you think of the Corn Refiners Association website (sweetsuprise.com)
and their commercials claiming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
is natural and nearly identical to table sugar?
This public relations campaign are of little surprise. You
can imagine what is at stake for this organization if consumers'
demand for HFCS continues to decrease. Although FDA policy does
not object to labeling high-fructose corn syrup as "natural.",
HFCS simply doesn't exist in nature, so by most anyone's standards,
it obviously cannot be considered natural.
They state that HFCS is metabolically the same as table sugar
(sucrose), which is essentially true. Both HFCS and sucrose are
both made up of glucose and fructose.
HFCS can range from 42% to 90% fructose. Sucrose is consist of
one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule. The molecular
bond between glucose and fructose is instantly destroyed once
sucrose enters the gut. Chronic consumption of refined fructose
in both HFCS and sucrose have the same negative health consequences.
Diets high in refined fructose increase appetite and chronic
consumption have been linked to a host of health problems collectively
known as metabolic
Since glycogen replenishment
takes precedence over triglyceride formation, those who regularly
exercise vigorously or those in a state of calorie deficit may
be somewhat protected, since limited amounts of fructose (whether
from HFCS or table sugar) are more likely to be utilized as a
fuel substrate or stored in the liver as glycogen after vigorous
or prolong activity (what I like to call the 'Athletic Exemption').
The problem is most people are relatively inactive or at least
typically do not have depleted liver glycogen stores when they
Actually, the underlining problem with HFCS is that it is
so inexpensive, largely due to US government farm subsidies,
that it has found its way into most foods we find in the grocery
stores (see Finding
Sugar on Food Labels). Foods that you would not have even
guessed, often include HFCS. HFCS also keeps the price of sugar
low. Several authorities have suggested that induction of HFCS
(and sugar) is one of the leading causes of the obesity epidemic
in addition to the various other metabolic disorders mentioned
Interestingly, fructose in its natural state (i.e in fruit)
does not appear to have these negative health consequences. See
effect on Insulin.
For further information, see video seminar by Dr. Robert Listig,
MD, Sugar: The Bitter Truth
video, which I strongly recommend.