News Release

            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                CONTACT:    Bob Adams

            March 25, 2004                                                                                   202-331-1634

CRA STATEMENT: HFCS IS NOT A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTOR TO OBESITY

WASHINGTON, DC – The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) today issued the following statement in response to a commentary in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition wrongly asserting HFCS as a unique contributor to obesity.

“No single food ingredient, including high fructose corn syrup, is the culprit behind the nation’s obesity epidemic.  Increased caloric intake and lack of physical activity are to blame.  In fact, in his own commentary, Dr. Bray himself concludes that calorie reduction is the key.  This story is nothing new – in fact there is no story.  This is a commentary and not a study.  It contains no new data.” 

“The facts are simple: 

HFCS is virtually identical compositionally to table sugar; 

The ratio of fructose to glucose in the American diet is little changed from thirty years ago;

HFCS and table sugar are indistinguishable to the human body; 

HFCS is a natural sweetener made from corn;

HFCS is safe to consume and can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.”

“Moreover, it is important to note that obesity is also on the rise in Mexico and Europe, both of which do not consume HFCS.  The American Dietetic Association notes that ‘consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary References Intakes, as well as individual health goals.’”

The commentary was written by Dr. George A. Bray, Boyd professor at the Louisiana State University System’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Dr. Barry M. Popkin and Samara Joy Nielsen, professor and doctoral student, respectively, in nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was published in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:537-43).

-30-

Visit us on the Web at www.corn.org