We all know that soda isn't healthy, but that doesn't always stop us from drinking it! Why?

We all know that soda isn't healthy, but that doesn't always stop us from drinking it.

But it turns out that when you really crave a Coke or Pepsi, and give in (despite your better judgment) it isn't your fault.

You see, those sodas (and most others) contain an additive that's addictive -- as addictive as cocaine!

And like that drug, it has effects on the brain. Effects that make you want more and more. You never get satisfied.

That's what research has already proven about high fructose corn syrup.

Of course, we all know that HFCS is bad stuff. But it turns out that the kind that's being put in sodas, and probably other foods, is even worse. It's not only addictive, but can make you pack on the pounds and up your risk for diabetes -- big time.

It's like HFCS on steroids...


A sweet poison


Dr. Francesco Leri is a neuroscience professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. He had a theory about food addiction, and when he put it to the test, he was shocked at what he discovered.

He got some high fructose corn syrup and mixed it with water in three different concentrations. And then he let his lab rats press a lever to have as much as they wanted.

He found that the rats craved the higher amounts. And the bigger the dose of HFCS they got, the more the rats behaved like drug addicts. They would work harder and harder to get their "fix."

"It's exactly what you notice with drug abuse," he said. "HFCS has effects that are beyond the sweetness in the mouth...effects on the brain."

And HFCS is not just bad news for rat brains.

Last year researchers tested people with large amounts of fructose in beverages. They found that when people are "high" on all that fructose they also don't know when to stop eating. They acted just like Dr. Leri's rats did.

Now, this will make perfect sense when you hear what Big Food is doing.

And the FDA isn't moving a muscle to stop it.

Food companies are secretly adding super high, dangerous amounts of fructose to drinks -- spiking HFCS to the point where it has even more fructose than FDA rules allow!

And this big fructose punch is probably in some "diet" and "light" foods too. One company that makes HFCS, Archer Daniels Midland, even advertises a super-strength version called HFCS 90. That's 90 percent fructose! And it says it's the "ideal choice for reduced calorie foods."

Dr. Michael Goran, of the Childhood Obesity Research Center at the University of Southern California, tested a bunch of popular sodas that listed HFCS as the sweetener.

What he found when he analyzed 34 popular drinks -- like Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Sprite -- was a "fructose-intense concoction that could increase one's risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease."

Alarmed, Goran said that people aren't "designed to process this form of sugar at such high levels."

He said that all that fructose "is processed almost entirely in the liver where it is converted to fat."

And that can make you a sitting duck for diabetes. Stay Informed!