24 Aug 2011 High fructose corn syrup: Much maligned? Or the devil’s food cake?
Everyone loves to hate HFCS, and while many studies have shown that there is relatively little difference between HFCS and regular sugar (though there are some differences in metabolism), the only real data we have so far to link to is that Americans as a whole are getting fatter, and we’re all eating a lot of HFCS. Brainy blogger on Scientific American, Scicurious, looks at this contentious topic and unwraps the latest research that was a tipping point for HFCS.
Scicurious writes:
Of course, there might be a problem with HFCS. You see, Americans have this obesity epidemic going on. Our weights have increased a great deal in the last few years, and we want to know why, and preferably we want something nice and easy to make go away that we can point our fingers at. HFCS makes a good candidate for this; it became popular around the same time that Americans started getting fatter, it’s all “unnatural” sounding, and it’s something that would be relatively easy to make go away, definitely easier than changes to lifestyle and infrastructure.
But just because HFCS came out around the time Americans started getting larger doesn’t mean HFCS is to blame.
I did a post back in 2009 on High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). In researching that post I dug hard into the chemistry of HFCS, the similarities and differences from sugar, and the current literature on whether it’s coming for your waistline. At the time, I concluded that, while I know fructose on it’s own isn’t good for you, the data isn’t yet convincing, and I as yet couldn’t distinguish between the effects of HFCS, and the massive increase in our diets of sugars in general.
And now I’ve found this paper, and have been asked to cover the topic again. And…I could be convinced. But I’m not convinced yet and I’ll tell you why.
Bocarsly, et al. “‘High fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels”. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 2010.
This paper came out in 2010, and when it did, it generated a minor buzz. Everyone loves to hate on HFCS, and while many studies have shown that there is relatively little difference between HFCS and regular sugar (though there are some differences in metabolism, which I will get back to), the only real data we have so far to link to is that Americans as a whole are getting fatter, and we’re all eating a lot of HFCS (except for those of us who don’t, some Americans who can afford it are now opting out due to the very fears we are discussing).
And then, out came this paper. Some lauded it real proof of the evils of HFCS. Others (particularly people in the HFCS industry) criticised it as poor science with no real indications. Me? Well, I think it could be a bit of both……