haven't, i'm pretty certain that a lot of us are already aware of this particular American stereotype (it sits well alongside the high pitched highly vocal american, and the banjo twanging redneck). What I may not have touched upon are possible reasons for such obesity. A lot of readers may well have seen 'Super Size Me' - the fantastic documentary about the fast food business in the US and, basically, how a hell of a lot of people eat it regularly (even though it clearly isn't good for you). But fast food is just one symptom of a larger problem. Having discussed it with a lot of friends, one thing we came up with is the fact that there is a LOT of corn produced in the States and this is not a good thing. For one thing, a lot of cows get fed corn as it's cheap - meaning that the good ol' steak that many people indulge in over here are rather more fatty than if the animals had been fed on grass like they're SUPPOSED to be. And through this rather roundabout way, we come to the other main problem with too much corn. Those four words: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Y'see, all this excess corn gets made into our four-worded friend above and this is used very liberally in food. What makes things worse is the complete lack of regulation of food labelling in the US meaning that we have all these foods with '0g Fat (usually with a small 'trans' in front meaning that there is still other fat in it' or 'reduced sugar' and when you actually look at the ingredients, High Fructose Corn Syrup is very high on the list. Thus, all these customers who believe they're actually eating well, are in fact eating something just as bad (if not worse). You see, high fructose corn syrup is essentially like eating sugar. When it gets in the bloodstream, HFCS stimulates a big release of insulin (as does glucose) in order to regulate levels in the blood. A consequence of this, is that it gets converted into fatty acids quicker in the liver, and studies have suggested that it increases adipose tissue in mice, as well as possibly increasing risk for cardiovascular disease as well. In terms of appetite, the excess of insulin means that you end up feeling hungry again pretty quickly. And the trouble is that HFCS is EVERYWHERE - on a recent shopping trip, I had a browse out of curiosity and I was hard pushed to find at least one item without HFCS (out of the various things I bought). So when a culprit like HFCS is everywhere, is it any wonder that obesity is still everywhere.

Disclaimer: Of course, aside from diet, i haven't mentioned the fact that a lot of Americans drive everywhere, or sometimes use golf carts instead of walking, and often view exercise with immense distrust. Aside from the health freaks of course.