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Health & Fitness

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Is it Really Worse than Sugar?

The "Natural Health Minute" is by David Rodgers, L.N., M.S., a Licensed Nutritionist practicing in Berkley at the Nutrient Balance Center. This week, find out about high-fructose corn syrup vs. sugar.

Most Americans have gotten the message that sugar-sweetened beverages are unhealthy, and contribute significantly to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and diabetes (1). But what may still confuse many, is whether high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is even worse than standard sugar.

To adequately illustrate the difference between sugar and HFCS, you first need to know the difference between glucose and fructose. Both are present in sugar and in HFCS to varying degrees. But here is the breakdown:

Glucose (2):

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-        The main fuel source for all cells, especially brain cells.

-        Contributes to evenly distributed weight gain around entire body.

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-        Does not contribute to abdominal fat or organ fat weight gain (these fats are called “visceral” fat and have been shown to contribute to heart disease and diabetes risk).

-        Does not contribute to a rise in fasting blood sugar.

-        Does not contribute to insulin resistance (a diabetes risk factor).

-        Does not contribute to cellular inflammation (3).

Fructose (2):

-        Must be converted into glucose before it is used as a primary cell fuel source.

-        Contributes to an equal amount of weight gain as glucose, but the fat is not evenly distributed.

-        Increases dangerous abdominal and organ fat, called “visceral” fat, which contribute to heart disease and diabetes risk.

-        Raises fasting blood sugar levels.

-        Contributes to insulin resistance (a diabetes risk factor).

-        Contributes to cellular inflammation (3).

Hopefully the above differences clearly illustrate the point that fructose is the component of sugar leading to the most negative health effects, while glucose appears to be somewhat neutral for health. Now that this is clear, let’s take a look at the difference between sugar and HFCS:

Sugar (Table sugar, also called sucrose):

-        Generally derived from sugar cane or sugar beets

-        Contains 50% glucose and 50% fructose

High-Fructose Corn Syrup:

-        Derived from corn. 88% of United States’ corn production is genetically modified.

-        Contains 55% glucose and 45% fructose.

While this is not a huge difference in fructose content, it should be noted that HFCS contains 10% more total fructose per serving than standard sugar. Because another study indicates that even small amounts of fructose consumption among healthy subjects leads to negative health consequences (4), I would definitely advise avoidance of HFCS even a bit more diligently than standard sugar. However, you can also clearly see that with 50% fructose by volume, standard sugar is also something to avoid when possible. However, feel free to enjoy fresh fruit, because it generally contains phytochemicals (plant compounds) that negate the negative effects of fructose (5).

In another article, I will discuss healthy sugar substitutes, but for now I will give you the “sneak peak” and say that stevia is a healthy substitute. I find the powder form to taste far better than the liquid form.

1. Stanhope KL, Griffen SC, Bremer AA, et al. Metabolic responses to prolonged consumption of glucose- and fructose-sweetened beverages are not associated with postprandial or 24-h glucose and insulin excursions. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(1):112-9.

2. Stanhope KL, Schwarz JM, Keim NL, et al. Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans. J Clin Invest. 2009;119(5):1322-34.

3. Glushakova O, Kosugi T, Roncal C, et al. Fructose induces the inflammatory molecule ICAM-1 in endothelial cells. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2008;19(9):1712-20.

4. Aeberli I, Gerber PA, Hochuli M, et al. Low to moderate sugar-sweetened beverage consumption impairs glucose and lipid metabolism and promotes inflammation in healthy young men: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(2):479-85.

5. Esmaillzadeh A, Kimiagar M, Mehrabi Y, Azadbakht L, Hu FB, Willett WC. Fruit and vegetable intakes, C-reactive protein, and the metabolic syndrome. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(6):1489-97.

David Rodgers, L.N., M.S. is a Licensed Nutritionist practicing in Berkley at the Nutrient Balance Center. He specializes in helping people with Chronic Lyme Disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, weight loss, heart disease, diabetes, digestive conditions, lupus, MS, and more by using dietary changes, targeted natural supplements, detoxification, and lifestyle modification. For more information, as well as free training video seminars, see www.nutrientbalance.com.

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