High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), or its rebranded name, corn sugar, gets more bad press than any other sweetener with Aspartame seemingly a close second. The average American consumes roughly sixty pounds of high-fructose corn syrup a year. Princeton University researchers highlighted a significant correlation between the increased use of HFCS and a rise in obesity rates of 33%. The purpose of this article is to explore whether or not HFCS is worse than sugar, and if so, by how much.
HFCS can be found in a wide range of foods and drinks, ranging from soft drinks to salad dressings and other sauces, as well as breads and cereals. It is commonly partnered with other unhealthy ingredients and chemicals, such as sodium and saturated fat. Despite significant research suggesting the unhealthiness of HFCS, the FDA allows its usage in almost anything.
HFCS does not differ significantly from sucrose (table sugar) from a chemical standpoint. It has about 5% more fructose and 5% less glucose. It's sweetness level is about the same as honey, while its glycemic index is a fair amount higher than table sugar (75 vs. 60). In order to make HFCS, it must undergo significant processing as all of the fructose contained within the syrup is artificially added. Fructose does not naturally occur in corn starch.
In a study completed three years ago, researchers gave subjects a diet that provided 25% of daily energy needs in sweetened beverages. There were three groups: glucose; fructose, and HFCS. Those volunteers in the latter two groups had notable increases in bad cholesterol in just two weeks while the control group, those receiving glucose, saw no negative changes.
The body absorbs table sugar and HFCS differently, but they both digest rapidly, leaving little difference in blood sugar levels. But because fructose is added to the glucose (as is typical in HFCS production) and not naturally bonded, it allows the fructose to mainline directly to the liver, causing a domino effect: lipogenesis, a fatty liver, and ultimately, diabetes. It is also believed by many scientists that HFCS does not stimulate insulin production, meaning your body will not know it's full and can lead to overeating.
Based on existing research, HFCS looks to be more dangerous than sucrose by a fair amount. That being said, sugar is still dangerous. Added sugar should be avoided or used in very small amounts. It still carries significant risk of diabetes, heart complications, and significant weight gain, which creates a host of additional issues.
Some people believe this evidence should be extrapolated to avoiding naturally-occurring sugars, like fruit. You've probably heard the saying, "fruit makes you fat". It does not appear to be true. Fruit does garner most of its nutrition from sugar, but the body appears to digest natural sugars dramatically differently than added sugar in a soda or other processed food. Naturally-occurring sugar in fruit is healthy and necessary for your body. Added sugar and artificial sweeteners are not.
HFCS can be found in a wide range of foods and drinks, ranging from soft drinks to salad dressings and other sauces, as well as breads and cereals. It is commonly partnered with other unhealthy ingredients and chemicals, such as sodium and saturated fat. Despite significant research suggesting the unhealthiness of HFCS, the FDA allows its usage in almost anything.
HFCS does not differ significantly from sucrose (table sugar) from a chemical standpoint. It has about 5% more fructose and 5% less glucose. It's sweetness level is about the same as honey, while its glycemic index is a fair amount higher than table sugar (75 vs. 60). In order to make HFCS, it must undergo significant processing as all of the fructose contained within the syrup is artificially added. Fructose does not naturally occur in corn starch.
In a study completed three years ago, researchers gave subjects a diet that provided 25% of daily energy needs in sweetened beverages. There were three groups: glucose; fructose, and HFCS. Those volunteers in the latter two groups had notable increases in bad cholesterol in just two weeks while the control group, those receiving glucose, saw no negative changes.
The body absorbs table sugar and HFCS differently, but they both digest rapidly, leaving little difference in blood sugar levels. But because fructose is added to the glucose (as is typical in HFCS production) and not naturally bonded, it allows the fructose to mainline directly to the liver, causing a domino effect: lipogenesis, a fatty liver, and ultimately, diabetes. It is also believed by many scientists that HFCS does not stimulate insulin production, meaning your body will not know it's full and can lead to overeating.
Based on existing research, HFCS looks to be more dangerous than sucrose by a fair amount. That being said, sugar is still dangerous. Added sugar should be avoided or used in very small amounts. It still carries significant risk of diabetes, heart complications, and significant weight gain, which creates a host of additional issues.
Some people believe this evidence should be extrapolated to avoiding naturally-occurring sugars, like fruit. You've probably heard the saying, "fruit makes you fat". It does not appear to be true. Fruit does garner most of its nutrition from sugar, but the body appears to digest natural sugars dramatically differently than added sugar in a soda or other processed food. Naturally-occurring sugar in fruit is healthy and necessary for your body. Added sugar and artificial sweeteners are not.
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