A recent article about high fructose corn syrup and its role in the obesity epidemic prompted several questions from readers. “What is it?” “Is it safe?” and “Does it really cause obesity?”
     High fructose corn syrup is a sweetener that is made from corn and its flavor closely resembles that of table sugar or sucrose. It was developed in the 1980’s and quickly became a popular ingredient of soft drinks, baked goods and candy. This sweetener keeps baked goods from drying out, doesn’t crystallize in candies, and it actually inhibits the growth of bacteria in the food product.  High fructose corn syrup was less expensive than sucrose so many food companies switched.
     What’s the difference between the two? Sucrose is made up of two simple sugars -glucose and fructose. Sucrose contains 50% glucose and 50% fructose while high fructose corn syrup is usually 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Your body absorbs the glucose and fructose from both sweeteners in the small intestine at similar speed.
In other words, they are essentially the same in composition and they contribute the same number of calories per gram. (Honey is 49% fructose and 43% glucose with a small amount of other sugars present.) I attended a national conference recently where a food scientist discussed the safety of high fructose corn syrup. He assured the audience this food ingredient was safe but had a rather misleading inaccurate name.
     Scientists looking for a reason for our increasing obesity over the last 20 years have noted the increase in the use of high fructose corn syrup in the food supply during the same time frame. Federal government statistics show a 20% increase in the consumption of all sweeteners since 1985. As a nation, we are eating more of all types of sugar - more desserts and sweets overall. Think for a moment about your favorite dessert recipe. Usually the first step involves mixing together some type of sugar with some type of butter or shortening. This means we are also eating more fat and taking in more total calories.
     Weight gain happens when we take in more calories than we burn up.  The body stores these extra calories as body fat just in case we need them later. Unfortunately, we have so many labor-saving devices that we don’t get much physical activity on an average day. My great-grandparents lived on a farm and spent many long hours doing hard physical labor. They ate about the same number of calories per day that we do now, but they burned theirs up.
     Most of us have fairly sedentary desk jobs and like to spend our time away from work relaxing in front of a television.
     The obesity epidemic has many contributing factors. To blame any one food ingredient  is inaccurate and only confuses the average consumer. I have worked with clients on weight loss for many years. Those who are the most successful at controlling weight learn to eat all foods in moderation and get some regular physical activity.