King corn (syrup)

I recently started watching an interesting documentary on NetFlix called "King Corn." In it, two guys from Boston relocate to Iowa to plant corn on a one-acre plot of land they purchase. I admit to only watching about half of the film (though I do intend on finishing it), but even from that much viewing I learned a great deal about this vegetable of the moment.

Despite corn's apparent meteoric rise to fame, due in large part to its use in the production of ethanol, it has actually been quite popular and widely-used for some time. Apart from it being eaten as-is, corn has sneakily become part of almost all of our diets. For example, in the documentary, one of the filmmakers asks that a scientist perform an analysis of his hair. To his surprise, the scientist found high traces of corn. How could that be, wondered the filmmaker, as this test was performed before he moved to Iowa to grow his crop. The answer: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

This sweetener is found in a number of items found in supermarkets; from soda to candy, breads to condiments. In short, the stuff is everywhere, and we've been eating it for far longer -- and in greater amounts -- that most of us realize. So, what does this mean for our health? Well, if a new study out of (ironically) the University of Iowa is correct, it means that high amounts of fructose may cause symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This supports a great deal of evidence from other studies on fructose, as well as a lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) against Cadbury Schweppes for labeling 7-Up as "All Natural" or "100% Natural", despite containing high-fructose corn syrup.