High-fructose corn syrup is everywhere. It's virtually impossible to purchase processed and prepared foods that don't list high-fructose corn syrup as a major ingredient -- especially if you purchase sweet drinks like soda. As Americans consume more and more high-fructose corn syrup, some segments of the public have grown alarmed about physical effects of this sweetener. Although most studies have failed to blame fructose sweeteners for health conditions, some studies suggest that for certain people, it is plausible that high-fructose corn syrup causes abdominal pain.
Consumption
In an analysis published in 2009 in the "Journal of Nutrition" on the average intake of high fructose corn syrup in the U.S., researcher Bernadette Mariott compared data from the 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and 1978 National Food Consumption data to look at how American's eating patterns had changed in relation to sugar consumption. Mariott noted that people had not increased the amount of natural fructose from foods like fruits over these years. However, intake of high-fructose corn syrup increased from 16 percent to 42 percent before stabilizing in 1998.
Fructose Intolerance in Adults
Researcher Y.K Choi from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine suggested that fructose intolerance may be the culprit in some people's unexplained gut pain and bloating. Choi tracked patients with undiagnosed intestinal pain for two years, then tested 183 symptomatic patients for fructose intolerance with a breath test. Positive breath tests indicated possible fructose intolerance. Upon testing, 73 percent of patients who had been experiencing gas, bloating and pain tested positive for fructose malabsorption.
Fructose Intolerance in Children
Researchers at the Department of Pediatrics in Valhalla, New York, conducted a small study in 2008 to determine if fructose might be responsible for unexplained gut pain in children. Although this study only included 32 children, results were intriguing. Eight out of 13 children with abdominal pain tested positive for fructose malabsorption, similar to the results found in the adult intolerance study. When parents restricted fructose foods, abdominal pain in all study participants improved.
Diarrhea
As of 2008, a handful of patients had been diagnosed with severe potassium depletion as a possible result of diarrhea caused by high-fructose corn syrup. In 2008, Clifford Packard, M.D., presented yet another potential case, suggesting that one of his patients developed low potassium as a result of the high-fructose corn syrup from sodas. When the patient, who had been consuming about 4 liters of high-fructose-containing soda daily, decreased his intake, his potassium levels normalized. Packard hypothesized that diarrhea caused by excessive high-fructose corn syrup may be an unrecognized cause of low potassium.
References
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; National Estimates of Dietary Fructose Intake Increased From 1977 to 2004 in the United States; Bernadette P. Marriott, et al.; 2009
- "American Journal of Gastroenterology"; Fructose Intolerance: An Under-Recognized Problem; Y.K. Choi, et al.; 2003
- "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition"; Fructose Intolerance in Children Presenting With Abdominal Pain; R.E. Gomara, et al.; 2008
- "Cases Journal"; Chronic Hypokalemia Due to Excessive Cola Consumption: A Case Report; Clifford D. Packer; 2008
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