The messages about high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, and your health may be confusing. On the one hand, a powerful group of food processors who manufacture HFCS says it's no different than table sugar. They point to a finding by the American Medical Association that indeed HFCS is so similar to table sugar that it's no more the cause of health problems like obesity than other sweeteners. On the other hand, a swelling body of research has linked HFCS not only to obesity, but fatty liver and chronic kidney diseases, along with insulin resistance and diabetes. If sales are any indication, HFCS's popularity appears to be waning. The Associated Press reported that sales dropped 11 percent between 2003 and 2008.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup in the U.S.
In the mid- to late 2000s, the reign of HFCS as the dominant and ubiquitous sweetener began a small, but noticeable decline. The Corn Refiners Association petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2010 to change HFCS's name to corn sugar. The association said it wanted to clarify misconceptions about the sweetener, but HFCS has been given a bad rap, with preeminent medical scholars such as Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic calling it an "evil influence," and others referring to it as an environment toxin. Some food manufacturers began abandoning use of HFCS almost as quickly as they embraced it three decades earlier. Containing no HFCS is now a marketing boon for products like ketchup and other packaged goods. In 1970, HFCS started a strong and steady ascent to being the top sweetener. An April 2004 commentary in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" says until 1990, HFCS consumption leaped 1,000 percent --- faster and higher than any other food product on the market. At the same time, epidemics of obesity and diabetes broke out. Some believe the parallel is no coincidence.
Positive Effect on the Food Supply
The versatility of HFCS, despite its controversy, has enabled food manufacturers to introduce new products, ensure the preservation of packaged goods and offer alternative sources of sweetening --- all while keeping the cost of food and beverages relatively stable. You'll find it in breads and baked desserts because HFCS helps to brown and reduces sugar crystallization so the products keep a soft texture. In sodas, HFCS is a cheaper sweetener and helps keep their flavor consistent over a long shelf life. You'll even find HFCS in packaged fruits; it helps protect canned fruits' firm texture and reduce freezer burn in frozen fruits.
Obesity
Because of the way high-fructose corn syrup is processed, it may not trip the energy balancing systems in your brain like other sugars. For example, you have a hormone called leptin that tells your brain when you're full and have had enough. Without affecting leptin, high-fructose corn syrup may be associated with overeating, or as is more often the case, consuming too many extra calories through HFCS-sweetened soft drinks. A group of University of California researchers found that drinking beverages sweetened with fructose promotes excess belly fat, increased production of blood lipids and insulin resistance.
Liver Health
According to researchers reporting in the journals "Hepatology" and the "Journal of Hepatology," fructose is directly involved with the development and progression of fatty liver disease. They call it an environmental risk factor over which you have complete control to minimize your chances of coming down with the ailment, which can lead to cirrhosis. When you consume fructose, most of it goes directly to the liver through a special transporter. Fructose skips a step that other sugars go through, and this allows fructose to "continuously and uncontrollably" enter the process in your liver where it produces blood sugar according to research published in the September 2009 "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry." This unhindered access can contribute to an increase in triglycerides and bad cholesterol, and this can pave the way for a buildup of fat cells in your liver.
Kidney Health
Consuming fructose-containing drinks may be related to high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. Although most HFCS is taken up by the liver, a small portion goes to the kidneys and can cause levels of uric acid to rise. Uric acid is a waste product produced when your body breaks down some foods. High levels of uric acid may be a precursor to kidney health problems, like high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease.
References
- "Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry"; Dietary Fructose and Intestinal Barrier: Potential Risk Factor in the Pathogenesis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Astrid Spruss, et al.; September 2009
- "Journal of Hepatology"; Fructose Consumption as a Risk Factor for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Xiaosen Ouyang, et al.; June 2008
- "Hepatology"; Increased Fructose Consumption is Associated with Fibrosis Severity in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Manal F. Abdelmalek, et al.; June 2010
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Consumption of High-Fructose Corn Syrup in Beverages May Play a Role in the Epidemic of Obesity; George A. Bray, et al.; April 2004
- "Journal of the American Society of Nephrology"; The Effect of Fructose on Renal Biology and Disease; Richard J. Johnson, et al.; December 2010
- "Journal of Clinical Investigation"; Consuming Fructose-Sweetened, Not Glucose-Sweetened, Beverages Increases Visceral Adiposity and Lipids and Decreases Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight/Obese Humans; Kimber L. Stanhope, et al.; May 2009
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