Experts Respond - High Fructose Corn Syrup and Health Effects

Is sugar healthier than high fructose corn syrup?

“To pretend that a product sweetened with sugar is healthier than a product sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup is totally misguided,” said Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest. (Suhr J. September 10, 2008. “Group steps up campaign favoring corn syrup” Associated Press.)

Aren’t there a lot of studies that say high fructose corn syrup is bad for you?

For years, widespread confusion about high fructose corn syrup has existed within the scientific community and general public, fueled by erroneous links to research utilizing pure fructose, as well as by misinformation about the differences between pure fructose and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup never contains fructose alone. Like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup is always in combination with a roughly equivalent amount of a second sugar, glucose.

John S. White, Ph.D., caloric sweetener expert and president, White Technical Research said, “Studies which use pure fructose and generalize their findings to high fructose corn syrup are misleading. High fructose corn syrup is most similar to sucrose, not fructose.” (White JS. December 2008. Straight talk about high-fructose corn syrup: what it is and what it ain’t. Am J Clin Nutr 88(suppl):1716S-1721S.)

Is high fructose corn syrup responsible for the rising rates of diabetes?

According to the October 2006 issue of Food Technology in an article by John S. White, Ph.D. and John P. Foreyt, Ph.D. “HFCS accounts for only about 10% of the world’s sweetener. Since many parts of the world are seeing rising rates of obesity and diabetes despite having little or no HFCS in their foods and beverages, HFCS clearly cannot play a unique role in obesity and diabetes.” (White JS, Foreyt JP. October 2006. Ten Myths About High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Food Technology Oct 2006: 96.)

Is high fructose corn syrup safe?

In 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally listed high fructose corn syrup as safe for use in food and reaffirmed that decision in 1996. In its 1996 ruling, 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].” GRAS recognition by FDA is important because it is only assigned to food ingredients that are recognized by experts as having a long history of safe use or as having their safety shown through adequate scientific studies. (61 Fed. Reg. 43447 (August 23, 1996), 21 C.F.R. 184.1866. Direct food substances affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe; High Fructose Corn Syrup - Final Rule.)

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.” (American Dietetic Association. 2004. Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners. J Am Diet Assoc 104:255-275.)