The health effects of high-fructose corn syrup: Is it as bad as people say?

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Foodies and health proponents of all kinds love to bash high-fructose corn syrup. It's found in abundance in many sweet foods including candies and soft drinks, and it's even found in a number of surprising mass-produced foods, such as bread, salad dressing, tomato soup, fruit juices, and yogurt. While study after study has found that this abundance of high-fructose corn syrup probably plays a major role in North American obesity epidemic, others contend that there is doubt over whether HFCS is more fattening than regular sugar. Let's take a closer look at high-fructose corn syrup. Is it really the dangerous substance that it is often made out to be?

What is high-fructose corn syrup?

To put it simply, HFCS is a type of sweetener that is made from corn-based syrup that has been chemically processed to elevate its level of fructose. It was first formulated in the mid 1900s, but it wasn't until the late 1970s that it began to take the food industry by storm. This sudden widespread usage was partly due to U.S. sugar quotas put in place in 1977, but it also had to do with widespread corn-industry subsidies, as well as the simple fact that HFCS is cheaper than real sugar, which makes it a preferred choice for large companies producing bulk products.

For many years, no one made a big fuss about the abundance of HFCS in the North American diet. The widespread rise of organic and health-food movements over the last decade have brought HFCS under increased scrutiny. Health food proponents invariably conclude that HFCS is both unnatural and detrimental to people's health, while pro-HFCS entities—most notably the Corn Refiners Association—frequently release rebuttals claiming that the health effects of high-fructose corn syrup are no different from those of regular sugar.

In any case, one of the main concerns with regard to HFCS is the fact that its cheapness and abundance has allowed manufacturers to increase portion sizes. As respected food writer Michael Pollan writes, high-fructose corn syrup "is what allowed Coca-Cola to move from the svelte 8-ounce bottle of soda ubiquitous in the 70's to the chubby 20-ounce bottle of today." It's "what allowed McDonald's to supersize its burgers," and it "gave us a whole raft of highly processed foods." In other words, HFCS is more than just a sugar substitute; it's been the driving force behind the increasing size of Americans' and Canadians' daily calorie intake.

High-fructose corn syrup's health effects

Although organizations affiliated with the corn industry are liable to refute the claims that HFCS has negative health effects, the evidence seems to be against them. At the very least, HFCS is as bad as sugar and, when consumed in abundance, can contribute to obesity. And given the food options readily available to most North Americans, it's very easy to consume an abundance of HFCS on a given day, and many Canadians and Americans do so on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, there is one major difference between sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar is equal parts glucose and fructose, while most HFCS contains substantially more fructose than glucose. According to several studies, including one from the University of Central Florida, "high consumption of pure fructose may be problematic to energy intake regulation." In other words, fructose, unlike sucrose, disrupts the body's natural appetite-regulating process. After eating an abundance of fructose, one is less likely to feel sated and thus may be tempted to keep eating.

And that's just the difference that's been definitively established. Other fructose/sucrose distinctions are beginning to come out, including some convincing evidence that fructose may contribute to liver disease. In any case, given the power and influence of the North American corn industry, it's clear that individuals are going to have to regulate their own HFCS intake, which means limiting servings or even entirely cutting the substance from your diet.