If you are like many Americans, you want to decrease the amount of belly fat you have. So if there is something that is causing your waistline to expand, you probably want to know about it.

Princeton University recently did a couple of research studies on the effects of high fructose corn syrup on waistlines. Mind you, the experiment was done on rats, but that's normally the way experiments are first done. I could see this potentially being done for humans, but I wouldn't want to be one of the people in the research project. So what did they learn and how can this help you lose your belly fat?

Study #1

First they had two groups consume the same number of calories. One group consumed table sugar and the second group consumed high fructose corn syrup. (1) "High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made by processing corn syrup to increase the level of fructose, usually to between 42% and 55% of the total sugar, with the balance being glucose. It is used extensively as a sweetener in processed foods and soft drinks, particularly soda and baked goods, but it is included also in many foods not normally thought of as sweet foods."

Despite the similarities between the calorie consumption, the group that consumed the high fructose corn syrup had (2) "abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides."

Study #2

To give you a better picture of the changes, when they looked at the long term results, the study found that (2) "animals with access to high fructose corn syrup gained 48% more weight than those eating a normal diet." There were also (2)"characteristic signs of a dangerous condition known as metabolic syndrome, including abnormal weight gain, significant increases in circulation triglycerides and augmented fat deposition, especially visceral fat around the belly." Males seemed to be most affected by this.

The source

So where do you typically find high fructose corn syrup? Many of us know that it's commonly found in soft drinks. Soft drinks are definitely a big problem, but it's not the only place we find high fructose corn syrup.

Common places to find high fructose corn syrup include:

* Fruit juice
* Cereal
* Bread
* Yogurt
* Ketchup
* Mayonnaise

That doesn't sound so bad though, so how much of this stuff do we consume any way? The average American consumes 60 pounds of this sweetener every year. Yes, 60 pounds per person.

Here's one other interesting fact for you. In 1970, around 15% of the population was obese. That year was the year high fructose corn syrup was introduced into the American diet. Today approximately 63% of Americans are overweight.

High fructose corn syrup is definitely a problem and the truth is that it's in more foods that you realize.

Take a look at your pantry and throw away the foods that contain the high fructose corn syrup. When you purchase foods at the grocery store, make sure you only pick the items that have omitted this from their ingredient list. It could make a BIG difference in your waistline.

(1) High Fructose Corn Syrup definition - http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/high-fructose+corn+syrup

(2) Princeton Study - http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/