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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:11 PM CST
Have the facts on high fructose corn syrup

By AMY ROCHKES, For the JG/T-C

Halloween has come and gone. Hopefully the candy bowl still has little bit of the leftovers. Today, there is a big debate over the use of high fructose corn syrup is many of the foods we eat and even our soft drinks. Candy is included when you read the ingredient label and find high fructose corn syrup in the ingredient list.

High fructose corn syrup was first developed from refined corn in the early 1970’s. Its popularity has grown rapidly and is now the second most consumed sweetener. Its average per capita consumption of 40.1 pounds per year is approximately four pounds per year less than regular sugar.

High fructose corn syrup is not “high in fructose.” Its name was derived from the fact that it has more fructose than regular corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup has approximately the same amount of fructose as table sugar and honey. Contrary to what consumers may hear high fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar. High fructose corn syrup was created to be sugar’s equivalent.

The use and consumption of high fructose corn syrup has grown in the U.S. over the past three decades as busy consumers demanded more prepared and processed foods. As an affordable, flexible, healthy and stable sweetener, high fructose corn syrup grew to comprise a significant portion of the American food and beverage markets compared to sugar.

Over the same time period, other socio-economic changes such as lower levels of physical exercise, greater affordability and availability of processed snacks and beverages, and changes in food consumption patterns have contributed to higher rates of obesity in the American population.

Health experts and researchers agree, the chief cause of obesity is an imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned, not the use of high fructose corn syrup in food products. Scientific studies continue to find that HFCS does not contribute to obesity any differently than sugar. Studies conducted found “no differences in the metabolic effects” of high fructose corn syrup and sugar.

According to the American Dietetic Association, “obesity is a complex problem and its cause cannot be simply attributed to any one component of the food supply such as sweeteners.” Clearly high fructose corn syrup is not the sole cause of obesity because obesity and diabetes are increasing around the world but high fructose corn syrup is consumed virtually solely in the US.

Like all the foods and food ingredients that we eat, high fructose corn syrup starts out of the farm. It is the raw commodity grown by Shelby County and Illinois farmers and processed in Decatur by the food processors.

Removing high fructose corn syrup from American food and beverages will not improve healthfulness or nutritional content of those products; suggesting otherwise is false advertising and misleads consumers about the real reason for weigh gain, obesity, and related challenges.

Amy Rochkes is manager of the Shelby County Farm Bureau.

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bethj wrote on Nov 11, 2008 11:16 PM:

" High fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar. Research has shown that "high-fructose corn syrup" goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to then store fat! This may elevate triglyceride (fat in blood) levels and elevate cholesterol levels. This fake fructose may slow fat burning and cause weight gain. Other research indicates that it does not stimulate insulin production, which usually creates a sense of being full. Therefore, people may eat more than they should. Indications also are that the important chromium levels are lowered by this sweetener which may then contribute to type 2 diabetes. "