High Fructose Corn Syrup Not Deadly
by
aerickson
09/13/2007, 11:08 AM #
The comments of Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
during the September 12 Great Presidential Mashup (<link>) suggesting that high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS) is a unique contributor to health problems is misleading.
HFCS, like table sugar and honey, is composed of
fructose and glucose, which are found in many other naturally-occurring foods.
Since 1983, the Food and Drug Administration has listed HFCS as “Generally
Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in
food.
Several press reports have pointed to HFCS as a
‘unique’ cause of obesity. This assertion lacks scientific merit. In fact, Dr.
Walter Willett, Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Department Chairman,
told The New York Times, “There's no
substantial evidence to support the idea that high-fructose corn syrup is
somehow responsible for obesity.”
There have also been several misguided reports
claiming that the body processes HFCS differently than other sugars. New
research shows that HFCS is metabolized similar to sugar. Kathleen J Melanson, et al. at
Rhode
Island
University recently reviewed the effects of HFCS and
sucrose on circulating levels of glucose, leptin, insulin and ghrelin in a study
group of lean women. The study found “no differences in the metabolic effects”
of HFCS and sucrose (Nutrition
23(2):103-12).
HFCS can be enjoyed as part of a healthy,
balanced diet. According to the American
Dietetic Association, “Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and
nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current
federal nutrition recommendations ... as well as individual health
goals.”
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
