Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Safe?

There is much confusion over this ubiquitous substance. When I read the studies that concluded mercury was found in HFCS, I set about purging it from our house. It was everywhere. It was in my son's chocolate milk, catsup, bread, burger and hot dog buns, Gatorade and is even a prominent ingredient in Yoplait yogurt. I expected to find it in candy, but yogurt? It is everywhere.

In his excellent book, The Sugar Fix, Dr. Richard Johnson talks about the dangers of a diet high in fructose. Fructose raises uric acid, which contributes to: high blood pressure, obesity, inflammation in the arteries, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. He also explains how when we eat fructose, it doesn't signal the brain that we have had enough. In fact, other research has shown that rats given a sugar water solution (glucose being the sugar) will binge on it but not get fat, as they will reduce the amount of rat chow accordingly. However, give these rats a HFCS sweetened water solution and they will gain weight.

When I wrote this blog about Dr Hoebels' work with rats and sugar addiction, it contained just two little sentences about HFCS and how I planned to write more about it coming up soon. Well, those sentences prompted the PR agency for The Corn Refiner's Association to contact me and suggest I have a "briefing" with their expert Dr. John White. Being a writer, and wanting to be fair, I did chat with Dr. White. His doctorate is in biochemistry, and he consults for the Corn Refiner's Association. What Dr. White said didn't surprise me. His job was clearly to convince me that HFCS is safe and makes sense economically.

There is a lot of research out there that tells us that eating too much fructose, in fact sugar in general, is bad for our health. Dr. White didn't dispute this. He did say that the research damning HFCS is using a diet so high in it that it doesn't apply to humans and the amount we tend to consume. He also compared it to the toxicity of water. You know how if you drink too much at one time you can die. Well....

As far as the mercury in HFCS, Dr. White said that research wasn't very accurate and that there is mercury in the air, the water, everywhere. That nasty water again. I asked him what further studies were being done to make sure there was no mercury in the HFCS and he said, "As far as I know there aren't any. This is a dead issue."

So is HFCS safe? Dr. White says he eats it. You be the judge for yourself. In my house we eat as little processed food as possible. We eat lean protein, vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Oh and chocolate, not sweetened with HFCS. Beware of too much water though.

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Comments

[CBSRD]

I am a registered dietitian (RD) and I discuss with my clients what will provide them with the tools they need to make wise food choices that will ultimately help them lead healthy and productive lives. I spend quite a bit of time clearing up the confusion about nutrition and food issues. My job is to provide facts based on science not trends, marketing by food companies or personal opinion. Bottom line on this issue: Consumers receive misinformation stating sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup, which is simply a kind of sugar. A sugar is a sugar, whether it comes from honey, high fructose corn syrup, table sugar, or fruit juices and all of these sweeteners have 4 calories per gram. Sure, consumers need to cut down on portions sizes of any and all foods if they want to lose weight and they certainly should choose nutrient dense foods over calorie dense choices, but please don’t point to one specific food or ingredient as the sole culprit of obesity. This doesn’t help anyone make wise and thoughtful choices.
Carol Sloan RD

[Stevealmi]

The difference between HFCS and sugar is that in sugar the fructose is bound to the sucrose and the pancreas has to do it's job so separate them. In HFCS, the fructose is separate and is processed by the liver into fat. It also does not tell the brain it is satisfied so we tend to eat more. Sounds more like it's cousin, MSG. The only reason that the HFCS is cheaper and used more often is that the government puts tariff's on sugar until HFCS becomes less expensive. The same folks who influence the government to keep those tariff's in place are the same folks telling the public that everything is OK while 10 year old children are getting diabetes from taking this poison.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes Steve, You are exactly right. That in combination with the fact that our government subsidizes the corn industry as well as putting tariffs on importing sugar.

[Conk]

Please andyfrommadrid, go back to your comic books and stay out of any discussion concerning, well anything but comics. HFCS, nothing to worry about? How about the pancreas? Is that nothing to worry over? And HFCS is NOT natural! Mother Nature does not make garbage such as this.

[dsws]

From a quick look on google, it sounds as though Hg in HFCS isn't a major concern. The amounts are fairly low. However, it's apparently enough of a concern that industry shills feel obliged to lie about it. Or maybe they just do that as an unconscious reflex.

[LMPE]

I deliberately avoid products known to contain HFCS.

[Tara Stiles - Huffpost Blogger]

HI Irene! Thanks for the post. Dr. White didn't even give you a free HFCS t-shirt or key chain or McDonald's coupon book? Bummer! I'm going back with you and demanding free schwag! Well, thanks to HFCS cheap filler high calorie thickening goo for all...in everything we can continue to grow gigantic obese children that grow up addicted to HFCS like crack babies and keep the pharma companies in business for years to come. Ah, the circle of life! I'm shocked they haven't teamed up with the Lion King on Broadway and made a HFCS spin off. We can do something though, you're right...not buy it. The only way to make organic and fresh foods more affordable is to increase demand. We might have to eat less crap in the mean time, but that's probably a good idea too.

"Vote with your fork" - Michael Pollan

[andyfrommadrid]

Hi Tara ,

Not to freak you out or anything, but HFCS is ok in small amounts.
It comes from corn, it comes from nature.

You think pharma companies are behind it, making money , oh they are so evil.

Not really, not true

You should not eat HFCS because you want to watch your weight and not be addicted to sugar.

Organic food is not healthier , there has been studies.

I eat healthy pretty much , but sometimes i eat gummy worms with HFCS.

I am still healthy

There is not a giant conspiracy to make america sick

It is just cheaper to make food with HFCS

Working class people don't know or care about organic food

Organic food will always be in the minority for a few well off people

Take a chill pill on the subject of HFCS

[David Gillespie]

Tara ... food doesn't have to be organic (or fresh) to be good for us. Eliminate fructose (in HFCS AND Sugar) from our food supply and many of the health problems we currently endure will (eventually) go away.

[Cynthia1770]

Hi Irene,
My google alert for HFCS picked up your article. I'd like to ask Dr. White why they selected the variant of HFCS, HFCS-55, as the sweetener for all national brands of soda and other beverages. Although its composition 55%fructos­e:45%gluco­se appears to be similar to the 50:50 ratio found in sucrose, when you do the math a different number emerges. 55%:45% = 55/45 =1.22 This means that in every Coke or Gatorade there is, compared to glucose, 22% extra fructose. Pepsi and Coke made the big switch in 1984. So for 25 years Americans have been guzzling that fructose enriched brew. (Approximately 30% of our intake of HFCS comes through sweetened beverages). Could that extra fructose have contributed to our expanding waistlines and health woes? The CRA cannot deny the math. They designed the ratio.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Cynthia, Dr. White told me that hfcs is twice as sweet as glucose, so although glucose doesn't harm the body the way fructose does, we'd have to use twice as much to get the same sweet taste. He said that would be twice the calories. We are hard wired to prefer sweetness.

[David Gillespie]

Cynthia, I think you'll find they use less HFCS than sugar (sucrose) to keep the taste equivalent.

Cheers
David.

[Katie5]

I not too long ago found out about HFCS and now I'm more aware.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

That's good Katie. I wonder why this isn't more out there in the public view. Especially the mercury findings. Thanks for your comment.

[David Gillespie]

There is no practical difference between sugar and HFCS. They are both about half fructose and half glucose.

The corn refiners know that and so does Big Sugar.

The science says fructose is deadly. Its just as deadly in sugar as it is in HFCS, but because 'sugar' does not actually contain the WORD fructose, Big Sugar is happy to have everyone believe sugar is a safer alternative (natural, even!).

That must frustrate the corn refiners to death. I'll bet they wish now they'd called HFCS something else around about now.

Poor old Dr White is just trying to use Big Sugar's spin against them by pointing out that HFCS is no worse than sugar. And of course he is perfectly correct but it is kind of like saying it is no worse to be run over by a red truck than it is to be run down by a blue truck.

[ClarkNova]

There's a huge practical difference. Cane or beet sugar is sucrose, a diglyceride that cells can't absorb. It consists of a fructose molecule JOINED to a glucose molecule. It has to be split in the body by sucrase, an enzyme. This provides the body with a mechanism for adjusting the amount of monoglycerides (fructose and glucose in this case) that are absorbed. HFCS is made of glucose and fructose that are not connected to form sucrose. This leaves the body without any regulation of absorption.

Invert sugar is another matter. It's essentially the same as HFCS but it isn't made from corn and is more expensive.

[David Gillespie]

ClarkNova, that is incorrect. Sucrase is a brush-border enzyme whose production is directly stimulated by the presence of sucrose. It is not a control of any sort.

[dsws]

A diglyceride is two fatty acids attached to glycerin, for example in enova oil. Sucrose is a disaccharide; glucose and fructose are monosaccharides.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi David, Thanks for your comment. Dr. White did say they wish they had called it something else. I'm not sure I remember this one exactly but I think he said it should have just been corn syrup without the high fructose part.

[ChiProgressive]

"dangers of a diet high in fructose" I assume this applies to eating a diet high in fruit as well?

We can thank the sever spike in diabetes in part to HFCS. I've seen teens and young adults with type 2 diabetes that need to go on oral meds and even insulin. What's their common link? Obesity and a high intake of HFCS.

If you need to use sugar, why not cane sugar. I'm not a pop drinker, but I enjoy it whenever I'm in Latin America since they only use cane sugar. It tastes so much better and it's not as bad for you.

[marijam]

There are sodas made with actual sugar in the United States, you don't have to go to Latin America for them. Look for Jones brand root beer and cola.

This article is certainly right about HFCS being in almost everything and about having to read labels because it is in foods that you would not expect it to be in.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

HFCS was introduced in the l970's. We can't blame it for everything, because we are also taking in about 26% more calories over all since then, but it certainly isn't helping. Thanks for your comment Chi.

[ClarkNova]

Jones uses INVERT cane sugar, already broken down into separate glucose and fructose molecules. It's almost exactly like HFCS but it isn't made from corn. Jones should be ashamed of their advertising.

[gfk]

Thank you for this Irene. Even the idea that the Corn Refiners hire this guy to "set people straight" is scary. They dost protest too much.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

I agree gfk.

[onwisconsin]

Being allergic to corn has its benefits. In our home there are no products with HFCS but we read every label, every time because products constantly change their ingredients listings to include it, it seems. The foods we buy are more expensive but we are healthier, I truly believe, because of my allergy.

[DrP]

I recently ate at a locally-owned (not a chain) Asian-Fusion restaurant with my partner and neighbors. They are all very fond of this restaurant. Since I am severely insulin-resistant, I eat no sugar, grains, or starches. I asked the waiter what on the menu I should order with those restrictions. He returned and said that the chef could fix me a special dish of beef and steamed vegetables with no sauce. There was nothing on the menu that didn't have a sugary sauce or a starch base. Now that is scary. I find it very difficult to eat out and be certain I'm not getting hidden sugars in general and high-fructose corn syrup in particular. I eat no packaged food at home - just fresh meats, dairy, and vegetables. I like to eat out once in a while, but it is a risk. The worst is being invited to a friend's home for dinner - but I have started asking what is in the food being served and I read the labels on the salad dressing, etc. For me, it is better to not eat all than to eat something with sugar or HFCS. I feel really sick after a meal that raises my blood sugar and insulin levels, which happens within minutes of eating starch or sugar in any form. For me, it is best to "just say no." My well-being is much more important than worrying about insulting my host!

[marijam]

For those who aren't necessarily insulin-resistant, there may be another reason to avoid starches, sugars, and grains. That would be candida. It can really wear you down.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for your comment DrP. I have known people with your diet who have traveled all through Europe and found appropriate food. It is hard, but can be done. Keep it up!

[krisgarfield]

Hi fruc corn syrup...has anyone ever tasted it in it's pure form? I have. BLECH! I'm not sure about the mercury issue, but just regarding taste alone....something to avoid. I do believe that it's a huge contributor towards the obesity issue. As Ms, Keller says, it's in most processed foods. It's laughable that the corn syrup folks needed to "set her straight" with that gosh darn bad water issue. Huh? Seriously?

In my household, sodas are considered a desert...not an everyday beverage. Some companies are getting wise and advertise "No Corn Syrup", just "Sugar". I take organic sugar in my coffee and enjoy it. I purchase ice cream with sugar and no CS. I don't go near Yoplait (funny how they make it seem so oolala French when it's made in the US with our finest chemicals). Sweeten plain yogurt (Greek is best) with real honey. Real organic sugar, when consumed in limited quantities, is not harmful (ok..diabetics are an exception). Besides, why go fake when one can have the real deal? I really like this article!

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Kris, HFCS is even in pasta sauce. I read labels now and it is hard to find foods without it, unless you are at Whole Foods.

[krisgarfield]

Actually Trader Joes' Pasta sauce brands don't contain HFCS...and they are delicious and less expensive.

[drvittoriarepetto]

One day, I accidently tested the notion that HFCS causes your brain not to signal that you have had enough to eat.

I had gone to my gyn for the results of a cervical biospy; it was negative. We talked about using a vaginal cream before the next PAP.

And so I left the office and as it was late morning and as I had had no breakfast; I decided to go to a diner. I ordered eggs, sausage, whole wheat toast and homefries ( something I eat 3-4x a year) and there was a package of apple jelly;I read the ingredients:the first thing on there was HFCS. I thought to myself "that little will not affect me" and spend it on my toast.

After breakfast, I waiting in the pharmacy for a half -hour while they counted out my order.
As I was leaving the pharmacy, I noted that I felt hungry and thought to myself "what can I eat"

At the moment , I had that thought I realized that despite my intake of 2000-3000 calories in my breakfast, the HFCS had sent a message to my brain asking for more food. The effect was truely scary.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi drvittoriarepetto, There is a lot of research on this. Your personal experiment has been replicated and you are absolutely right.