August 7, 2007
Question: What's high-fructose corn syrup? Is it as bad as people say?
Answer: High-fructose corn syrup is very sweet, cheap and helps preserve food, which is why it's found in so many things, from soda to baked goods. It's made by changing the sugar in cornstarch to fructose.
Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky says some nutrition experts blame increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup for the growing obesity problem. "One theory is that fructose is more readily converted to fat by your liver than is sucrose, increasing the levels of fat in your bloodstream. But this hasn't been proved," she says.
Animal studies have associated high-fructose corn syrup with diabetes and high cholesterol, but Zeratsky says evidence isn't as clear for humans. "Despite the lack of clarity in research, the fact remains that Americans consume large quantities of high-fructose corn syrup in the form of soft drinks, fruit-flavored beverages and other processed foods," the dietitian says.
"These types of foods are often high in calories and low in nutritional value. This fact alone is reason to be cautious about foods containing high-fructose corn syrup."