High fructose corn syrup proven to cause human obesity. Like ordinary corn syrup, it is made from corn starch using enzymes. Centers for disease control and prevention cdc data since 2000 show that obesity and diabetes rates continued to climb even as per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup measured by the u. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzymes. Highfructose corn syrup hfcs accounts for as much as 40% of caloric sweeteners used in the united states. High fructose corn syrup induces metabolic dysregulation.
Department of agriculture essentially reversed direction and began a steady 15year period of decline see data. Highfructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity. A notsosweet story high fructose corn syrup obesity action. Some studies have reported weight gain with fructose or hfcs consumption 23, 24 while others have not 21,25,26.
High fructose corn syrup an overview sciencedirect topics. Subscribe to harvard health online for immediate access to health news and information from harvard medical school. Over the past decade, considerable scientific debate and controversy have arisen concerning the metabolism, endocrine response, and potential health effects of sucrose, high fructose corn syrup hfcs, and fructose 117. Fructose or highfructose corn syrup in our diet and beverages has increased dramatically in the last 40 years which may have contributed to the escalation of obesity to epidemic proportions around the world during this time period.
Controversy exists, however, about whether the body. An abundance of confusion has complicated the use of high fructose corn syrup hfcs since it was introduced as an industrial sweetener a substitute for sugar in the 1960s. Highfructose corn syrup is a common sweetener in sodas and fruitflavored drinks. High fructose corn syrup hfcs is a newer and sweeter form of corn syrup.
These days the nations nearly 80 millionacre field of corn rolls across the countryside like a. To make hfcs, the corn syrup is further processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. The 2 most important hfcs products of commerce contain 42% fructose hfcs42 and 55% fructose hfcs55. A blend is then made between this new substance and regular corn syrup to create a standardized product with. At the same time, childhood obesity is on the rise, causing children to be at risk of heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. Some studies have reported weight gain with fructose or hfcs consumption 23,24 while others have not 21,25,26. Effects of longterm consumption of high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup made by enzymatic isomerization of glucose to fructose was introduced as hfcs42 42% fructose and hfcs55 55% fructose in 1967 and 1977, respectively, and opened a new frontier for the sweetener and soft drink industries. The obesity epidemic is growing and the use of high fructose corn syrup hfcs in so many of our foods, is causing people to ask questions.
But because its cheap, consumption of highfructose corn syrup has gone up so much in recent decades and has become one. Some of the controversy derives from the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity in the us and in the rest of the world. Highfructose corn syrup hfcs has been used for decades as a food sweetener and preservative because its less expensive than sugar, extremely sweet, and stays fresh for a. If you are not sure what your desired weight should be, you can check your weight against your height and see what is considered normal. After high fructose corn syrup hfcs ingestion by adolescents, plasma fructose. Consumption of highfructose corn syrup in beverages may play a. Highfructose corn syrup is chemically similar to table sugar. Demand for sugar in the united states grew throughout the 20 th century. However, research has shown that part of the obesitypromoting effect of hfcs is. High fructose corn syrup, sweeteners, soft and juice drinks, baked goods, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, mercury. High fructose corn syrup uniquely contributes to obesity. High fructose corn syrup is a major cause of obesity in.
In this article, we investigate the relation between the intake of high fructose corn syrup hfcs and. Over the past decade, considerable scientific debate and controversy have arisen concerning the metabolism, endocrine response, and potential health effects of sucrose, highfructose corn syrup hfcs, and fructose 117. A calorie is a calorie and a sweetener is sweetener. High fructose corn syrup and obesity corn refiners. Examples of added sugars seen on ingredient labels, according to the 20152020 dietary guidelines for americans external icon, 2 include brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, highfructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, and. High fructose corn syrup hfcs is one of the most used sweeteners in the. Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause of the obesity epidemic. As use of highfructose corn syrup has increased, so have levels of obesity and related health problems. High fructose corn syrup hfcs was introduced in the 1960s70s as an added sweetener substituting for sucrose in the u. Thats the result of a recent study that examined the hfcs consumption of 42 countries one particularly shocking quote from the principal author reads, hfcs consumption may result in negative health consequences distinct and more deleterious than natural. To view a pdf version of this article, please click here increasing articles, both scientific and not, have been pointing fingers at this sweetener as a serious contributor to our rising rates of. While highfructose corn syrup often gets blamed for the nations obesity epidemic, we should worry about sugar in general, hu said. Misconceptions about fructosecontaining sugars and their.
Here in southern new england the corn is already waist high and growing so avidly you can almost hear the creak of stalk and leaf as the plants stretch toward the sun. Fda urged to determine safe limits on highfructose corn. First, im very much entertained by its authors i so enjoyed learning from the perspective of sisters from the context of their lives. Healthcare providers have attributed childhood obesity to the consumption of hfcs in the form of beverages. Some studies have shown that shortterm access to hfcs can cause increased body weight, but the findings are mixed. While highfat diets are widely accepted as a rodent model of dietinduced obesity dio and metabolic disorder, the value of hfcs alone as a rodent model of dio is unclear. The current study examined both short and longterm effects of hfcs on body weight, body fat, and circulating triglycerides. We analyzed food consumption patterns by using us department of agriculture food consumption tables from 1967 to 2000. Unlike glucose, which is metabolized a number of ways by your body, fructose is only metabolized by your liver.
Acute metabolic responses to high fructose corn syrup ingestion in. High fructose corn syrup induces metabolic dysregulation and. Pdf high fructose corn syrup and diabetes prevalence. This article will look at the available research and determine if there is scientific evidence. The carbohydrate compositions of the most common nutritive sweeteners are listed in table 1. Impaired dopamine function is associated with obesity and high fat diet. Unsafe levels of highfructose corn syrup or sugar in soda and other sugar drinks cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems, the center for science in the public interest said today. Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause. Frequently drinking sugarsweetened beverages is associated with weight gainobesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, nonalcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis. Science obesity on the rise is corn syrup to blame. Obesity is a major epidemic, but its causes are still unclear. To view a pdf version of this article, please click here. A blend is then made between this new substance and regular corn syrup to create a standardized product with a precise ratio of fructose to glucose.
High fructose corn syrup hfcs is one of the most misunderstood food ingredients. This sweetener contains 4255% fructose with the remainder as glucose, and is commonly used in many food and beverage products in the u. Which is better, highfructose corn syrup or table sugar. Existing research indicates that regular consumption of. This is of particular concern given the global changes that are occurring in the use of high fructose corn syrup hfcs in food and beverage production, a.
Although an enormous body of scientific literature has been available on all 3 of these sugars for many years 1823, in retrospect, the recent controversy. Hfcs was developed in the mid1960s as an alternative to. Although the studies presented did show possible relationship between hfcs. How prevalent is high fructose corn syrup in the foods we consume every day. Highfructose corn syrup and the obesity epidemic the.
Highfructose corn syrup hfcs, also known as glucosefructose, isoglucose and glucosefructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. The myth that high fructose corn syrup is making us fat in a unique way should stop there. Consumption of highfructose corn syrup in beverages may. From 1970 to 1990, consumption of hfcs increased more than % and currently accounts for 40% of all added caloric sweeteners. Request permission export citation add to favorites track citation.
When it comes to counting calories from sweets, the math is simple. Confusion about the composition of hfcs abounds in the literature. High fructose corn syrup hfcs is a liquid alternative sweetener to sucrose that is made from corn, the king of crops using chemicals caustic soda, hydrochloric acid and enzymes amylase and glucoamylase to hydrolyze corn starch to corn syrup containing mostly glucose and a third enzyme. Bray et al are correct that fructose consumption has increased, that increased consumption of caloric soft drinks has helped to fuel the obesity epidemic, that glucose and fructose are metabolized differently and have different effects on hormones involved in the regulation of body weight, and, therefore, that consumers would be better off consuming diet soft drinks. What contaminants are found in this form of sweetener. Increasing articles, both scientific and not, have been pointing fingers at this sweetener as a serious. Sugarsweetened beverages ssbs or sugary drinks are leading sources of added sugars in the american diet. The most common forms of hfcs are hfcs 42 the common form used in baked goods, which is approximately 42 percent fructose and 58 percent glucose and hfcs 55 the form used in soft drinks, which is approximately 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. The introduction of highfructose corn syrup hfcs as a costeffective sweetener in the american diet has gradually led to a great increase in its use. Along with leading scientists and other healthadvocacy organizations, the group is urging the food and drug administration to determine a safe level of added sugars for. Highfructose corn syrup and table sugar are actually pretty similar from a chemical standpoint. It is made by using an enzyme to convert the glucose to fructose, a different simple sugar.
When the liver receives more fructose than it can handle, the excess sugars are turned into fats in the form of triglycerides, which are harmful to your arteries and your heart theres much to be learned about how our bodies react to fructose, but researchers do know that fructose. Some studies have shown that shortterm access to hfcs can cause increased body weight, but the. High fructose corn syrup and obesity im so glad i bought this book. Acute metabolic responses to high fructose corn syrup. The ears of sweet corn are just starting to show up on local farm stands, inaugurating one of the ceremonies of an american summer. Though hfcs intake has fallen in the new millennium, researchers still struggle to understand how this hotly debated sweetener impacts our health. Highfructose corn syrup and sucrose are not significantly different composition. Sucrose, highfructose corn syrup, and fructose, their. Obesity highfructose corn syrup sucrose body weight triglycerides fat pad rat highfructose corn syrup hfcs accounts for as much as 40% of caloric sweeteners used in the united states. But it skyrocketed when the food industry began mass producing highfructose corn syrup hfcs in the 1970s. The rise in childhood diabetes and obesity roughly corresponds to the period of time in which food processors started using high fructose corn syrup with such prevalence. The main reason that highfructose corn syrup hfcs contributes to obesity is that it is high in calories. Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause of the.
1092 244 1329 1457 1319 944 227 1063 376 1396 275 275 738 1131 866 657 619 145 922 400 509 737 543 1315 254 1454 31 319 1465 1051 199 1409 918 313 1190 575 886 786 1030 474 521