High-fructose corn syrup, or HCFS, is a common ingredient found in many processed foods, including soda, fruit juice, ketchup, baking mixes and cereals. According to the Mayo Clinic, high-fructose corn syrup is so prevalent because it extends the shelf life of food and is less expensive than regular sugar. According to the Center of Science in the Public Interest, some people think HCFS primarily consists of fructose, but it is actually an equal combination of fructose and glucose and has exactly the same makeup as table sugar. Despite its similarities to table sugar, the consumption of HCFS has been linked to a number of chronic diseases.
High Cholesterol
A recent study published in April 2010 in the Journal of the American Medical Association has linked high intakes of added sugar such as HCFS with unhealthy changes in cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This was a cross-sectional study of U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2006. The study showed that people who had higher intakes of high-fructose corn syrup had lower levels of HDL, which is the good cholesterol; higher levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol; and higher levels of triglycerides.
Obesity
A Princeton University study published in February 2010 showed that rats fed diets high in high-fructose corn syrup gained more weight than rats fed table sugar. The same group also showed that the rats fed high-fructose corn syrup gained more abdominal weight than the other rats. According to Princeton University, the researchers concluded that diets high in HCFS may be a factor in the obesity epidemic.
Diabetes
A 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that women who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages gained more weight and were at an increased risk for developing diabetes. The data was gathered from the Nurses’ Health Study II from 1991 to 1999. The increased risk for diabetes was statistically significant with women who consumed one or more sugar-sweetened drinks that included soda and fruit punch. The researchers suggested that the weight gain and diabetes risk were due to the excess calories and rapidly absorbed sugars.
Fatty Liver
A 2008 study published in the Journal of Hepatology concluded that high intakes of HCFS may lead to greater incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Results were based on dietary histories along with serum and liver tissue tests from folks with nonalcoholic liver disease and a control group. Those with nonalcoholic liver disease consumed two to three more fructose than the controls.
About this Author
Based in Hawaii, Jill Corleone, a registered dietitian, has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 10 years. Her publications include an essay in noninvasive mechanical ventilation, edited by John R. Bach, M.D., and contributions to the monthly newsletter at St. Cloud Regional Medical Center in Florida.
