High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Be Worse for You Than Sugar, Study Finds

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine

The debate over whether high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is really worse for you than sugar is always popular and heated. Full disclosure: based on the available research, I usually land on the side that says there really is no difference. A sugar is a sugar is a sugar. Metabolic studies have shown that our bodies break down and use HFCS and sugar (sucrose) the same way. (Are you wondering what's so bad about high-fructose corn syrup anyway? Find out here.)

But then I saw this new study -- published online recently in the journal Metabolism -- that suggests for the first time that there is a (slight) difference in the way the body processes HFCS and sugar.

Why does it matter? Fructose is metabolized by the body differently compared to glucose and other sugars -- and thus may pose a greater health risk by affecting your appetite and your heart health. (Learn which six surprising sources of sugar you should watch out for.)

In the study, researchers gave 40 men and women one of two drinks on their first visit: 24 ounces of Dr. Pepper sweetened with either HFCS or cane sugar (sucrose). Then they assessed whether the body absorbed more fructose from one sweetener than the other. On their second visit, study participants drank the opposite of what they received on their first visit.

Related: "The Scoop on Splenda, Stevia & More Sugar Substitutes"
"6 Foods That Sound Healthy But Aren't"

Here's what the researchers found: After participants drank the HFCS-sweetened Dr. Pepper, their fructose blood levels were higher than when they drank the sugar-sweetened Dr. Pepper. But HFCS contains a higher percentage of fructose than sugar does (55 percent fructose compared to 50 percent in sugar), and when the researchers took that into account the difference was no longer statistically significant.

So what does this mean for your sugar choices? I think it's still too early to draw conclusions. The study authors wrote: "To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that HFCS is more likely to cause acute adverse effects than sucrose." But this other quote from them is interesting food for thought and should be explored through further research: "Although the treatment effects ... were small, the effects may increase with continued, chronic exposure to these sweeteners." (If you're trying to clean up your diet, find out which four foods you should ditch to be healthier.)

Do you avoid high-fructose corn syrup?

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.

Brierley's interest in nutrition and food come together in her position as nutrition editor at EatingWell. Brierley holds a master's degree in Nutrition Communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. A Registered Dietitian, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont.

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Comments

[1jmg]

01:46 AM on 02/24/2012

I'd like to share the response from the Corn Refiner's Association to the research in the journal "Metabolism" as mentioned above. The study had many limitations including the fact that one of the authors stated that he has a patent application for inhibiting fructose as a potential way of treating various metabolic conditions. Also, this study did not compare high fructose corn syrup to sugar made from cane and beets. The authors noted that the sugar, or sucrose, had 'broken down' into the very same sugar compounds contained in HFCS. Lastly, “This was not a comparison of HFCS and sucrose as the authors claim in the title and abstract, but rather a comparison of HFCS and an inconsistent product that at the end contained almost no sucrose,” according to cardiologist James M. Rippe, M.D., founder and director of the Rippe Lifestyle Institute and professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Central Florida. “Results of this study cannot be used to form conclusions about the similarities or differences between HFCS and sucrose."Joanna Gorman, MPA, RD. CDE - Consultant to the Corn Refiners Association.”

[halquestorganic]

05:56 PM on 02/14/2012

Untrue that a sugar is a sugar is a sugar.
Digestability by the body makes a huge difference.
Why else would rice noodles have a different glycemic index than rice?
Or crack be different from cocaine.
Do you really believe monomeric fructose and glucose is handled exactly the same as the disaccharide sucrose?

http://questorganic.com/search?q=fructose

[urbancitygirl]

10:37 AM on 02/13/2012

Flashback 20 years and substitute HFCS with cigarettes and this conversation is old! Listen to your gut! You already know this stuff is no good!

[jgarma]

02:29 PM on 02/11/2012

Somewhat confused here. That high fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar has been established for some time.

Several years ago, the late Peter Jennings had a TV special on the topic, “How To Get Fat without Really Trying” which you can watch here: http://wp.me/pA04z-5K Eye-opening!

In his "10 Rules to Eat Safely", Dr. Hyman says this about high fructose corn syrup:

"Beware High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Throw out any food with high-fructose corn syrup on the label. This super sweet liquid sugar takes no energy for the body to process, and may also contains mercury as a by-product of the manufacturing process. Many liquid calories, such as sodas, juices, and “sports” drinks contain this metabolic poison. It always signals low quality or processed food."

More here: http://wp.me/pA04z-TR

[King7David]

01:20 AM on 02/21/2012

Didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.

[johnd1055]

01:38 AM on 02/11/2012

The article is well written and informative yet fails to mention that HFCS is made from corn, which is largely (at least in the US) a genetically modified food. Altering gene structure/sequences so that the corn can be made "round-up ready" ( think Monsanto here) is a dangerous business, one of which as the general population, we are not informed. People who consume HFCS test positive for pesticides. They are neurotoxins which kill brain cells and can cause a host of other diseases. Do we really know what's in the processed food we eat?

[jgarma]

02:29 PM on 02/11/2012

They can test positive for mercury as well.

[StR0cK]

06:36 PM on 02/07/2012

Yes I try to avoid HFCS mostly because its used WAY too often in MOST fodds you buy .. even bread and peanut butter and other staples... Because it is basically sugar concentrate, it should be used MUCH LESS , but instead is used even more widely. this is what causes the health risk. In and of itself, its not so bad, but because its consumed regularly in high quantities and is difficult to avoid, it has become a serious health risk in America, especially.

[StR0cK]

06:33 PM on 02/07/2012

I try to avoid high fructose cor syrup mostly because there is just SO MUCH of it in everything you buy at the store that it can't be good. If we used as much cane sugar to consume the same amount of sucralose as you get in the HFCS people would think we were nuts too. I think the bottom line is that we need LESS HFCS to sweeten items then sugar and AS WELL, most items that contain HFCS don't need it or could get by with much much less ... everything from a loaf of bread to peanut butter has HFCS in it as one if its top 5 ingredients.. many times, top 3! Its not necessary and because it gets consumed daily, several times a day, it is hurting our bodies. This is why I try to avoid it at much as possible: because I will consume more than enough of it anyway, from everyday foods that trying to avoid it as much as possible should (hopefully) reduce my consumption of it down to an acceptable level.

[King7David]

01:22 AM on 02/21/2012

Good information. So, what's a person to do?

[frank day]

09:00 AM on 02/07/2012

Who didn't realize this?

[WTEffington]

02:29 AM on 02/07/2012

Fructose is the more metabolically toxic form of sugar, because it is not used by the muscles and all of it has to be metabolized by the liver. The only reason some fruits are not that bad for you is that they contain nutrients and fiber, which slows the sugars absorption.

Another thing, corn syrup, which is glucose, is not the same as HFCS, which is %55 or higher fructose.

[WTEffington]

01:51 AM on 02/07/2012

Is Dr. Pepper using the standard 55/45 fructose to glucose ratio or a higher level of fructose sweetener? Did the researchers test the composition of the soda or assume that standard HFCS-55 was being used?

[AnthropologistAmongApes]

03:13 PM on 02/06/2012

The inclusion of corn syrup in virtually every processed food is an indirect result of greed-driven Supply-Side economics. That travesty goes something like this; since we can supply far more corn sugar, and thus profit for those who do so, we need to find a place to put it regardless of consequence.

[wackette]

01:34 PM on 02/06/2012

The only safe sugars are found in fresh whole foods... period.

[TaurusRose]

01:41 PM on 02/06/2012

and not all of those!

[WTEffington]

02:05 AM on 02/07/2012

You should say whole foods high in fiber.

[dhinds]

10:36 AM on 02/08/2012

IOW, eat no processed foods (I sure don't).

[WaveRhydr]

12:24 PM on 02/06/2012

My family has already switched to pepsi "throwback" products that contain sugar only. We have made our minds up, and we did not fall on the side of big agri business telling us all was well. Certainly not when obesity, and diabetes are rampant.

[Happy Kine]

05:13 PM on 02/06/2012

It is stil just as bad for you, and will give you diabetes just as quickly.

[WaveRhydr]

05:54 PM on 02/06/2012

Yeah, Im not claiming that pepsi is a health food, just that we are ditching HFCS. But soft drinks are about our only vice, and we cook well, etc.

[Woof2205]

09:29 AM on 02/06/2012

Tomorrow they will tell you that HFCP is much better for you. These are not scientists, they are people trying to make money by telling strange stories.

[an seanchus mor]

10:55 PM on 02/05/2012

Corn-syrup sounds like vested interest in action, (every time it’s mentioned) poisonous too??

[WTEffington]

02:00 AM on 02/07/2012

Corn syrup is not the same as HFCS.