What is high fructose corn syrup?

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery store shelves in the United States. High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars.

What are the experts saying?

Experts from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from health professional organizations to consumer advocacy groups, bring perspective to the debate on high fructose corn syrup. You might be surprised to find out who.

Press Releases

American Heart Association Study Leads to Confusion

Following a statement concerning “high-sugar” diets and increased blood pressure in men released yesterday by the AHA, several media reports have unfortunately confused pure fructose with high fructose corn syrup. Read More >>>

"Because the comparison of HFCS and sucrose are so similar, particular on absorption by the body, it appears unlikely that HFCS contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose." - American Medical Association Report 3 of the Council on Science and Public Health (A-08) June 2008 "HFCS is the chemical and nutritional equivalent of table sugar (sucrose). The two substances have the same calories, the same chemical composition, and are metabolized identically." - Arthur Frank, M.D., Medical Director, George Washington University Weight Management Program, The Washington Times, December 6, 2006 "The Food and Drug Administration stated, referring to a process commonly used by the corn refining industry, that it 'would not object to the use of the term "natural" on a product containing the HFCS by (that) manufacturing process ...' " - Geraldine A. June, Supervisor, Product Evaluation and Labeling Team, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Letter to Corn Refiners Association, July 3, 2008 In 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally listed HFCS as safe for use in food and reaffirmed that decision in 1996. The FDA noted that "the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS is approximately the same as that of honey, invert sugar, and the disaccharide sucrose [table sugar]." - Food and Drug Administration, Federal Register, August 23, 1996 "Once absorbed into the bloodstream, the two sweeteners [sugar and high fructose corn syrup] are indistinguishable." - American Dietetic Association, Hot Topics paper on high fructose corn syrup, December 2008

Hot Topics

High Fructose Corn Syrup FAQs

High fructose corn syrup has gotten a great deal of media attention. Unfortunately, many stories about the dangers of HFCS have reported information that lacks scientific merit leaving consumers confused about what is fact and what is not.

Why is High Fructose Corn Syrup in Foods?

High fructose corn syrup provides many consumer benefits and often plays a key role in the integrity of food and beverage products that has little to do with sweetening.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Metabolism

High fructose corn syrup is simply a kind of corn sugar. It has the same number of calories as sugar and is handled similarly by the body.

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