FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What is HFCS?
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn
and can be found in numerous foods and beverages on grocery
store shelves in the United States. HFCS is composed of either
42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars
being glucose and higher sugars.
What is the difference between HFCS and sugar?
HFCS is a natural, nutritive sweetener. HFCS contains approximately
equal ratios of fructose and glucose. Table sugar also contains
equal ratios of fructose and glucose. As noted by the FDA in
1996, “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose
ratio) of HFCS is approximately the same as that of honey, invert
sugar and the disaccharide sucrose (or table sugar).”
Sucrose and HFCS have the same caloric density as most carbohydrates;
both contribute 4 calories per gram. The human body cannot discern
a difference between HFCS, table sugar and honey because they
are all nearly compositionally equivalent.
HFCS is not sweeter than sugar. When HFCS was developed it was
specifically formulated to provide sweetness equivalent to sucrose
(table sugar). In order for food and beverage makers to use
HFCS in place of sucrose, it was important that it provide the
same level of sweetness as sucrose so that consumers would not
perceive a difference in product sweetness and taste.
Why is HFCS used in foods and beverages?
HFCS has proven beneficial to consumers through its use in many
foods and beverages, including several products that are made
for special dietary purposes. It also gives chewy cookies and
snack bars their soft texture and it protects freshness. HFCS
actually inhibits microbial spoilage by reducing water activity
and extends shelf life through superior moisture control.
Is HFCS natural?
Although the Food and Drug Administration has not established
a formal definition of "natural" for food ingredients,
it is accepted that products derived from natural materials
which are obtained by minimal processing are considered natural.
HFCS is made from corn, a natural grain product, and is therefore
consistent with the definition of natural.
Is HFCS safe?
As a natural, nutritive sweetener, HFCS can be enjoyed as part
of a balanced diet. In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration
listed HFCS as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known
as GRAS status) for use in food, and the FDA reaffirmed that
ruling in 1996. According to the American Dietetic Association,
“Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive
sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current
federal nutrition recommendations ... as well as individual
health goals.”
Is HFCS a unique contributor to obesity or
diabetes?
Recent mischaracterizations of HFCS as a unique cause of obesity
do not represent the consensus opinion of scientific experts.
The November/December 2005 issue of Nutrition Today includes
a report from the Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture
Policy and its Ceres Workshop, which was compiled by scientists
who reviewed a number of critical commentaries about HFCS. Their
analysis found that HFCS is not a unique contributor to obesity.
The Associated Press also reported on July 17, 2004, “there
is no reason to think high fructose corn syrup is worse than
regular table sugar or any other sweetener as a contributor
to obesity.”
Many parts of the world, including Australia, Mexico and Europe,
have rising rates of obesity and diabetes despite having little
or no HFCS in their foods and beverages, which supports findings
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Diabetes
Association that the primary causes of diabetes are obesity,
advancing age and heredity.
USDA data show that per capita consumption of HFCS has been
declining in recent years, yet the incidence of obesity and
diabetes in the United States remains on the rise.
Does HFCS make consumers feel less full?
No credible research has demonstrated that HFCS affects calorie
control differently than sucrose.
A recent study by Martine Perrigue, et al at the University
of Washington compared subjects' level of fullness (satiety)
after consuming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-, sucrose- and
aspartame-sweetened beverages with milk and a no-beverage control.
The study found that all four caloric beverages “suppressed
hunger ratings and increased satiety ratings relative to the
no beverage control. However, there were no significant
differences in satiety profiles among the sucrose- and HFCS-sweetened
beverages, diet cola, and 1% milk.” Their paper was presented
at the April 2006 meeting of Experimental Biology. (“Hunger
and satiety profiles and energy intakes following the ingestion
of soft drinks sweetened with sucrose or high fructose corn
syrup (HFCS)” Program Abstract # LB433)
Further, research by Almiron-Roig and coworkers in 2003 showed
that a regular soft drink, orange juice and low-fat milk were
not significantly different in their effects on hunger or satiety
ratings, or in calories consumed at a subsequent meal (Almiron-Roig
E, Drewnowski A, Hunger, thirst, and energy intakes following
consumption of caloric beverages, Physiol Behav. 2003; 79:767-74)u.
Is HFCS metabolized differently than sugar?
A recent study by Kathleen J Melanson, et al at Rhode Island
University reviewed the effects of high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS) and sucrose on circulating levels of glucose, leptin,
insulin and ghrelin in a study group of lean women. All
four tested substances have been hypothesized to play a role
in metabolism and obesity. The study found "no differences
in the metabolic effects" of HFCS and sucrose in this short-term
study, and called for further similar studies of obese individuals
and males. Their paper was presented at the April 2006
meeting of Experimental Biology. ("Similar effects of high
fructose corn syrup and sucrose consumption on circulating levels
of glucose, leptin, insulin and ghrelin," Program Abstract
# 391.2)
Are corn syrup, fructose and HFCS the same?
Corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. The
two products have widely different compositions and perform
distinctly different functions in foods and beverages. Corn
syrup is used as a non-sweet thickener, while HFCS is used as
a sweetener.
Corn syrup is used in candy bars to soften texture, add volume,
prohibit crystallization and enhance flavor. Corn syrup can
improve textures and enhance colors without masking natural
flavors, as in canned fruits and vegetables.
Fructose is a natural, simple sugar commonly found in fruits
and honey while HFCS contains approximately equal ratios of
fructose and glucose, similar to table sugar.
Has the use of HFCS increased dramatically?
As HFCS consumption increased, sugar consumption decreased.
U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that the per capita
use of HFCS in the U.S. food supply was matched with an almost
equal decline, on a one-to-one basis, in the per capita use
of sugar. The USDA estimates per capita sugar consumption in
2004 was 44.0 lbs per year1 and 42.3 lbs per year2 for HFCS.
1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,
Table 51 -- Refined cane and beet sugar: estimated number of
per capita calories consumed daily, by calendar year, Sugar
and Sweeteners Yearbook 2005
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service,
Table 52 -- High fructose corn syrup: estimated number of per
capita calories consumed daily, by calendar year, Sugar and
Sweeteners Yearbook 2005
