A Little Mercury With That?

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used as a sweetener and a preservative. It’s found in a multitude of commercially available foods, from sodas to candy to dairy and baking products. You may already be familiar with reports linking HFCS to diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. However, researchers have recently discovered yet another reason to avoid this artificial sweetener that you may not know about – mercury toxicity.

As reported in Environmental Health journal, “mercury was detected in nine of the twenty samples analyzed” from commercially available food products. The authors concluded,

“Mercury contamination of food products as a result of the use of mercury contaminated HFCS seems like a very real possibility. With daily per capita consumption of HFCS in the US averaging about 50 grams and daily mercury intakes from HFCS ranging up to 28 μg, this potential source of mercury may exceed other major sources of mercury especially in high-end consumers of beverages sweetened with HFCS.”

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy decided to further investigate this possible link. They had dozens of samples, which listed HFCS as a first or second ingredient, analyzed. Mercury was once again detected, this time in “nearly one in three of the 55 HFCS-containing food products.” And you may be surprised to learn that it wasn’t just any products, but some of the “most recognizable brands on supermarket shelves: Quaker, Hunt’s, Manwich, Hershey’s, Smucker’s, Kraft, Nutri-Grain and Yoplait.” Do you eat Quaker Oatmeal to Go? How about Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt?

Mercury is a neurotoxin and can cause symptoms such as tremors, memory loss and headaches. It can damage the kidneys, as well as our respiratory, immune, and endocrine systems. Mercury toxicity has been linked to such diseases as autism, Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s disease. There is no known “safe level” for small children or fetuses.

When contacted to comment, a handful of the implicated companies responded by indicating that the levels found in their foods were below the EPA‘s safe exposure level. Maybe so, but how much is the average North American consuming of that product? We know that “by 2007, the average American consumed an estimated 40 lbs (dry weight) of HFCS each year— roughly 50 grams, or about 12 teaspoons worth each day.” And adolescents and young adults consume significantly more – more like 70 grams or 40% more than the “average” adult. On top of that, we haven’t even taken into account additional sources of exposure, such as from our environment, dental amalgams, fish, etc.

So what can you do to limit your exposure? Well, the easiest thing to do is avoid any products containing high fructose corn syrup (basically packaged or processed foods). Read the labels on the food you buy. Look specifically for those four words. If HFCS is added, it’s likely that that food is highly processed, high in calories, preservatives and added fats. Is it a product you would want to serve your child regardless?

How important is it, really, to slather some Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup over your ice cream or microwave Quaker Oatmeal to Go in order to save the 10 minutes it would take you to cook some real oatmeal for breakfast?