Diabetes

Is high fructose corn syrup known to cause diabetes?

No. Many parts of the world, including Australia, Chile, and the Middle East, have rising rates of obesity and diabetes despite having little or no high fructose corn syrup in their foods and beverages,12,13 which supports findings by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Diabetes Association that the primary causes of diabetes are obesity, advancing age and heredity.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data show that per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup has been declining in recent years, yet the incidence of obesity and diabetes in the United States remains on the rise.17

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. 2010. Table 51 -- Refined cane and beet sugar: estimated number of per capita calories consumed daily, by calendar year. Table 52 -- High fructose corn syrup: estimated number of per capita calories consumed daily, by calendar year. Table 53 -- Other sweeteners: estimated number of per capita calories consumed daily, by calendar year. See column I, Per capita consumption (adjusted for loss) lb/yr http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Sugar/data.htm, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Diabetes Surveillance System. 2010. Long-term Trends in Diabetes, October 2010 http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2010. Prevalence of overweight, obesity and extreme obesity among adults: United States, trends 1960-62 through 2005-2006. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/overweight/overweight_adult.htm