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High
fructose corn syrup calories add up
July 7, 05
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
It’s
not just the fat in our food that’s fattening.
For most overweight people, sugars added to foods during production
are another likely source of excess calories. The leading
source among all the sugars: high fructose corn syrup.
High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS for short, is a thick liquid
sweetener made from corn. It’s made by treating corn
starch with enzymes that change the corn sugar glucose into
another sugar called fructose. The sweetener that results
is similar in sweetness to common table sugar made from sugar
cane or sugar beets.
The composition of HFCS – about half fructose and half
glucose – is similar to table sugar. The word “high”
in high fructose corn syrup refers to the amount of fructose
in that form of corn syrup as compared to forms that haven’t
undergone similar processing.
What’s not similar is the cost. HFCS is cheaper than
table sugar. It’s also more versatile. According to
the Corn Refiners Association, advantages include:
* Pourability. The freezing point of HFCS is lower, so juice
and beverage concentrates sold in the freezer case can be
poured from their cans or containers and are easier to mix
with water.
* Softness and browning. HFCS gives baked goods, cakes, cookies
and granola bars a soft, moist texture and helps them brown
nicely.
* Flavor enhancement. Taste buds detect the sweetness of HFCS
earlier than table sugar, making the natural flavors of spices,
citrus and fruit flavors stand out. That’s why HFCS
is used in beverages, bakery fillings, ice cream, yogurt and
flavored milk.
* Freshness and stability. HFCS extends shelf life, inhibits
spoilage, and helps maintain the flavor and sweetness of canned
fruits, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, ketchup
and fruit preserves.
HFCS became a food ingredient during the 1970s after the technology
for making it was developed. Its use was encouraged by the
fact that corn production has long enjoyed subsidies from
U.S. taxpayers, making it a less expensive alternative to
table sugar.
Since the ’70s, the amount of HFCS in foods and beverages
has soared. The average American’s daily calorie intake
from HFCS was 205 calories in 2003 – up from two calories
in 1970, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics.
The relatively low cost of HFCS enables food companies to
supersize food portions – especially soft drinks –
for little cost, increasing profits and perceived value for
customers.
Most nutritionists believe that widespread use of HFCS in
supersized junk foods is a major contributor to our collective
weight problem.
Some research also suggests HFCS may cause changes in metabolism
that hinder appetite control, increase blood triglyceride
levels, or increase risks of diabetes and colorectal cancer.
However, there isn’t yet enough evidence to draw conclusions
at this point.
Some nutrition experts are doubtful that HFCS could cause
unique metabolic effects.
Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at
Harvard University’s School of Public Health, told the
San Francisco Chronicle: “Nutrition theory holds that
the basic make-up of fructose-laced corn syrup is not much
different than table sugar. “There are some modest differences
in metabolism, but I don’t think fructose per se is
the culprit,” he said.
Whether or not high fructose corn syrup causes metabolic changes,
people who want to prevent weight gain or shed some pounds
should be aware of the sweetener’s presence in many
of our foods.
For now, a good place to start in cutting back on HFCS is
to limit your consumption of one of its biggest sources –
regular soft drinks.
In the long term, a fix will likely also require policy changes,
including reconsidering the use of tax money to support production
of an ingredient that does little more than more efficiently
satisfy the American sweet tooth.
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