High Fructose Corn Syrup: Really the Same as Sugar?

During the Q&A following a seminar I presented last week, someone asked a question that I have come to expect. “What’s so bad about high fructose corn syrup?”

Most of us know that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has gotten a bad rap over the last decade, but few of us really understand why. We hear about studies that have linked HFCS with the rising obesity epidemic; we read that HFCS is linked to the ever-increasing rates of diabetes; we see kids who eat a lot of high-sugar processed foods bouncing off the walls, and we blame it on HFCS. We know, even if we don’t always practice the best restraint, that any diet high in sugar has negative effects on our health, so what’s the difference if we eat regular table sugar or HFCS?

Recently the Corn Refiners Association petitioned the FDA to change the name of their product to “Corn Sugar,” a move, they say designed to help consumers “better understand the sweetener is just the same as sugar.” The problem is, it isn’t.

First, sugar—what we know best as white table sugar—comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. Unfortunately, it’s refined in a way that depletes it of any the inherent vitamins and minerals it started out with. What you end up with is 100% sucrose; a mixture of 50% glucose and 50% fructose, bound together.

High fructose corn syrup, obviously, doesn’t come from sugar cane. Corn (grown specifically for this type of refinement, not for eating off the cob) is put through a multi-layered process with an end product having a fructose component of 55% or higher. The 45% glucose/55% fructose variety is most common in soft drinks, but other processed foods can contain combinations with much higher levels of fructose. Add to this that the glucose and fructose in HFCS are unbound, allowing the fructose to be absorbed by the body more quickly. Table sugar’s “bound” components require an extra metabolic step (chemical reaction) in the body to break it down and convert it to energy.

Why does the chemistry matter? Because your body knows the difference. Glucose and fructose metabolize differently. When glucose enters the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin to mop up the excess and then carry what you need to your cells for energy. Fructose is rapidly metabolized by the liver; the excess doesn’t get mopped up. When higher percentages of fructose are consumed the liver becomes overworked and produces excess levels of uric acid which is regarded as a precursor to high blood pressure, heart disease or chronic kidney disease and gout.

While the body differentiates between these sweeteners, let’s be clear about one thing. Sugar in any form causes distress to the body. Because it lacks vitamins and minerals the body depletes its own store to absorb sugar properly creating a deficiency. It elevates blood sugar levels, often dangerously, requiring the pancreas to work overtime and often undermining its ability to function properly. Where obesity is concerned there have been studies to suggest that HFCS does not contribute to the epidemic more than any other sweetener. That may be true—they are all addictive. But when HFCS was introduced into the American food supply in 1982, rates of Type II diabetes and obesity soared, and they haven’t slowed down. HFCS is 20 percent to 70 percent cheaper to produce than sugar. It’s become ubiquitous in our processed food supply for that reason. There is no doubt that those who consume high amounts of processed foods are consuming high amounts of HFCS, so if there’s an obesity/diabetes epidemic that can be traced back to when it was introduced to the food supply can we not reasonably assume a connection?

The Corn Refiners Association knows their product is not sugar. It’s not made from sugar, it’s not something you use to sweeten your coffee or bake with. It’s a product, made from corn, produced for the sole purpose of being used as a cheap sweetener in processed foods. Changing the name to Corn Sugar doesn’t make HFCS anything less than what it is—something we should all eat a lot less of.

Mary Porter is a nutrition educator and counselor living in the Fort Hunt area. Her company, A Better Plate, works with corporations and individuals. You can email her at mary@betterplate.com