High-fructose corn syrup is actually a mixture of sweeteners but generally has more fructose than glucose. It's an omnipresent sugar added to soft drinks, baked goods and snacks. From 1970 to 1990, consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in the United States leapt by more than 1,000 percent, say nutritionists publishing in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." No food product has ever seen that much growth. Unfortunately, also growing are studies demonstrating the negative effects of high-fructose corn syrup. It has been linked to hypertension and chronic kidney disease, as well as obesity, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hypertension specialists publishing in the "Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" say that the substance ought to be considered "an environmental toxin with major health implications."
HFCS: Public Enemy No. 1?
High-fructose corn syrup starts from corn starch, to which enzymes are added in two steps to turn glucose into fructose. The result is a two-sugar combination that can contain anywhere from 42 to 90 percent fructose. This ubiquitous sweetener took hold in the 1970s as a cheaper alternative to table sugar. Though no long-term studies have concluded that high-fructose corn syrup is unsafe, according to the American Medical Association, more study is needed. In the meantime, however, the sweetener has gotten such a bad rap in the media that the trade group representing makers of high-fructose corn syrup launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign to "erase consumer confusion" about the sweetener's effects on health. The trade group also wants to change the name high-fructose corn syrup to corn sugar.
Fructose Metabolism
Most of the fructose you consume goes directly to your liver, via a special transporter. However, between 30 and 40 percent of what you ingest also goes through your kidneys. While there, a group of researchers led by the Division of Nephrology at the University of Florida says it triggers a number of actions that can lead to high blood pressure and ultimately cardiorenal disease. It raises uric acid levels, for example. Uric acid is the waste product created when your body breaks down certain foods. Elevated uric acid stimulates several reactions that can result in inflammation, oxidative stress and problems with proliferation of cells in certain part of your blood vessels. Uric acid is often a precursor to high blood pressure.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Hypertension
The "Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" researchers say the link is more direct. While recognizing its effect on uric acid levels, they said "ingestion of fructose-rich drinks raises" blood pressure. As an example, they point their own past research demonstrating that consuming 60 g of fructose, about the amount in two 12 oz. sodas, increases blood pressure in even healthy young adults. Two hundred grams per day resulted in increased blood pressure in adult men with a significant rise in uric acid. They concluded that "excessive intake of fructose may have a myriad of unfortunate health effects, including raising BP, inducing the metabolic syndrome, causing fatty liver, and possibly causing or accelerating renal disease." They also suggested that physicians treating people with kidney problems be mindful about the dangers of the common treatment of putting them on low-protein diets. If that regimen results in increased carbohydrate intake, chances are, those patients will encounter more high-fructose corn syrup than is safe for them.
Soda --- A Recipe for Hypertension?
Although high-fructose corn syrup is used in many food products, a major concern is soft drinks. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, sodas and energy drinks represent the No. 1 source of added sugars for most Americans. If you eat like most Americans, about 36 percent of the calories you get from sweeteners comes from drinking soda. Sodas are problematic for several reasons. First they aren't as satisfying as food, so they turn out to be empty calories that you tend to pile on and still go on to eat a meal, not accounting for the calories from the soda. In addition, sodas provide almost no nutrition to your diet. Perhaps most significant are findings of an April 2011 study published in "Hypertension." An international team of researchers said soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, especially those with high-fructose corn syrup, are associated with higher blood pressure levels in adults. Worse, the problem was exacerbated in people who already consume lots of sodium. For every soda consumed each day, participants "had significantly higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6 millimeters of mercury, or mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure higher by 0.8 mm Hg."
References
- "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
- American Medical Association: The Health Effects of High Fructose Syrup
- "Wall Street Journal"; Corn Sweetener Desires a More Palatable Name; Scott Kilman; September 2010
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Potential Role of Sugar (Fructose) in the Epidemic of Hypertension, Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes, Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease; Richard J. Johnson, et al.; October 2007
- "Hypertension"; Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Sugar Intake of Individuals and Their Blood Pressure; Ian J. Brown, et al.; April 2011
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