Your Health

Will high fructose corn syrup make me obese?

Our country's growing girth is largely due to excessive calorie intake and inactivity, not a single ingredient in our food supply. Like sugar or honey, high fructose corn syrup has calories. Excessive calories, from whatever source, can promote weight gain. But replacing high fructose corn syrup with sugar will not reduce obesity or improve health. They are nutritionally the same.

In fact, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently concluded that "...high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners..." Government data confirm that per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the U.S. has actually been declining in recent years, while the obesity problem continues to grow.

Does high fructose corn syrup cause diabetes?

There is no scientific evidence to suggest that high fructose corn syrup is responsible for diabetes. All caloric sweeteners trigger an insulin response in the body. In fact, table sugar, honey and high fructose corn syrup trigger about the same insulin release, because they contain nearly equal amounts of fructose and glucose.

Will high fructose corn syrup increase my triglycerides?

A recent study reviewed the effects of high fructose corn syrup and sugar on triglycerides and found "no differences in the metabolic effects in lean women [of high fructose corn syrup] compared to sucrose," and called for additional studies of obese individuals or individuals at risk for the metabolic syndrome.

Will high fructose corn syrup make me hungrier than other sweeteners?

No credible research has demonstrated that high fructose corn syrup affects calorie control differently than sugar. Studies show that beverages sweetened with sugar and high fructose corn syrup, as well as 1% milk, all have similar effects on feelings of fullness.