Sugar vs HFCS

On the way home from Common Market, I realized I forgot to get an avocado which I needed to make the guests omelets for breakfast, so I stopped at the local grocery store. Near the produce section was a bin full of Jolly Rancher soda. It looked like Nyquil with a candy label. It was $1 for a 20 oz. bottle (what a deal, right?), which the label says is 2.5 servings. How many people who buy this are going to read the serving suggestions and milk it for three days?

This is what’s in the JR Soda: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), malic acid, artificial flavor, sodium benzoate (preservative), blue 1 and yellow 5. I’ll get back to the food coloring another day but if you drink the whole bottle, you get 93 grams of sugar – 14 times the recommended daily amount for a woman. So you actually need to milk it for two weeks if you care about your sugar intake. At least the nutrition facts on a 20 oz. coke (65g of sugar — ten times the daily recommendation for a woman) are rightfully referring to one serving. I actually like soda, but now only have a few a year, and usually don’t miss it except with pizza. I find water with a lot of ice usually suffices. If you do have a soda once in a while, buy them individually so extras aren’t sitting around the house, and try to get a traditional version that has cane sugar instead of HFCS.

A Princeton study found that rats fed HFCS compared to sugar at levels well below those in soda led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides, and significant weight gain. One difference between HFCS and sugar that causes these results are larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides. Second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules are free and unbound, immediately ready for absorption and utilization.^[1] Fat surrounding the organs in the abdomen is particularly concerning since that is the most dangerous form of fat accrual, leading to increased incidence of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and decreased longevity even in non-obese individuals.^[2]

One of the lead researchers at Princeton, Bart Hoebel, specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight, and sugar addiction.   I find it interesting since I discussed fat two weeks ago, that he points out a comparison of sugar and fat saying that rats drinking HFCS become obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, they do not all gain weight.^[3]

After the Princeton research came out, the food industry had to fund studies to show that high fructose corn syrup is not worse than sugar, and came up with the idea of calling HFCS “corn sugar” instead, since people are learning to avoid HFCS. Their opinions about debunking the Princeton study are posted on the Corn Refiners Association website, with members such as agribusiness giants Archer Daniels Midland Company and Cargill.

Drinking an occasional soda to celebrate is not going to hurt someone, but a sugar addiction obviously will – no matter what kind of sugar. HFCS addiction could lead to an earlier death and has literally changed the shape(s) of America(ns). This weekend we’re going to make a soda pop drink for a special occasion. This is something to do for fun once or twice a year so it does not detract from our eating sensible portions, mostly plants, and celebrating real food.