I feel like HFCS has become a curse word among health-conscious people. Some blame obesity on it. Wow! It would have to be some pretty powerful stuff to be the root cause of one of the biggest health problems in the US.
A colleague just sent out an interesting review article on HFCS and its potential health impact. I found it fascinating and very helpful in decoding the HFCS mystery. I personally don’t think HFCS is the enemy to a healthy diet. No one ingredient should be doing that in anyone’s diet. I do get a little ticked about the whole made from corn issue and the fact that it is a highly processed ingredient. In and of itself though, it’s essentially harmless if found in the context of a healthy diet. Read this great science and you can form your own opinion.
REVIEWS
The effects of high fructose syrup.
Moeller SM, Fryhofer SA, Osbahr AJ 3rd, Robinowitz CB; Council on Science and Public Health, American Medical Association.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Dec;28(6):619-26.
PMID: 20516261
CONCLUSIONS
HFCS is a common food ingredient in the United States. The most commonly used types of HFCS (HFCS-42 and HFCS-55) are similar in composition to sucrose, consisting of roughly equal amounts of fructose and glucose. The primary difference between HFCS and sucrose is that these monosaccharides exist free in solution in HFCS, but in disaccharide form in sucrose. The free monosaccharides in HFCS provide better flavor enhancement, stability, freshness, texture, color, pourability, and consistency to foods in comparison with sucrose. As use of HFCS increased over the last 30 years, so did the rates of obesity and diabetes. Human and animal studies have found direct associations between fructose and adverse health outcomes, including obesity. However, the adverse health effects of HFCS, beyond those of other caloric sweeteners, most of which contain fructose, are not well established. Consumption of added caloric sweeteners in general increased over the same period, as did total calories. Likewise, rates of obesity have risen even in countries where little HFCS is consumed.
The literature on HFCS consists mostly of ecological or small, short-term experimental studies, many of which have been industry-supported. Because the composition of HFCS and sucrose are so similar, particularly on absorption by the body, it appears unlikely that HFCS contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose does. Nevertheless, it is difficult to thoroughly examine the potentially differential effect of various sweeteners, particularly as they relate to health conditions such as obesity, which develop over relatively long periods of time. Improved nutrient databases are needed to analyze food consumption in epidemiologic studies, as are more strongly designed experimental studies, including those on the mechanism of action and relationship between fructose dose and response. At the present time, there is insufficient evidence to ban or otherwise restrict the use of HFCS or other fructose-containing sweeteners in the food supply or to require the use of warning labels on products containing HFCS. Nevertheless, dietary advice to limit consumption of all added caloric sweeteners, including HFCS, is warranted.
Fresh Food Perspectives 