Your diet plays a major role in activating or suppressing the inflammation responsible for autoimmune diseases like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Fibromyalgia. I can't stress this enough. For that and other reasons that will be discussed shortly, I would like you to start thinking in terms of: “Is what I'm swallowing making me healthier or sicker?” There is little if any neutral ground. Just about anything you put into your mouth will have a negative or positive consequence on your autoimmune condition. It is as if everything that you swallow is sending a signal to your immune system to either cause more inflammation or less.

Corn is a food that sends a signal to the immune system to produce more inflammation in the body. Studies have shown that corn can irritate patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) suggests corn should be avoided because it can aggravate Fibromyalgia.

Besides promoting inflammation, corn has been called the leading cause of chronic food addiction in this century. To give you an idea of how powerful the addiction can be, all cigarettes made in the U.S. since World War I have contained added sugars, usually from corn. Do you think the cigarette companies chose corn syrup for the great taste it adds to their products?

Corn syrup (fructose) is cheap and twice as sweet as cane sugar. In 1994, the average person ate 83 pounds of fructose. Corn syrup causes an increase in blood lactic acid, especially in people with diabetes. Fructose from corn syrup inhibits copper metabolism and decreases mineral availability, two substantial factors in autoimmunity. Fructose also breaks down into a substance that weakens your body’s natural anti-inflammatory molecules. The body does not metabolize fructose the same as other sugars. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. Corn fructose certainly isn’t the diabetic-friendly and harmless sugar substitute that it is advertised to be.

Those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia should avoid all sources of corn for a one-month period to see if their condition improves.