More On High Fructrose, High Fat

The last 40 years of health advice has been dominated by the "eat low-fat" mantra. It was a period dominated by concerns over saturated and total fat as causes for heart attack, stroke, and cancer. It witnessed the explosion of low-fat "heart healthy" foods. It prompted low-fat cookies to be viewed as "heart healthy." It led to the American Heart Association having its Check Mark stamp of approval applied to Count Chocula® and Cocoa Puffs® breakfast cereals.

Among the many unintended consequences of the low-fat mistake was the proliferation of sweeteners in the U.S. processed food supply. "If it is low-fat, it must be healthy" goes the logic. With the blessing of "official" organizations, thousands of sugary products made it to market, replacing all the "unhealthy" food that preceded it, like eggs, vegetable oils, and meats.

In 1967, a rapid enzymatic production method permitted large-volume conversion of inexpensive-to-produce (at least with the support of government subsidies) corn syrup to corn syrup enriched with fructose. While standard corn syrup is 100% glucose (the same as blood glucose), fructose-enriched corn syrup has less glucose, more fructose. Several varieties of "high-fructose corn syrup" became available to food manufacturers: HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 are the most common, meaning that 42% or 55% is comprised of fructose, the remainder glucose.  

Low-cost, prolonged shelf-life, and water-solubility of high-fructose corn syrup also proved an advantage over its less product-friendly predecessor, sucrose (table sugar). High-fructose corn syrup also proved well-suited to the countless products that blended easily into the low-fat lifestyle: spaghetti sauce, ketchup, fruit drinks and fruit juices, breads, bagels, maple syrup, cookies, beer, drink mixes, even such improbable places as dill pickles.

And consumers literally ate it all up. From a marketing standpoint, high-fructose corn syrup proved a hit. Kids and teenagers can't get enough of the super-sweetened soft drinks, often served in 32-oz super-sized portions at fast food restaurants and convenience stores, even dispensed through vending machines in schools. Adults love it too, enjoying the high-fructose but low-fat foods that make them feel "healthy," many complete with official "heart healthy" endorsements.

High-fructose corn syrup proved such a hit that it has eclipsed sucrose today as the number one sweetener added to foods in America. Buy a can of soda, flavored energy drink, low-fat salad dressing or loaf of whole grain bread and the overwhelming likelihood is that you will see high-fructose corn syrup towards the top of the list of ingredients. While in the 1960s Americans consumed around 15 grams of fructose per day from sucrose (table sugar that is 50% glucose, 50% fructose) and the modest quantities in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, daily fructose exposure has quadrupled to an average of 60 grams per day (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008). Many Americans, particularly kids and teenagers, consume far more, principally through their love of sweetened soft drinks.