A Sweet Surprise?

When major corporations issue advertising campaigns aimed at clarifying a national misconception, it's evident that something has gone awry. In this case, I'm talking about the American obsession with high-fructose corn syrup. I'll admit, when I read nutrition labels, the four words "high fructose corn syrup" seem to jump out at me. The negative hype about high fructose corn syrup has convinced me that I shouldn't consume it; I'm not sure why, I just know it's something I should avoid. I, like so many other American consumers, am (or was) a victim of basing my decisions on the general public's misconceptions. After seeing a couple of the commercials released by the Corn Refiners Association, I decided to research the ingredient shunned by much of the American public.

What did I find?

A lot of conflicting opinions. In one of the television commercials (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0), two actors personify the differing attitudes about high fructose corn syrup. One, a mother pouring a sugary juice for her kids, defends the ingredient when approached by another mother who snidely comments, "Wow, you don't care what the kids eat, huh?" The woman responds by clarifying that high fructose corn syrup is made from corn, has no artificial ingredients, and, "like sugar, is fine in moderation." This dialogue is characteristic of the American attitude towards health and nutrition; we aren't always sure of why something is unhealthy, but we'll avoid it nevertheless (think back to the Atkins diet and America's abandonment of carbohydrates).

When I googled "high fructose corn syrup," I found various health websites, personal blogs, and news articles criticizing -- or supporting -- the ingredient. According to the Corn Refiners Association website (http://www.sweetsurprise.com/), "High fructose corn syrup or corn sugar contains the same two simple sugars as table sugar (glucose and fructose) and is handled the same by the body as table sugar. The American Dietetic Association found that 'once they are absorbed into the bloodstream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.'" In fact, on September 14, 2010, the association issued a request to the Food and Drug Administration to change the product's name from "high fructose corn syrup" to "corn sugar." Clearly the negative hype about HFCS has caused serious negative repercussions for the company.

While the Corn Refiners Association is busy attempting to revamp the American perception of HFCS, others are adamant about condemning the sugar. Mark Sisson, health expert and inventor of Primal Nutrition, Inc., expresses his disdain for high fructose corn syrup on his blog, Mark's Daily Apple (). In one post, Sisson writes: "While there are a few slightly more terrible liquids out there – liter fluid, for example – it’s really a shame that the 'foods' available to us are so commonly laced with HFCS."

After discovering a little more about high fructose corn syrup, I am able to make a more informed decision. Perhaps Americans do not necessarily need to avoid high fructose corn syrup but need to reduce their sugar intake in all forms. Thus, I won't fear those four words on nutrition labels but will try to minimize my consumption of sugar, "high fructose" or not.


For more information on high fructose corn syrup and the proposal to change its name, see:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/a-new-name-for-high-fructose-corn-syrup/