Corn Syrup: Myths & Facts

Over the years, there have been so many negative things that have come out about why high fructose corn syrup is so bad for people and how replacements are the better options. Have you ever wondered, though, if what you are hearing is the truth to the matter or are people just throwing out opinions hoping they stick as fact? Well, this is an attempt to give you mothers out there some clarity on what you should know about corn syrup going into your family’s diet. 1. Sugar is healthier for you than high fructose corn syrup This is in fact a myth because they are essentially the same in terms of their health value. They are identical in the composition and how many calories they contain. The human body absorbs both sugar and high fructose corn syrup in the same manner, so sugar is not healthier than high fructose corn syrup.

 

2. There is nothing natural about high fructose corn syrup Again, this statement is a myth because high fructose corn syrup is made from corn, which is a natural grain product and is a natural sweetener. There are no artificial or synthetic ingredients in corn syrup, nor are there color additives. It meets all the requirements listed to use the term “natural” according to the U.S. FDA. 3. High fructose corn syrup blocks the body’s ability to know when it is full This is a false statement as many studies have gone on to show that high fructose corn syrup gives the game feelings of fullness to individuals as sugar does; or 1% milk. There is no difference in the metabolic effects from high fructose corn syrup as there is compared to sugar. 4. Obesity and diabetes can be blamed on high fructose corn syrup This is a popular belief, but there is no evidence to back this claim that high fructose corn syrup is to blame for obesity and diabetes. The consumption of high fructose corn syrup has actually been declining. On the flip side, the obesity and diabetes rates continue to climb, showing that high fructose corn syrup is not the contributing factor to those two issues. 5. High fructose corn syrup is high in fructose and sweeter than sugar Wrong, once again. Keep in mind, high fructose corn syrup is similar to sugar in many ways including composition so the fructose levels in high fructose corn syrup is either 42% or 55%, comparable to the 50% in sugar. As far as sweetness goes, the type of high fructose corn syrup that is commonly used in foods provides less sweetness than sugar does. It’s easy to see that high fructose corn syrup is the most misunderstood products in the food supply, but hopefully this clears up some of the myths that you may hear about it. It’s still all natural and is close in composition with sugar. Enjoy the facts and hopefully you were able to learn a little bit about high fructose corn syrup.