Is High Fructose Corn Syrup the Same as Sugar?



  • Manufacturers are adding high fructose corn syrup to many foods.  One reads the ingredients and there is high fructose corn syrup when it used to read sugar or sucrose.  So what difference does it make to our health?  After all the commercials for high fructose corn syrup say “sugar is sugar”.  Why do manufacturers use high fructose corn syrup?  One it is cheaper than sugar and  second it is easier to transport than sugar.  But many nutritionists and researchers are skeptical of high fructose corn syrup.  Some say it can lead to high blood pressure, kidney disease and diabetes.
  • A research study looked at the health differences on our bodies of real sugar (white table sugar or sucrose) and high fructose corn syrup.  They gave 40 adults 24 ounce of a beverage sweetened with either high fructose corn syrup or table sugar.  The result?  High fructose corn syrup consumption lead to higher levels of fructose in the blood and higher blood pressure levels.  (Metabolism, December 7, 2011)
  • Just one study but one that shows our bodies do seem to metabolize high fructose corn syrup and table sugar differently.
  • So what do I do about high fructose corn syrup?  Basically, I try to avoid it.  I read the ingredient label and if it has high fructose corn syrup, I rarely buy that item and rarely eat foods with high fructose corn syrup.  I used to buy Cool Whip as an alternative to whipped cream.   Then they added high fructose corn syrup to it.  Good-bye Cool Whip.  Now we buy light whipped cream, no high fructose corn syrup.  The ketchup we used had high fructose corn syrup, now we buy the brand with the label stating, “NO High Fructose Corn Syrup”.  One doesn’t need high fructose corn syrup, so why not read the labels and buy foods that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup? 

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