FACTS ABOUT HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
For additional information, call Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, at (202) 331-1634, or visit www.SweetSurprise.com.
HFCS is prevalent in the food supply because of its functional benefits.
HFCS provides consumers with many benefits. It enhances fruit and spice flavors in yogurts and marinades, prolongs product freshness in breads, provides product stability in condiments, and promotes cooked flavors in sauces. It also gives breakfast bars their soft texture, retains moisture in bran cereals and it protects freshness.
HFCS actually inhibits microbial spoilage by reducing water activity and keeps foods fresh through superior moisture control.
In salad dressings and spaghetti sauce, HFCS improves flavor by reducing the harsh vinegar or acid bite while enhancing fruit and spice flavors.
In canned fruits and applesauce, HFCS serves as a preservative keeping color and texture intact and it enhances fruit flavors.
Breads and baked goods require a fermentable sugar necessary for leavening. In addition to its excellent browning characteristics, HFCS is a highly fermentable nutritive sweetener.
HFCS is compositionally nearly equivalent to sugar and honey.
HFCS is a natural, nutritive sweetener. HFCS, like table sugar and honey, is composed of fructose and glucose, which are found in many other naturally-occurring foods. As noted by the Food and Drug Administration in 1996, “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS is approximately the same as that of honey, invert sugar and the disaccharide sucrose (or table sugar).”
HFCS and sugar have the same number of calories.
Sugar and HFCS have the same caloric density as most carbohydrates; both contribute 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram.
HFCS is safe.
As a natural, nutritive sweetener, HFCS can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet. In 1983, the FDA listed HFCS as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in food, and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996. According to the American Dietetic Association, “Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations … as well as individual health goals.”
HFCS is not a “unique” contributor to obesity.
Sugar and HFCS have the same caloric density as most carbohydrates; both contribute 4 calories per gram. The human body cannot discern a difference between HFCS, table sugar and honey because they are all nearly compositionally equivalent.
Recently published scientific papers have concluded that HFCS is not a unique contributor to obesity.
A newly published expert review of the research literature on the dietary role of HFCS has found insufficient support for the notion that HFCS could play a unique causal role in obesity. The expert panel led by Richard Forshee, Ph.D. of the University of Maryland Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy (CFNAP) concluded that “the currently available evidence is insufficient to implicate HFCS per se as a causal factor in the overweight and obesity problem in the United States.” (Forshee RA, Storey ML, Allison DB, Glinsmann WH, Hein GL, Lineback DR, Miller SA, Nicklas TA, Weaver GA, White JS. 2007. A Critical Examination of the Evidence Relating High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 47(6):561–582)
Another new peer-reviewed study has found that those who frequently consume sweetened soft drinks do not have a higher obesity rate than those who rarely drink them.
The study found higher obesity rates correlated with several other factors, such as the amount of time in front of the computer or TV, or the consumption of high amounts of dietary fat. (Sun SZ, Empie MW. 2007. Lack of findings for the association between obesity risk and usual sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in adults – A primary analysis of databases of CSFII-1989–1991, CSFII-1994–1998, NHANES III, and combined NHANES 1999–2002. Food Chem Toxicol 45(8):1523-1536.)
Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Department Chairman, told The New York Times, “There’s no substantial evidence to support the idea that high-fructose corn syrup is somehow responsible for obesity.” (Warner M. July 2, 2006. “Does This Goo Make You Groan?” [print]/“A Sweetener with a Bad Rap” [online]. The New York Times.)
Many parts of the world, including Australia, Mexico and Europe, have rising rates of obesity and diabetes despite having little or no HFCS in their foods and beverages. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Diabetes Association have found that the primary causes of diabetes are obesity, advancing age and heredity.
U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that per capita consumption of HFCS has been declining in recent years, yet the incidence of obesity and diabetes in the United States remains on the rise.
HFCS is metabolized similarly to sugar.
A recent study by Kathleen J. Melanson, et al. at Rhode Island University reviewed the effects of HFCS and sugar on circulating levels of glucose, leptin, insulin and ghrelin in a study group of lean women. All four tested substances have been hypothesized to play a role in metabolism and obesity. The study found “no differences in the metabolic effects” of HFCS and sugar in this short-term study, and called for further research. (Melanson KJ, Zukley L, Lowndes J, Nguyen V, Angelopoulos TJ, Rippe JM. 2007. Effects of high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose consumption on circulating glucose, insulin, leptin, and ghrelin and on appetite in normal-weight women. Nutrition (2007) 23(2):103-12.)
The effect of HFCS and other sugars on health has been studied many times by many authoritative groups, culminating in approval of these food ingredients by the FDA as safe for use as part of a healthy diet.
A recent study by Joshua Lowndes, et al at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute reviewed the effects of HFCS and sugar on circulating levels of uric acid in a study group of lean women. Uric acid is believed to play a role in the development of the metabolic syndrome. This short-term study found “no differences in the metabolic effects in lean women [of HFCS] compared to sucrose” and called for further research. An abstract of the study can be found at: http://www.sweetsurprise.com/science-and-research/studies/uric-acid-study
HFCS does not raise triglyceride levels differently than sugar.
A recent study by Linda M. Zukley, et al. at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute reviewed the effects of HFCS and sucrose on triglycerides in a study group of lean women. This short-term study found “no differences in the metabolic effects in lean women [of HFCS] compared to sucrose,” and called for further similar studies of obese individuals or individuals at risk for the metabolic syndrome. An abstract of the study can be found at: http://www.sweetsurprise.com/science-and-research/studies/triglycerides-study
HFCS is natural.
HFCS is natural. HFCS, like table sugar and honey, is composed of fructose and glucose, which are found in many other naturally-occurring foods. It contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the FDA’s policy for use of the term “natural.”
HFCS does not affect the appetite differently than sugar does.
No credible research has demonstrated that HFCS affects the appetite differently than sugar.
Research by Pablo Monsivais, et al. at the University of Washington found that “There was no evidence that commercial cola beverages sweetened with either sucrose or HFCS have significantly different effects on hunger, satiety, or short-term energy intakes.” (Monsivais P, Perrigue MM, Drewnowski A. 2007. Sugars and satiety: does the type of sweetener make a difference? Am J Clin Nutr. Jul;86(1):116-23.)
HFCS is not sweeter than sugar.
When HFCS was developed it was specifically formulated to provide sweetness equivalent to sugar. In order for food and beverage makers to use HFCS in place of sugar, it was important that it provide the same level of sweetness as sugar so that consumers would not perceive a difference in product sweetness and taste.
