File under ridiculous. Florida lawmakers target chocolate milk.

[madfloridian]

It was actually stuck in the budget proposal. Just silly stuff when so much serious stuff is going on.

Limiting state funds for high fructose corn syrup products.

In the middle of debating a $65 billion budget on Thursday, Rep. Juan Zapata, R-Miami, decided to add a provision that would prohibit "school districts' use of state funds provided for the school lunch and school breakfast programs from purchasing jellies, sauces, or liquids containing high fructose corn syrup."

Zapata said the result would be chocolate milk, ketchup and other liquids and jellies sold with sugar rather than less healthy corn syrup that, Zapata said, was derived from the same feed corn fed to cattle.

Zapata, who has been battling the use of corn syrup for years, said the average American consumes 42 pounds of the dangerous compound each year.

"I just find this kind of hard to believe, that we are going to micromanage something like chocolate milk," said Rep. Faye Culp, R-Tampa.

The ban was added to the House's $65 billion budget proposal.

I agree with Faye Culp.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Fake headline... they target CORN SYRUP

Corn syrup is poison. The chocolate milk bullshit is a political red herring because Republicans can't argue with the science, hence the propagandistic framing.

[Bill McBlueState]

22. even the tiny excerpt in the OP

shows that Republicans are on both sides of the issue, so your characterization is overly simplistic.

edit/typo

[Cronus Protagonist]

30. Yeah, sorry about that

I'll write a book next time and I'll post it in chapters. And the headline is still not accurate.

[dorkulon]

2. Trivializing a serious issue.

American kids are too fat. They really are. I like chocolate milk too, but then again I'm fat.

Although I still haven't heard a decent answer as to why HFCS is any worse for people than cane sugar.

[Lorien]

5. It spikes insulin levels in a way that cane sugar does not

From personal experience as someone with severe hypoglycemia that HFCS can have an extremely dramatic effect on blood sugar. I can eat baked goods made with sugar, but the same product made with HFCS will drench me in sweat and cause extreme dizziness. My grandmother used to faint from the stuff. I don't know why it does what it does, but I avoid it at all costs!

[anigbrowl]

7. Right, I support the (proposing) lawmaker in this one

If the state of Florida is paying for school lunches there's no need to subsidize HFCS manufacturers. It's not abut chocolate milk, it's about state-sponsored food being good for kids.

[Lorien]

3. It sounds like he's OK with chocolate milk that's made with sugar

just not HFCS...or maybe I'm reading this incorrectly. I'm also not a fan of HFCS; if I consume anything with it as a prominent ingredient it throws me into a hypoglycemic fit. I become drenched with sweat and nearly faint. Sugar doesn't do that-only HFCS. My grandmother had the same problem so I know that it's not just me! I often wonder if I became intolerant to it because my mother purchased so many cheap foods that contained it when I was a kid . think that Zapata is simply trying to curb the obesity and diabetes epidemic among children, which wouldn't be a bad thing-though there are far more pressing issues for Florida's schools.

[SoCalDem]

17. why even HAVE choc milk at school.. regular milk or water should be plenty

Choc milk costs more, and has extra calories that most kids do not need.. kid doesn't like milk?...drink water..

HFCS should be BANNED from EVERYTHING

when did we decide that everything MUST be sweet?

[Egnever]

4. Why mislead with the headline?

It clearly wasn't chocolate milk she was after.

[pnwmom]

6. He's targeting high fructose corn syrup, which is a perfectly good goal.

You might want to do some research on it.

School districts purchase a lot of food, and a bill like this could well influence food producers away from HFCS and back to sugar -- which is actually healthier.

[tkmorris]

8. Love ya Mad, but I think HFCS is a good target

It might be worthwhile to note though that Ms. Culp is from South Florida, home to much sugar cane manufacturing. I'm sure there is a connection.

[pnwmom]

14. Although why would Culp support HFCS manufacturers when she's in a sugar state?

[dysfunctional press]

9. you and faye culp are completely wrong- and your headline is a lie.

they are targeting hfcs(and rightfully so), NOT chocolate milk.

grow some comprehension.

[kristopher]

10. Why it's bad - Fm journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

Public release date: 25 ­Mar ­2009
< | E­mail Article >
Contact: Adriaan Klinkenberg
[e-mail]
31 ­204 ­852 ­456
Elsevier
Fructose metabolism by the brain increases food intake and obesity
Increase in consumption of high fructose sweeteners raises concerns
Amsterdam, 25 March 2009 ­ The journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ybbrc ) (BBRC),
published by Elsevier, will publish an important review this week online, by M. Daniel Lane and colleagues at Johns Hopkins, building on the
suggested link between the consumption of fructose and increased food intake, which may contribute to a high incidence of obesity and Type 2
diabetes.
Over the past four decades life ­styl es have gravi tated toward the excessi ve consumpti on of ' hi gh energy' foods and sedentary behavi or that has
resulted in a high incidence of obesity and its pathological consequences. This scenario has led to the increased occurrence of insulin resistance and
Type 2 diabetes. At present, approximately thirty percent of adult Americans can be classified as obese. Moreover, these changes now extend into
the younger age group.
M. Daniel Lane and co ­workers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore have now pulled together work, largely in their
laboratory (many papers beginning in 2000), dealing with the role of malonyl ­CoA in the signaling system in the brain (specifically the hypothalamus)
that has inputs into the higher brain centers that determine feeding behavior, most notably appetite. Two papers in the journal PNAS in 2007 and
2008 showed that glucose and fructose act quite differently in the brain (hypothalamus) ­ glucose decreasing food intake and fructose increasing
food intake. Both of these sugars signal in the brain through the malonyl ­CoA signaling pathway and have inverse effects on food intake.
Lane commented: "We feel that these findings may have particular relevance to the massive increase in the use of high fructose sweeteners (both
high fructose corn syrup and table sugar) in virtually all sweetened foods, most notably soft drinks. The per capita consumption of these sweeteners
in the USA is about 145 lbs/year and is probably much higher in teenagers/youth that have a high level of consumption of soft drinks. There is a
large literature now that correlates, but does not prove that a culprit in the rise of teenage obesity may be fructose."
The fact that fructose metabolism by the brain increases food intake and obesity risk raises health concerns in view of the large and increasing per
capita consumption of high fructose sweeteners, especially by youth.
###

Notes to Editors:
The article, appearing in Volume 382/1 (print edition: coverdate April 24) is available on ScienceDirect at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.02.145 , copies of the full text are available to members of the media by contacting the Elsevier press office,
[e-mail] .
About Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC)
BBRC is the premier international journal devoted to the very rapid dissemination of timely and significant experimental results in diverse fields of
biological research. Articles are reviewed within 2 weeks and appear online in PubMed a week after acceptance, making this the fastest journal in
the life sciences.

[murielm99]

11. Thank you for this post.

I was driving home a few days ago, and heard a piece on NPR that tried to explain how there was no difference between the effects of HFCS and cane sugar on the body or on our health. I knew that I had read otherwise, and I meant to go home and google it. I was busy, and did not remember to look.

NPR drives me insane sometimes. They present propaganda in a subtle way, with a mocking, know-it-all attitude.

Did anyone else catch that piece on NPR? I can't even remember which show played that segment. That's what I get for posting while tired.

[MADem]

12. Bush has ruined NPR.

It used to be a propaganda arm for the left, and though that was nice for our team, it wasn't fair, either. Now in what apparently is an act of sheer revenge, it's Little RNC Central.

I wish they'd all--networks and cables, too--just go back to straight-down-the-middle, fact-based reporting. If there were opinions to be had, on any side of an issue, air them all.

[bobburgster]

13. Oh yes!

I so miss just regular reporting....."Just the facts Mam, just the facts."

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. "both high fructose corn syrup and table sugar"

That study isn't saying that sugar is OK; it classifies it as another high fructose sweetener (it is 50% fructose; HFCS is about 55%).

[cpompilo]

15. Another reason to avoid HFCS

http://www.grist.org/article/Some-heavy-metal-with-that-sweet-roll-

[tanyev]

16. But I'll bet he's not in favor of lifting the ban on Cuban sugar.

Or raising the limits on Canadian sugar. Because it would take a cheaper supply of sugar to get manufacturers to change how they make their products. Not to mention the thugs and goons the HFCS lobby will surely employ to prevent anyone cutting in to their market share.

[Retrograde]

33. or moving the Iowa caucus to,say, June

so the influences of mid-Western agribusiness on the national political process will be abated - a bit. As long as there's a corn lobby they will work to prevent cheap cane and beet sugar to preserve their own interests.

[Laelth]

19. HFCS is bad. Increases appetite and makes people eat more.

BigAg knows what it's doing. It adds HFCS to increase consumption of the products it produces, and I think they're fully aware of the results and are just burying the evidence (just as cigarette companies knew about the health effects of their products and the increasing addictiveness provided by added chemicals, but they buried the evidence).

Consider these:

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/high_fructose_corn_syrup_makes_your_brain_crave_food/

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/how_high_fructose_corn_syrup_causes_obesity/

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I agree with Rep. Zapata (R) in this case.

:dem:

-Laelth

[dkofos]

20. I filed the headline under ridiculous.

[madfloridian]

21. The story title in the article: "Lawmakers Target Chocolate Milk."

I just thought this was funny and odd.

I have not researched high fructose corn syrup.

I do not know or care because because I don't imagine big cane sugar growers would mind the helping hand in the legislature.

Is it really so dangerous that our legislature will ban it while allowing real estate developers to take over the state?

Should I use irony, sarcasm, what?

I never cease to be amazed here at DU anymore.

[Dr.Phool]

25. I'm amazed that you're still amazed!

:hi:

[lame54]

23. nice spin...

the bill targets corn syrup and the repug claims it targets chocolate milk

[madfloridian]

24. So glad to see FL Legislators ignoring severe issues in this state...

while taking sides between corn and cane growers.

:shrug:

[depakid]

26. The way Florida's legislature behaves, it's impressive that they're even doing one rational thing

regardless of the motivation.

[madfloridian]

27. So it's a proven fact? Cane good? Corn not? I don't know haven't researched.

Just find it ridiculous it would happen in a bill this important.

Kind of surprised others did not catch the ridiculous nature of it.

[depakid]

29. High frustose corn syrup is one of the factors in the obesity epidemic

I'm happy to see any legislation/regulation that limits its useage.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. Next up: chemtrails that mysteriously radiate from Florida's airport.

[MyUserNameIsBroken]

31. It should be noted:

Florida grows a lot more sugar cane than it grows corn. That's not saying HFCS isn't bad news, just that in this particular case the motivation may be less than pure.

Then again, if the right thing happens for the wrong reason, at least it happens.

[madfloridian]

32. Sugar cane growers have great power here.

They did great harm to the Everglades while the legislature turned a blind eye.

I just assumed people would see in this post NOT a discussion about cane and corn sugar, but about the priorities of the legislature here.

They can not even get around to the jobless claims on their ancient 1972 computer. But they can regulate chocolate milk.

I am tossing my hands in the air.