Sugar vs High Fructose Corn Syrup
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N
Have you noticed that many products on grocery shelves are bragging that they do not have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? HFCS has been demonized by many people in the public as well as the medical community in recent years. But how much different is it from just plain old sugar? The answer is up for debate, but I will do my best to present the facts.
HFCS has been used for many years, but the use really became much more common in the 1980's. Food companies use it because it makes a desirable end product and is fairly cheap. HFCS comes from corn and is refined to get the sweet taste into a syrup. But is it worse than sugar?
Many experts believe it is no different than sugar. Both are high in calories and are considered "empty" calories, meaning they don't have vitamins, minerals, or other healthy nutrients in significant quantities.
The American Medical Association and other scientists have agreed that both sugar and HFCS both contribute to risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses if eaten in large quantities. In other words, there is no proof to date that HFCS is more harmful than sugar.
So why are so many companies eliminating HFCS? It is all consumer perception. Consumers have heard that HFCS bad so companies are spending time and money eliminating it from it's products? What are they using instead? Sugar.
Is HFCS natural? The Corn Refiners Association says that HFCS is natural. The FDA does not define the term "natural" so we really have no way of seeing whether something is natural on a food label. Food companies can use this word without repercussion from the FDA since they have not defined it.
For more information on HFCS, check out www.sweetsurprise.com
8 Comments:
At Tue Jul 07, 08:18:00 AM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Where are your facts that you referred to? You expressed opinion and what the corn industry says is natural. Could you publish studies and funding sources of the studies?
At Tue Jul 07, 08:39:00 AM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Mercury-containing compounds are used in the manufacture and refining of high fructose corn syrup, and traces of mercury end up in a large percentage of HFCS containing products.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html
At Tue Jul 07, 05:00:00 PM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Consumers are confused enough about nutrition and what to eat! With food companies changing product formulations from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to sucrose or table sugar, they give the impression that the revised food product is healthier or better for you. Sugar is sugar with 4 calories per gram whether it comes from corn or sugar cane. My clients come to me perplexed and weary of the misinformation regarding HFCS, so I hope the conversation continues with science based data.
Carol Sloan RD
At Tue Jul 07, 08:10:00 PM 2009,
cherecherry said…
Kudos Tara Gidus!
Yes, even the American Medical Association has affirmed high fructose corn syrup and has stated that “high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than any other caloric sweeteners.” So -- why all the confusion? I believe confusion continues because people do not know what high fructose corn syrup really is. High fructose corn syrup is made from corn, a natural grain product and contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives. And, research continues to confirm that high fructose corn syrup is safe and no different than other common sweeteners like table sugar or honey. All three sweeteners contain nearly the same one to one ratio of two sugars – fructose and glucose. Warmly, Chere Bork, MS RD LN
At Wed Jul 08, 08:54:00 AM 2009,
diet08 said…
I too am a registered dietitian and find a lot of confusion - and misinformation - about high fructose corn syrup and sugar. You did a good job of clarifying some of the myths about this issue.
The website you provided - www.sweetsurprise.com - gives the data as well in an easy-to-understand way.
The bottom line is a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Better health and weight loss result when calories are reduced and physical activity is increased.
Pat Baird, MA, RD, Greenwich, CT
At Fri Jul 24, 06:51:00 PM 2009,
Sinurgy said…
btw...if a calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie...why is it that sugar can be processed almost anywhere in your body but HFCS can only be processed by the liver? Since the liver cannot handle the volume, it converts the excess HFCS into triglycerides (fat).
At Wed Aug 05, 07:51:00 AM 2009,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
Here are a few studies for those leaving comments that they want to read more unbiased research.
Straight talk about high fructose corn syrup: what it is and what it ain't. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2008; 88(suppl):1716S-21S.
Misconceptions about high fructose corn syrup: Is it uniquely responsible for obesity, reactive dicarbonyl compounds, and advanced glycation endproducts? Journal of Nutrition, 2009; 139:1219S-1227S.
In addition, here is a link to more information on the mercury and HFCS question.
http://www.sweetsurprise.com/news-and-press/press-releases/tests-on-hfcs-mercury
At Fri Oct 23, 06:32:00 PM 2009,
Anonymous said…
Sweetsurprise.com is not an unbiased web pate, it is from the corn growers.
I really dont know what to believe about HFCS and its affect on our health. The one area that is can in some way be blamed for obesity is that it has caused sugar drinks, fruit drinks and especially pops to be super sized and at lower prices. It made sweetening everything much cheaper and bigger.
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