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The Skinny on the Stuff that’s Supposedly Making us Fat

  • Susan
  • May 25, 2009
mountain dew and pepsi throwback ingredients
Mountain dew and pepsi use throwback ingredients like sugar

Poor high fructose corn syrup.

This sugar substitute has been getting a bad rap for some time now, as one of the longest running scapegoats for why Americans are obese (as if high fructose corn syrup is personally responsible for people packing on the extra pounds).  As just one of the members of the family of natural sweeteners, it does the task for which it is intended, but never gets any credit for a job well done.

Using high fructose corn syrup in processed foods began in Japan in the 1960s and migrated to the U.S. in the 1970s, where it became the darling of the food industry.  Besides being a less expensive alternative to regular sugar, it blends better with other ingredients, provides for improved texture in food, is more stable and helps maintain a longer shelf life.  High fructose corn syrup is now a major ingredient in processed foods, ranging from salad dressings and ketchup, to jams, cereals, soup, ice cream and many other items ” even bread.

However, detractors feel that this sweetener is evil, causing diabetes and other ailments, in addition to it being the primary cause of obesity.

So what’s the skinny on this ingredient that’s supposedly making us so fat?

Well, from all accounts, including the American Medical Association, beating up on high fructose corn syrup is a big, fat non-issue, although no one seems to be listening.  In a report last last June, the AMA tried to squelch the ongoing controversy and misunderstanding between high fructose corn syrup and its connection to obesity, stating that “high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners,”and that there is “insufficient evidence”to restrict its use or require a warning label on products that contain it.

The AMA correctly pointed out that as the consumption of high fructose corn syrup rose, Americans were also taking in more calories (of all kinds) and becoming less active. Portion sizes were increasing tremendously. (In the last 25 years, the average serving of a glass of soda rose from 8 ounces to today’s whopping 20 ounces.)

The bottom line is that high fructose corn syrup and sugar have essentially the same nutritional content.  Both contain approximately 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.  High fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar; and high fructose corn syrup, sugar, honey, maple sugar and all other natural sweeteners contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).

And there is nothing unnatural about high fructose corn syrup.  It is made from corn ” a natural grain, and contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the Food and Drug Administration’s requirements for use of the term “natural”

Many of the nation’s foremost nutritionists, physicians and researchers have reiterated that high fructose corn syrup is a much-maligned ingredient and is no different nutritionally from table sugar.

“High fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food supply,”stated Dr. David Ludwig during a segment on the NBC Nightly News last month.

Despite repeated studies saying there is essentially no difference between these two products, the various constituencies of food cops continue to perpetuate the urban myth that high fructose corn syrup is bad for your health.  And now they’re being joined by Congress, who is contemplating a tax on soft drinks (to protect our health, of course).

But while all of this is in development, Pepsi and Mountain Dew are offering consumers a taste of what it was like to have sugar-sweetened soda with the introduction of Throwback, two new limited edition products inspired by the ’60s and ’70s, in a retro-look package.  Only available through mid-June, these sugar-sweetened alternatives may be a way for Pepsi to test the market to see if switching sweeteners might win back some of their customers who don’t’ want to consume anything with high fructose corn syrup.

The debate over high fructose corn syrup will likely continue, but as in all things, moderation is the key.  Whether your favorite soft drink is sweetened with sugar or high fructose corn syrup, it will still contain 140 calories.

Links of Interest

Obesity Myths

Myths and Facts about High Fructose Corn Syrup

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