High Fructose Corn Syrup 101

This post is also related to an earlier article more…

by Shereen Jegtvig

Some people avoid high fructose corn syrup because they believe it is much worse for your body than regular white sugar.  So is it really worse?

No, they are about the same — both sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are bad for you when consumed in excessive amounts. Neither type of sweetener has any nutritive value, other than adding extra calories. And eating too much of either sugar or high fructose corn syrup results in gaining extra weight as fat. Too much sugar or high fructose corn syrup will also have a negative effect on the body by increasing the amounts of triglycerides in your blood.

Some experts have blamed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a cause of obesity because the use of HFCS has increased at the same time obesity rates have been climbing. That’s true, but correlation and cause are not the same thing.  While consuming excessive amounts of HFCS contributes to gaining weight as fat, your body will probably gain just as much weight from eating excessive white sugar. It just happens that we eat more HFCS because it’s cheaper so it’s used more often.

Fructose is sometimes called fruit sugar because it is naturally found in fruits. Fructose eaten alone is not absorbed well in the digestive system and does not trigger insulin release, so it has been considered for use as a sweetener in diabetic diets. However, when fructose is eaten in combination with another sugar called glucose, the absorption of fructose increases. Glucose is the form of sugar that your body prefers to use for energy. It is naturally found in all plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, sugar, and is found in very large amounts in starchy foods like pasta and bread.

Although your body prefers glucose as its fuel source, your liver is able to convert fructose to energy as well.  You don’t metabolize fructose exactly the same way as glucose, and your liver will convert extra fructose to fat more quickly than it will convert extra glucose to fat. Both white sugar and HFCS are both highly processed, very energy-dense and both contain fructose and glucose.

So what is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and white sugar? Not much, really.  HFCS is extracted from corn plants and contains approximately 55% fructose molecules. Sucrose is fructose and glucose linked together, so it has 50% fructose and 50% glucose molecules. HFCS contains slightly more fructose than sucrose, but only a small amount more. Excessive use of either HFCS or white sugar results in gaining extra fat quickly. In fact, research suggests fat storage begins within a few hours.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is sweeter than regular white sugar so it is less expensive. Therefore it is commonly used as a sweetener in soft drinks and processed snack foods. Typically, these types of foods are high in calories, low in fiber and nutrients and should be avoided.

There are individuals who need to avoid HFCS.  Some people suffer from a hereditary disorder called fructosemia.  They can’t convert fructose to energy and fructose builds up in their liver and causes problems.  Other people may feel they are hypersensitive to corn and since HFSC is processed from corn, they need to avoid it in order to alleviate their hypersenstitiy symptoms.

For the rest of us, however, a little bit of HFCS is OK, just as a little bit of sugar is OK.  But in large amounts, both sweeteners will lead to weight gain and poor health.

Using FoodEssentials Lists to Find HFCS
Candy – Soft & Gummies Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup

Powdered Drink – Mixed Fruit Flavor Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup

Breads & Buns – White Bread Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup

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