If you could un-invent something, what would it be?

As a health care provider, my first item to delete from the arsenal of recent invention is high fructose corn syrup. Invented in the 60’s and then mass marketed into the US food chain in the mid-70’s and especialliy the 80’s, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has inundated processed foods across the spectrum for almost 50 years. What is so actractive about this product and why did America fall in love with it and then become consumed by it? 

Like many products we commonly see, the tale of HFCS is not about what is best, brightest or even worthwhile. Success was about what was manipulated best in our system to push profit. A certain political move back in the late 1970’s was touted as a boon for the American sugar industry: quotas were placed on foreign produced sugar, which caused the price to spike here, and natural cane sugar was then more expensive. In the background, a different agenda was at play. Up steps Archer Daniels Midland with the super sweetener that seems way better than cane sugar, and cheaper. It’s a liquid, too, and can easily be added to the vast array of processed foods blanketing the grocery aisle shelves. Then came the move to heavily subsidize corn production in farming, the base ingredient for HFCS, and the price continued to drop, while our appetite for this powerful sweetener ballooned. Popular products began to switch out sugar for HFCS including almost every soft drink, breakfast cereals, fast food items, baked goods (including bread, crackers), yogurt, candies, canned soups and fruit, and juice drinks. Advertising of processed food products literally flooded all forms of media, and America’s sweet tooth was basically played like a well tuned instrument. 

From 1970 though the year 2000, HFCS use in the US increased by over 1000%, while the use of cane sugar decreased by 1/3. Americans were ingesting this manufactured food product with addictive ferocity, which peaked about 10 years ago when we finally figured out that eating this stuff was just not a good idea. What turned on the lights? The diabetes epidemic fuled by obesity. I would argue that this then was fueled in large part by HFCS. 

Would the absence of HFCS make the world a better place? I think yes, it would. Maybe it would have prevented the slippery slope that led to our dependance on processed foods. Maybe more natural products would have remained in place, which cost more and then folks would have stuck to better eating habits. Maybe we wouldn’t have to be dealing with as much diabetes and obesity now, especially among our children. 

The solution then is to get rid of this product: look at the ingredient lists on your food. Stop buying it! Find a product that is natural. Make your own soup, stop drinking soda, and bake at home. Don’t eat out so much, and if you do, avoid fast food. 

Any one of these steps can make a huge difference. I’ve had so many patients literally stop drinking soda, and drink water instead, and find their blood sugars drop as well as their weight. 

I can’t delete this invention from the past, but we can certainly modify our habits in the future, and maybe the food industry in the US would find healthier products to put on our shelves.