There is a growing controversy brewing over the use of high fructose corn syrup in the foods that we all eat. A number of publications are blaming this food product as one of the causes of the growing rates of obesity that is happening in the United States and other industrialized nations. The issue is that this syrup is literally 100% sugar, which is a simple sugar that the human pancreas loves. When the pancreas senses the sweetness, it releases hormones that force the extra sugars into the various cells of the body so the sugar isn’t as harmful.
Statistics on High Fructose Corn Syrup
1. 52% of adults consume 1-6 sugary beverages per week that contain high fructose corn syrup.
2. In 2009, the average American consumed about 35.7 pounds of high fructose corn syrup.
3. The average soda has the equivalent of consuming 10 teaspoons of regular table sugar.
4. Fruits canned in heavy syrup, such as peaches and pears, often contain high fructose corn syrup.
5. Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and even salad dressing have all been found to contain high fructose corn syrup.
6. Americans are at a 20% higher risk of contracting diabetes than countries that do not add the controversial sweetener to their foods.
7. HFCS accounts for about 8% of caloric sweeteners consumed worldwide.
8. As Americans have sought other options besides high fructose corn syrup, consumption levels have been decreasing while obesity rates have still been increasing.
9. The consumption of HFCS increased by more than 1000% between 1970 and 1990.
10. 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages is high fructose corn syrup and it is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States.
11. The USDA estimated that the average American ate 131 calories worth of corn sweeteners per day in 2013, down 16% from 2007.
12. Sugar consumption rose 8.8% between 2007 and 2011, showing that consumers simply traded one sugar for another.
13. The FDA has estimated that changes to the labels of food that contain HFCS could cost the industry $2.3 billion.
14. HFCS and table sugar contain the same number of calories: 4 calories per gram or 16 calories per teaspoon.
15. Tests have shown that HFCS, table sugar, and honey all are digested and metabolized similarly.
16. Excess body fat results when people do not balance their caloric input with their energy output.
17. Cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup are indeed both harmful when consumed in pharmacologic doses of 140 pounds per person per year.
18. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis, which causes liver damage to 70 million people around the world annually.
19. HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA, even though it may make up to 20% of the current caloric intake of some Americans.
What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?
High fructose corn syrup is not the same thing as regular corn syrup. It includes an enzyme that converts a portion of the glucose in the syrup into fructose and there are different types of syrup that are based on the ratios of fructose that the syrup contains. In the past, corn syrup wasn’t ever used in food products – cane sugar was used. In the United States, with laws passed that make in unfeasible to important sugar and subsidies making corn cheap, the development of this syrup made it possible to maintain the pricing structures of food.
Calorie consumptions has been climbing steadily for several decades. Sweeter beverages using high fructose corn syrup have become increasingly popular, with consumption rates increasing by 135% from 1977 to 2001. Because the syrup is cheaper than sugar, it also means that people are able to afford higher quantities of the foods and beverages that contain them, so larger portions wind up being consumed.
Just one soda containing high fructose corn syrup is added to the average person’s diet every day, it would result in a potential weight gain of 15 pounds over the course of a year. As these other statistics show, even though this syrup is cheap sweetener, it might not be the healthiest solution to consume on a regular basis.
How Americans Feel About It
The issue that people have, especially Americans, is one that is directly cost related. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always the best dietary options. With income levels static for Americans in the Middle Class, these foods just can’t be purchased as frequently as families would like. The result is a compromise for cheaper foods that have less nutritional content because it stretches dollars further.
It’d be easy to blame people for their eating choices, but the fact is that HFCS foods have been staying relatively affordable while fresh foods have been increasing in price over the same period of time. When a beverage can be 20 ounces instead of 8 ounces, that has more value to the person who can only spend a certain amount every week on food. We can all preach about the benefits or detriments of high fructose corn syrup, but the bottom line is that people will purchase the foods they can afford – and most people can’t afford foods that don’t contain this sugar syrup.
So what can we do? Maybe the first thing would be to end the corn subsidies in the United States. This is keeping the price of HFCS artificially low. In the US, lawmakers should also look to foreign import options for sugars that are cheaper than domestic options that are being grown. This will still give customers fairly affordable options for the foods they eat while still giving some of the market to domestic growers.
One thing is for certain: something needs to change. Children born today have a 40% chance of developing diabetes at some point during their life. We need to change out eating habits today so we can improve the future health of our kids.