The Hype
Some say it is poison. Some say it’s as addictive as cocaine. Some say it is the root cause of obesity and diabetes. My favorite: “The floozy of the sugar world”(1). It is man-made and cheap. It is in A LOT of processed foods. Is it toxic or harmless? What is the real deal? What exactly is HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)?
The Science
High fructose corn syrup was engineered in the 1960’s basically as an alternative to sucrose, or table sugar. It is a by-product of the corn industry, a pretty big industry here in America. Cornstarch contains glucose, and they found that by enzymatically changing about half the glucose from cornstarch into fructose, it was sweeter and more functional in food processing (texture, flavor, etc.)(2). And quite cheap to make. Fructose is the sweetest of all the sugars. Naturally, fructose occurs in honey and some fruits and vegetables.
A basic sugar primer:
Out of the many sugars found in nature, only six can be digested and absorbed in humans. Three are monosaccharides (meaning one sugar): glucose, galactose, and fructose. Three are disaccharides (meaning two sugars): sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose. Lactose is a combination of glucose and galactose. Maltose is a combination of two glucose molecules. As you can see, the disaccharides are broken down into monosaccharides, which can then be absorbed into the body. Once inside, glucose becomes available in the bloodstream, and fructose and galactose are taken to the liver to be converted into glucose. Glucose is the primary source of fuel for every cell in the body. In other words, all sugars are eventually broken down and converted into glucose for use inside the body.
Sucrose, or table sugar, comes primarily from sugar cane and beets. It is approximately 50% glucose and 50% fructose. High fructose corn syrup is made in two forms, one (HFCS-55) of which is 55% fructose and 45% glucose; and one (HFCS-42) that is 42% fructose and 58% glucose. Both are very similar – chemically speaking, to sucrose (3).
Some sucrose/HFCS facts:
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They have virtually the same sweetness and same caloric value.
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Sucrose is found in plants, and high fructose corn syrup is created in the lab.
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Sucrose versus high fructose corn syrup: most data suggests they are metabolized the same within the body (4). Remember, both natural sucrose and manufactured HFCS are both about half glucose and half fructose.
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Fructose versus glucose: not the same. We know that glucose is ready to be utilized in the body, while fructose needs to be taken to the liver and converted into glucose. Data suggests that dietary fructose may promote symptoms of metabolic syndrome including high triglycerides and fat storage (5,6). Metabolic syndrome is a medical term used to describe being overweight, having high cholesterol, and having diabetes.
My Two Cents
Apparently the controversy over high fructose corn syrup began in 2004 when Bray et al published scientific literature postulating that high fructose corn syrup is correlated with obesity (7). Considering the national obesity ‘crisis’, this started a lot of talk in both the health and consumer arenas. HFCS is found in large quantities in sodas, juices, and other beverages. It is also found in many, many other food items including breads, cereals, canned fruits, candy, condiments, and desserts. It is manmade. It is processed. It is considered ‘added sugar’ by the food industry because it is not found naturally in foods. It is a very cheap way to make things super sweet.
Here are a few things to think about:
1– All of the foods containing HFCS are processed. The more processed the food, the less actual nutrition it provides for your body. Excessive sugar intake is often accompanied by lack of nutrients. Too many calories but not enough protein and fat and vitamins and minerals and fiber can definitely contribute to disease.
2– Much of what I read suggests that a large amount of HFCS intake is due to soda and ‘juice’ (artificially sweetened fruit drink beverages or whatever they are labeled in the fine print; real juice from fruits and vegetables does not contain HFCS. These beverages give you LOTS of sugar (fructose) calories and NO nutrition. Question -What do you think your body does with all that extra sugar? Answer – store it as fat!!!- but not before wreaking metabolic havoc on the body first!
3– Yes, a soda can filled with HFCS will give lots of calories that will not be used for fuel. But, a soda can filled with the equivalent in table sugar will do the same thing. Table sugar contains just as much fructose as HFCS, but is generally not used in such high quantities as HFCS.
4– HFCS is added in large quantities in beverages and foods, often being the second ingredient listed. This makes the products so incredibly sweet and increases one’s palette tolerance to sweetness unnecessarily; natural foods cannot possibly be as sweet as a beverage filled with high amounts of HFCS.
5– Corn is one of the most genetically modified foods around these days.
I believe that the problem here is not so much that HFCS is the devil him or herself, but that it is unfortunately in so many foods in such high amounts that people are eating and drinking WAY more of it than they may realize. Also, it shows just how processed and void of nutrients so many foods and beverages are. That is the really scary part. Whether you are drinking six HFCS-laden sodas daily, or downing table sugar by the bagful, the end result is the same. Ten tablespoons of table sugar isn’t going to be any better for you than ten tablespoons of high fructose corn syrup. We should ideally be able to satisfy our sweet tooth with lots of fruits, and the occasional candy or soda. Unfortunately, it appears to be the other way around for too many people.
Here is an example of how it is hidden in so many foods and beverages: My husband was out running around grabbing some party supplies for a children’s party. He grabbed a ‘juice’ that looked pretty good from the front label. Once home, I took a better look. The front of the label stated ‘made from 5 fruits and vegetables’ and ‘contains antioxidants’. The ingredients listed were: water, HFCS, less than 5% of real fruit and vegetable juice, red #40, and sucralose (an artificial sweetener). WHAAATTTT? Is that juice? Absolutely NOT! In the fine print on the front, I then noticed ‘a sweetened beverage blah blah blah…’. This beverage did not contain anything humans actually need nutritionally. So, I put out fruit instead. HA! Big lesson learned= don’t trust the front label on foods, that’s just jazzed up to get your attention. Read the INGREDIENTS. Sure, shopping takes longer, but if I try, I can find a loaf of bread with protein and fiber and vitamins and minerals instead of just sugar or HFCS.
The bottom line is: minimize it in your diet, we don’t need it. Compare products with and without it and choose the products that offer the most real nutrition rather than choosing the food with the most added sugar. There is a very big difference between a diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains with the occasional splurge on treats that may contain HFCS; and a diet full of processed high sugar foods that is lacking in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
References:
1. Squires, Sally. Stealth Calories. The Washington Post, Feb 6, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/02/AR2007020201492.html
2. Mahan L.K., Escott-Stump S. Krause’s Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy, 10th ed. 2000 W. B. Sounders Company
3. Klurfeld DM., Foreyt J, Rippe JM. Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause of the obesity epidemic. Int J Obes (London). 2013 June; 37(6): 771-773. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3679479/
4. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners
5.
- Bray, George A. How bad is fructose? Am J Clin Nutr, Oct 2007;86(4):895-896
6.
- Bray GA. Energy and fructose from beverages sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup pose a health risk for some people. Adv Nutr. 2013 Mar 1;4(2):220-5
7.
- Bray G.A., Nielson S.J., Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Apr;79(4):537-43.
