High-Fructose Corn Syrup vs. Sugar Smack Down!

By Wendy Gordon

Sugar as a health food? Who woulda thunk it? Yet everything is relative. Compared to the darling of modern agribusiness — high-fructose corn syrup — good ol' sucrose is looking downright benign.

Sucrose — refined from sugar cane or sugar beets — has been humanity's primary sweetener for hundreds of years. Sucrose is a disaccharide, a linkage of glucose and fructose molecules. While devoid of nutrients beyond calories, it is a naturally occurring compound and its digestion is modulated by the enzyme sucrase. This, along with the stimulation of insulin, allows the body control over the rate of sugar absorption.

Enter high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Commercial corn syrup production began in 1866 and the process remained unchanged until 1957, when scientists started refining fructose from cornstarch. In 1970, developments made the process practical for industrial production. From 1975 onward, HFCS rapidly replaced sugar in processed foods. Economic factors accelerated the changeover, as government subsidies made corn cheaper to grow, while tariffs and quotas made sugar more expensive to import. HFCS now accounts for 55 percent of all sweetener sold in the United States. Four corporations — Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Staley Manufacturing and CDC International — control 100 percent of HFCS production.

HFCS is a godsend for food processors. It is easy to transport and blends readily with many foods. It increases shelf life, reduces freezer burn, promotes browning in foods that have never seen the inside of an oven and keeps baked goods soft. Sweeter than sugar, it is a cheap way to add flavor to what Michael Pollan terms "edible foodlike substances."

Unlike sucrose, HFCS is composed of only one sugar: fructose. In its natural package, fruit, fructose comes accompanied by many nutrients and fiber, which modulates its absorption. In syrup form, fructose stands alone. HFCS absorption is not enzyme-modulated, nor does it stimulate insulin production. Its wholesale takeover of processed foods (1000 percent since 1980!) amounts to an unprecedented experiment on the American metabolism.

White sugar is refined similarly to white flour (stripping away the fibrous, nutritious exterior), but the process of making HFCS is more complex. While there are thousands of varieties of corn, corn syrup is manufactured from exactly one: yellow #2, a genetically modified hybrid. First, cornstarch is extracted from corn kernels, then further refined into syrup by alpha amylase, a genetically modified enzyme. Another enzyme, glucoamylase, breaks down the syrup into shorter polysaccharide chains. A third GMO, glucose isomerase, breaks down these polysaccharides into glucose/fructose units. Using liquid chromatography, most of that glucose is removed, leaving a 90 percent fructose solution. Finally, the mixture is blended with pure corn syrup to reach the manufacturer's desired fructose concentration, typically 55 percent.

The average American consumed 63 pounds of HFCS in 2005 (and 59 pounds of sugar). Common sense indicates that such a large intake of a compound never found in nature is not likely to be good for one's health. Since the introduction of HFCS, obesity rates have tripled. HFCS is not the only culprit, but it probably is a significant one.

Fructose acts more like fat in the body than carbohydrate, in that it does not stimulate leptin, a hormone affecting body fat and appetite regulation, or insulin, which controls glucose uptake in cells. Insulin resistance is the central problem in type 2 diabetes (once known as "adult-onset" diabetes), whose incidence has also increased dramatically, especially in children. Soft drinks sweetened with HFCS lead to higher concentrations of harmful carbonyl compounds such as methylglyoxal. Carbonyl compounds are elevated in diabetics, and are implicated in many serious diabetes complications, such as foot ulcers and eye and nerve damage. And unlike glucose, which can be metabolized in all body cells, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. Large quantities of fructose stimulate the liver to produce triglycerides and promote glycation of proteins, leading to a condition known as "fatty liver." Along with a host of other problems, fatty liver contributes to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The physical problems associated with ingesting high doses of fructose go on and on: it may interfere with copper metabolism, resulting in defects in connective tissue, osteoporosis, oxidative damage to arterial walls, infertility, heart arrhythmias and high cholesterol. And once again, this can lead to poor control of blood sugar. It may interfere with chromium metabolism as well, and chromium is another mineral linked to blood sugar control. Lactic acid levels — another marker for proper energy utilization — may also increase, leading to fatigue and further stress on the liver. Fructose may increase uric acid in the blood, another contributor to heart disease. Fructose leads to higher mineral losses, especially iron and magnesium, further interfering with bone metabolism and possibly causing anemia. Research indicates HFCS increases the incidence of colorectal cancer. Excess consumption of fructose, whether from fruit juice or HFCS-laden soda and fruit drinks, causes cramps, bloating and loose stools.

Industry scientists claim that many of these study results are inaccurate because they test fructose in isolation, not as a part of HFCS. This may be true to an extent, but it doesn't erase this damning bundle of experimental and epidemiological evidence. And if that wasn't enough, there are environmental consequences, too. When more acres of monoculture corn are planted in the US, fewer are planted with other crops. Most notably, a decrease in global soy production has spurred a global spike in soy prices. As a result, Brazilians are currently clearing thousands of acres of rain forest to plant soybeans, leading to deforestation.

HFCS is ubiquitous in the conventional supermarket. A quick survey turned up HFCS in breakfast cereals, pastries, pancake syrup, soups, sauces, stuffing mix, crackers, jellies, baked goods and fruit-flavored beverages. In most of these cases, HFCS is the first or second ingredient. It's the major ingredient in most soda pop.

But here's the powerful secret: You don't need to eat the stuff. And sugar, as good as it looks in comparison, is still not a health food.

Wendy Gordon is a writer and restaurant reviewer who lives in Portland, Oregon. She has a master's degree in clinical nutrition from the University of Chicago.