The facts about high fructose corn syrup.

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Researchers Find Beverages Sweetened with HFCS and Sugar Have Similar Impact on Feelings of Fullness

Study Finds HFCS and Sugar Affect Feelings of Fullness and Uric Acid Similarly

Experts Conclude Evidence Lacking to Implicate High Fructose Corn Syrup as a Unique Cause of Obesity

Study Finds HFCS and Sucrose Affect Blood Glucose, Insulin, Leptin and Ghrelin Similarly

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Much ado about high-fructose corn syrup in beverages: the meat of the matter

Weak Association Between Sweeteners or Sweetened Beverages and Diabetes

"The Sugar Fix" Statement"King Corn" StatementHigh Fructose Corn Syrup Natural Labeling StatementResearchers Find Beverages Sweetened with HFCS and Sugar Have Similar Impact on Feelings of FullnessStudy Finds HFCS and Sugar Affect Feelings of Fullness and Uric Acid SimilarlyExperts Conclude Evidence Lacking to Implicate High Fructose Corn Syrup as a Unique Cause of ObesityStudy Finds HFCS and Sucrose Affect Blood Glucose, Insulin, Leptin and Ghrelin SimilarlyMORE RESEARCHResearchers Find Beverages Sweetened with HFCS and Sucrose Affect Satiety SimilarlyStudy Finds Frequent Soft Drink Consumption Does Not Lead to Higher Obesity RatesResearchers Find HFCS and Sucrose Affect Uric Acid SimilarlyResearchers Find HFCS and Sucrose Affect Triglycerides SimilarlyHigh Fructose Corn Syrups, Part 1: Composition, Consumption, and MetabolismHigh Fructose Corn Syrups, Part 2: Health EffectsHighs and Lows of High Fructose Corn Syrup: A Report From the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy and Its Ceres ® WorkshopMuch ado about high-fructose corn syrup in beverages: the meat of the matterWeak Association Between Sweeteners or Sweetened Beverages and DiabetesArticlesFood Processing Article Provides Perspective on Science and HFCSCommentary in The Washington Times Puts Nutritional Advice Into PerspectiveFood Technology Article Provides Perspective on HFCS MythsNew York Times Article Reviews The Science - HFCS Myths DebunkedNutrition Today Articles Bring Much-Needed Perspective to HFCS in the Obesity DebateHFCS BasicsWhat is high fructose corn syrup?Per Capita Consumption of HFCSHFCS Is NaturalWhat the Experts Say About HFCSTop Published Myths About HFCSUses/BenefitsConsumer benefits of HFCSUses of HFCSHFCS Q & AWhat is the difference between HFCS and table sugar?Is HFCS a "natural" sweetener?Is HFCS sweeter than sugar?Is there a correlation between the introduction of HFCS and the rise of obesity in the past 30 years?Has the use of HFCS in the food supply increased the amount of fructose in the diet?Does consumption of HFCS, as compared to sucrose, reduce the ability of the body to produce insulin?Does the body process HFCS differently than other sugars?Is HFCS considered a safe food ingredient?Does HFCS have a high Glycemic Index?Is HFCS allergenic?How does HFCS serve as a flavor enhancer?How is HFCS made?Nutrition Today Articles Bring Much-Needed Perspective to HFCS in the Obesity DebateResearchers Find HFCS and Sucrose Affect Uric Acid SimilarlyResearchers Find HFCS and Sucrose Affect Triglycerides SimilarlyScientific Experts Conclude HFCS Is NOT A Unique Contributor to ObesityWhat is the Role of Physical Activity in a Balanced Diet?HomeFootnotesTerms of UsePrivacy Policy

Much ado about high-fructose corn syrup in beverages: the meat of the matter

G Harvey Anderson, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

This editorial by G. Harvey Anderson in the December 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discusses the rise of the theory that high fructose corn syrup is uniquely obesogenic "because fructose bypasses food intake regulatory systems and favors lipogenesis." The theory is flawed according to Anderson because it does not take into account that per capita availability of total energy from other sources has also increased. Nor does it take into account that food and beverage manufacturers' use of high fructose corn syrup displaced sucrose use. He notes "There is no evidence that the ratio of fructose and glucose consumed from sugars has changed over the past 4 decades as a result of HFCS replacing sucrose in many applications."

Further, Anderson points to current research on the impact of milk and beverages sweetened with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup on satiety by Soenen and Westerterp-Plantenga, noting that the study "merits emphasis because it challenges the argument of biologic plausibility that was proposed to support the hypothesis."

Anderson continues by noting that obesity is caused by a number of factors and targeting one component of the food supply is unlikely to succeed in reducing its prevalence. In closing, Anderson states:

"Unfortunately the recent focus on HFCS has done little to resolve the role of sugars in contributing to energy imbalance. The hypothesis that the replacement of sucrose with HFCS in beverages plays a causative role in obesity is not supported on the basis of its composition, biologic actions, or short-term effects on food intake. Had the hypothesis been phrased in the converse, namely that replacing HFCS with sucrose in beverages would be a solution for the obesity epidemic, its merit would have been seen more clearly. Put simply, a proposal that a return to sucrose-containing beverages would be a credible solution to the obesity epidemic would have been met with outright dismissal. In many countries where trade barriers have prevented the replacement of sucrose with HFCS, the prevalence of obesity is high. Therefore, what role HFCS in beverages plays in the etiology of obesity, as in Much Ado about Nothing1, may simply be a play on words.
Claudio: Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jest your daughter told us of.

Leonato: O, when she had writ it and was reading it over, she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet1."

1. Shakespeare W. Much ado about nothing. Ed: Zitner SP. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1993:97-202.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 6, 1577-1578, December 2007

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