The Last Straw for High Fructose Corn Syrup?

New research released this week by Princeton University finds that — despite industry arguments to the contrary — high fructose corn syrup does indeed prompt more aggressive weight gain than ordinary sugar, and is a clear contributor to rising obesity rates in the United States.

Two experiments conducted by Princeton University researchers found that rats with access to HFCS gained significantly more weight than rats with access to water mixed with table sugar, even though both groups consumed the same amount of calories.

Perhaps more significant than the weight gain itself, the rats consuming HFCS showed abnormal increases in body fat and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides — characteristics that could shed important light on the rise of obesity in America.

Bart Hoebel, one of the researchers involved in the project, goes as far to point out that "when rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

These findings stand in stark contrast to the tune the Corn Refiners Association has been singing over the last several years, claiming that HFCS is nutritionally similar to sugar and not a contributor to the increase in obesity and diabetes.

There has long been circumstantial evidence to suggest HFCS was a nutritional dark horse. Since HFCS became a popular sugar alternative in the 1970s, obesity rates in America have more than doubled and Americans now consume, on average, 60 pounds of HFCS per person, per year.

With these new findings in mind, it's great that many food processors around the country are beginning to ditch HFCS in favor of ordinary sugar.

However, in order to truly affect the health of Americans across the board, consumers must demand products that are completely free from HFCS — and eat fewer sweets, whatever their chief ingredient.

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