Sweet Surprise

The Corn Refiners Association (CFA) has launched a new campaign called Sweet Surprise. The intent is to counteract the negative publicity that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has gotten in recent years. The sweetener has been blamed for the rise in obesity in the last 35-40 years. It's only been used since the 1970s to sweeten almost every food in grocery stores. Is the CFA confusing the public, or does it have a case?

The prima facie evidence suggest the HFCS is a prime culprit in the rise of obesity. As its consumption has increased, so have rates of obesity. People who eat products with HFCS are usually heavier, which suggests a link.

As an advocate of clean eating and whole foods, I actually have to side with the CFA. Chemically, HFCS is the same as sugar, or sucrose: both are disaccharides (molecules composed of two kinds of sugar), and both contain almost equal amounts of fructose and sucrose. Most medical evidence shows that they are metabolized the same in the body. Both are completely "natural" as HFCS derive from corn. You can get all this information at the campaign's FAQ.

The problem is not HFCS itself. If you eat something with HFCS, it's not going to make you gain weight. In fact, if 90% of diet is clean, then HFCS is small amounts is not a problem. It's not as if it distorts your hormones and disrupts your metabolism.

The true problem is that a diet that is highly processed, and contains a lot of sugar and refined carbs will undoubtably lead to fat gain. Since HFCS is found in most packaged and processed food, it's easy to blame this one ingredient. But the problem is not one ingredient, but the processed food itself. Even if food manufacturers substituted HFCS for another sweetner, obesity rates would keep rising. The problem is the overall diet, not HFCS.

Somehow natural sugar and it's many variations have eluded the attacks of nutritionists and tax advocates. I don't see why. If sucrose substituted for HFCS, the food would not be any healthier. Excess calories, especially excess sugar, are the problem, not HFCS.

When everything somebody eats contains HFCS, then that person is eating a diet of refined carbs, sugar, and processed food: cookies, chips, crackies, cereals, dressings, frozen food, juice, candy, etc.

Should you absolutely avoid HFCS? No. But beware that food with HFCS is probably not healthy anyway. HFCS usually is found in foods with a long list of ingredients and that have little nutritional value. If you eat a clean diet, then HFCS is unlikely to sneak into your diet. Keep your diet real and simple and you won't have to worry about HFCS.

Kevin