High Fructose Corn Syrup, is it an Evil Sugar?

In the media high fructose corn syrup has often been blamed for America’s obesity epidemic.  High fructose corn syrup was quickly introduced to soft drinks and many processed foods in the U.S. from 1975-1985.  It is not naturally occurring in nature and is made when changing the sugar in corn into a type of sugar called fructose.  Fructose is the sweetest type of sugar and less can be used to sweeten products, thus making it an inexpensive food or beverage sweetener.  High fructose corn syrup also acts as a preservative giving foods and beverages a long shelf life.

Statements such as the following have been made in the media about high fructose corn syrup:  “High fructose corn syrup increases hunger, converts easily into fat in our bodies, and is digested differently than other sugars.”  Simply put, these statements are false.  Many research studies have disproven these statements and the American Dietetics Association http://www.eatright.org released a statement in December 2008 putting these claims to rest.

The bottom line from the American Dietetic Association is that high fructose corn syrup is nutritionally equal to naturally occurring sugars, such as sucrose (also known as table sugar).  All sugars, including high fructose corn syrup contain the same number of calories (4 calories per gram) and our bodies digests all sugars the same.  High fructose corn syrup when consumed sparingly is not to be blamed for Americans obesity epidemic.  Weight gain is a result of consuming more calories (from food and beverages) than our body needs.  All foods fit into a healthy diet, even a soda or a donut, but remember these foods are high in calories and low in nutritional value so choose to eat them only once in a while.  Vary your diet with foods from each of the five food groups daily.