With the holiday season and its many sweet treats upon us I think it is a fine time to take a peek at the ongoing debate regarding a very common sweetener: high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Under Fire
HFCS first came under fire in 2004, when a few scientists began suggesting that it was responsible for the obesity epidemic—our rapidly increasing obesity rates were strongly correlated with an increasing intake of HFCS. Other claims followed, supposedly linking HFCS to conditions such as diabetes, cancer and even autism.
Finding the Science
Correlation does not prove causation, however, and most in the scientific community then and now are skeptical of these claims. Unfortunately, many remain confused about HFCS. With so much information available it can be difficult to weed out the media hype, sift through arguments based on feelings or financial interests, and find your way to the science.
What Is It?
So what exactly is HFCS? Well, as the name suggests, it is a sugary syrup produced by further processing regular corn syrup. The resulting product has chemical and physical properties that make it well-suited to the many highly processed foods available today. HFCS is found in sugary drinks and desserts as well as many common grocery items.
Fructose
At the center of the HFCS debate is fructose. Fructose is a type of sugar that makes up about half of the sugars in HFCS. When eaten in large quantities fructose has been associated with high body weight, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and gout (yikes!). The small amounts of fructose naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables are not associated with these detrimental health effects.
Sugar is Sugar
Despite its name, HFCS isn’t particularly high in fructose—at least when compared to other sweeteners. The types commonly used (HFCS-42 and HFCS-55) have chemical compositions that are quite similar to what you would find in beet sugar, cane sugar, molasses, or honey. Due to their similar makeup, it is generally accepted that these sugars are processed by the body in a similar fashion. To put this simply: sugar is sugar—and we’re eating too much of it!
Recommendation
This standpoint is backed by the American Medical Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who support US dietary guidelines recommendations to limit ALL added sugars/sweeteners. On average, Americans are eating nearly 100 grams every day – 3 times the upper limit recommended by The American Heart Association (38g/day for men, 25g/day for women). This is 77 pounds of sugar each year – mostly from foods with little to no nutritional value!
Looking to Cut Back?
There are many food and activity hurdles to overcome when trying to live a healthful lifestyle. While HFCS isn’t the poison it is sometimes made out to be there is no question we would be healthier if we consumed less of it. The best way to do this is to avoid sugary drinks like sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and fruit drinks. Limiting dessert foods will make the next largest impact. Look closely at ingredients labels to guide your food decisions and try to support healthful choices for yourself, your family, and those around you this holiday season.
Written By: Kentz Willis, M.S., is the University of Wyoming Extension Educator in Nutrition and Food Safety for Northeast Wyoming.