Corn may be at the root of several problems, but obesity doesn't appear to be one of them. (Creative Commons)

High fructose corn syrup, aspartame, dextrin, sorbic acid, glucosamine, and over 100 other obscurely named ingredients hiding in packaged foods are all made from corn in some capacity.

What health experts and watchdogs are beginning to wonder, however, is how healthy the prevalence of corn can be for our society.

Food Consumption Investigator: Corn Is Unhealthy

Author Michael Pollan is the first to say that our nation’s corn ‘problem’ is severe. His books, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma, have made Pollan one of the leading investigators of American food consumption.

The United States produces almost half of the world’s corn according to the Corn Refiners Association. Yet Pollan argues that despite exportation, we still have far more corn than we need in the U.S. That’s why the plant is made into sweeteners instead of used in its raw natural form properly, says Pollan.

However the Corn Refiners Association also reported that over half of all corn produced in the U.S. is used for livestock feed. With so much corn being fed to cattle and poultry, even meat and eggs have altered nutritional values because of the animals diet.

“It explains why we have to give [cattle] antibiotics, because corn doesn't agree with their digestive system. It explains why we have this E.coli…problem, because the corn acidifies their digestive system in such a way that these bacteria can survive,” Pollan told The Christian Science Monitor.

Cattle Farmer: Not Healthy But Not Dangerous

But Pollan’s arguments don’t hold their ground with some beef raising cattlemen. Even in the cattle raising industry, an argument grows: is it actually unhealthy to feed cows corn? And moreover, does that make the corny-meat unhealthy for human consumption?

A member of the beef production program at Cal Poly University doesn’t think so. Though he wished not to be named since he works in the cattle industry and doesn’t want to alienate his peers or buyers, he thinks Pollan is incorrect.

He knew of nothing to indicate that cows can’t digest corn, and pointed out that the cattle feed is rarely made solely of corn anyways. That cows have to be fed antibiotics is often symptomatic of their living conditions, not just their feed, he said.

His own cows roam free to graze, and he didn’t hesitate to say that grass fed beef is better for people and for the environment all around.

“There have been studies to show that grass fed beef has better fatty acids and nutritional value, “ he said. “But I mean, corn fed cows taste better since people are used to eating corn fed beef,” he continued.

Even if the corn-fed beef lacks potential nutritional value, it doesn’t make the meat dangerous or inedible by any standard. Due to the high cost of grass fed beef, most Americans eat corn-filled cows and other meats out of necessity anyways, not necessarily by choice.

What most corn utilizations point to is money. Corn is successful because it’s so cheap. It’s easy to grow; even with poor soil conditions, farmers can use large amounts of fertilizer to grow the plant plentifully.

This means corn’s nutritional value only diminishes over time since the ground has no nutrients to give up to the plant after years of re-growing on the same plot. But nutrition is hardly a concern when money can be made, and corn can be made―and bought―much more cheaply than most crops.

The plant’s low price makes anything created from it cheaper too. Producers want to use corn products in their chips and other snacks because it’s most cost efficient. What else would prompt soda producers ditch better tasting, real sugar for their beverages, for example, if not the potential for higher profits.

Americas growing obesity epidemic has lead those opposed to the overuse of corn, including Pollan, to point to the little yellow kernel as the cause. High fructose corn syrup is among the most vilified suspects in America’s growing waistband.

Is The Ubiquity Of Corn Really A Problem?

Yet Patrice Barber, a registered dietician at the University of Southern California, thinks the corn surplus problem isn’t as unnerving as Pollan and others assert.

“Corn in its natural state is perfectly fine,” said Barber. “And it doesn’t matter to me if there is a corn product in the food. I’m looking at the overall quality of the food,” she continued.

The 20 grams of fat in your tiny bag of chips is the problem, not the corn product in it, she concedes.

“I don’t think corn is evil,” said Barber. “If we weren’t making things out of corn, we’d figure out how to make them out of something else just the same,” said Barber.

“There are so many more obvious things that lead to negative health consequences… eating too much, eating too much fat, not getting enough exercise…” she said. “But, you know, every little thing adds up."

Reach contributor Molly-Marie Canales here.