Sugar seems to be in every food we buy at the grocery, especially packaged, processed foods. Whether it's sugary beverages (including some of those supposedly good-for-you sports beverages), those boxed breakfast cereals with cartoon and animated movie characters to attract kids or even in ketchup and canned vegetables, it's hard to avoid.
Even harder to avoid is table sugar's evil cousin, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It's got such a bad reputation that a couple of years ago the Corn Refiners Association petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be allowed to change its name to "corn sugar," claiming that its long name is what gives consumers a bad impression of it. They were turned down—rightfully—because "sugar" is a solid and "syrup" is a liquid and HFCS is a liquid additive.
And it is in everything. A recent trip to the grocery store revealed that of 15 product labels checked on foods next to the checkout line (where the least nutritious snack foods tend to be pushed), 13 had HFCS. (One that did not, surprisingly, was Kit Kat bars). Why did it become so ubiquitous? If you guessed "because it's cheap," you win! With corn widely grown in the U.S. on an industrial scale, it became more economical to use HFCS to sweeten mass-marketed foods such as snack foods, fast foods and sodas.
Added sugar of any kind isn't something you want to find a lot of in any food you buy. Americans eat far more sugar than is good for them. And while virtually all corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified, making HFCS sure to be a GMO product, table sugar aka sucrose or cane sugar is extracted from beets, another major GMO crop.
But there are reasons why consuming too much HFCS could be even worse than eating too much table sugar. A recent study by University of Utah researchers and scheduled to be published in the March issue of The Journal of Nutrition found that the sugars found in HFCS were more toxic to mice than sucrose. When they fed mice a human-sized dose of either sugar, they observed hat the HFCS-type sugar reduced both the reproductive capacity and lifespan of female mice. Female mice fed fructose-glucose died at 1.87 times the rate of females on the sucrose diet. They produced 26.4 percent fewer offspring.
And while the researchers found no difference in male mice based on the type of sugar they were given, they said it could be that both sugars were equally toxic to the male mice.
"When the diabetes-obesity-metabolic syndrome epidemics started in the mid-’70s, they corresponded with both a general increase in consumption of added sugar and the switchover from sucrose being the main added sugar in the American diet to high-fructose corn syrup making up half our sugar intake," said UU professor Wayne Potts, senior author of the study. “This is the most robust study showing there is a difference between high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar at human-relevant doses.”
So what should you do? One of the other study authors, James Ruff, has an answer.
“Our previous work and plenty of other studies have shown that added sugar in general is bad for your health," he said. "So first, reduce added sugar across the board. Then worry about the type of sugar, and decrease consumption of products with high-fructose corn syrup.”
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!