Obesity & HFCS Myths
Arthur Frank, M.D., Medical Director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program addresses high fructose corn syrup and obesity myths.
A Balanced Diet
Are you trying to eat a balanced diet? Registered dietitian Kim Galeaz offers suggestions to get kids involved too.
Take the Quiz
How much do you really know about sweeteners? Test your knowledge by taking our 10-point Sweet Smarts Quiz.
No Link Between HFCS & Obesity
Scientific Experts Conclude High Fructose Corn Syrup Is NOT A Unique Contributor to Obesity
Recent mischaracterizations of high fructose corn syrup as a unique cause of obesity do not represent the consensus opinion of scientific experts. The November/December 2005 issue of Nutrition Today includes a report from the Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy and its Ceres Workshop, which was compiled by scientists who reviewed a number of critical commentaries about high fructose corn syrup. Their analysis found that high fructose corn syrup is not a unique contributor to obesity.
The authors of "Highs and Lows of High Fructose Corn Syrup," conclude, "Currently, there is no convincing evidence to support a link between HFCS consumption and overweight/obesity... The escalating rate of overweight/obesity coincides with many more credible explanations than increased HFCS consumption."
An abstract of the expert review is below.
Highs and Lows of HFCS: A Report From the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy
Nutrition Today. 40(6):253-256, November/December 2005.
Hein, Gayle L. BS; Storey, Maureen L. PhD; White, John S. PhD; Lineback, David R. PhD
Abstract: Since the early 1980s, the prevalence of overweight/obesity in the US population, as well as per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), has increased. Although some public health researchers and administrators hypothesize that these 2 trends are directly related, current research published in the scientific literature does not support a cause-effect relationship between high fructose corn syrup consumption and overweight/obesity rates. Some explanations for the popularity of these unsupported hypotheses may be due to confusion concerning the compositional differences, or lack thereof, between high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and other sweeteners. In addition, failure among individuals in the scientific community to distinguish between high fructose corn syrup and "corn syrup" may exacerbate the confusion. Before any relationship between high fructose corn syrup consumption and overweight/obesity can be examined, more information concerning current levels of high fructose corn syrup in the food supply, as well as individual-level HFCS consumption must be established.
© 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.