The lowdown on high-fructose corn syrup and your liver

Jose Andres, the chef who runs World Central Kitchen, has delivered more than 30,000 meals to Ukrainian families in need. And he makes sure it’s nutritious. “As a chef and father,” he’s said, “it kills me that children are fed processed foods, fast food clones, foods loaded with preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup.”

High-fructose corn syrup is in our spotlight today. It’s a sweetener made from cornstarch that’s manipulated so it becomes a super-sweet fructose. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can trigger insulin resistance, obesity, gout, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure -- and increase the liver’s production of cholesterol. Plus, it’s super-harmful to your blood vessels, immune system and brain.

Now a study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting reveals it’s a major trigger for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects 24% of U.S. adults. NAFLD is caused by excessive buildup of fat in the liver and can lead to cirrhosis.

There are no medications approved for NAFLD -- it’s up to you to adopt habits that keep your liver healthy. That means eliminating Hfcs-laden, processed and packaged foods, like soda, candy, ice cream, ketchup, jelly, processed meats, crackers and some bread. And ditching foods with HFCS that you might think are good for you: some instant oatmeal, peanut butters and flavored yogurts. I also recommend getting 10,000 steps a day and 30 minutes of resistance exercises a week to keep your liver livin’ the good life. Check out the book “Skinny Liver” for more helpful tips.