Syrups - Sweeteners: Nutritional Aspects, Applications, and Production Technology - page 155

6.2.9 Safety and Consumption

Many claims about HFCS are made, for example, that it is responsible for an increased inci-
denceofobesity,suggestingthatitismetabolizeddifferently,buttheAmericanMedicalAssociation
(AMA)hasstatedthatHFCSdoesnotappeartocontributemoretoobesitythanothercaloricsweet-
eners.AstudybyMelansonetal.(2007)hasfoundnoimportantdifferencesininsulin,leptin,fast-
ingbloodglucose,andghrelinamongthetwosweeteners,i.e.,HFCSandsucrose.Otherresearchers
conducted studies on abnormally high levels of pure fructose, which may have led to confusion
about the relationship of HFCS and obesity. However, no persuasive evidence supports the above
claims,becauseHFCS,likeothersweetenerssuchasglucoseandsucrose,contributescaloriesand,
inmoderateconsumption,doesnotcontributetoobesity.Thesourceoftheaddedsugarinfoodand
beveragesshouldnotbeaconcern,becauseitisthelargeamountofaddedsugars(totalcalories)that
isimportant.Thus,sugarsofvarioussourcesinfoodsandbeveragescanbeenjoyedbyconsumersas
partoftheirdietandlifestyleiftheyareconsumedinmoderation.
AnexpertpanelledbyRichardForsheeoftheCenterforFood,Nutrition,andAgriculturePolicy
published a report in the August 2007 issue of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition ,
whichannouncedthat“thecurrentlyavailableevidenceisinsuficienttoimplicateHFCSperseas
acausalfactorintheoverweightandobesityproblemintheUnitedStates.”Oncethecombination
offructoseandglucosefoundinHFCSandtablesugar(sucrose)innearlyidenticalcomposition
(50%fructoseand50%sucrose)isabsorbedintothebody,both(fructoseandglucose)appeartobe
metabolizedsimilarly.AlthoughHFCSandsugarareidenticalincompositionandcaloricvalue,
theydifferinthechemicalbondingoftheirsugars.Thesaccharidecaloriccompositionoffructose
andglucoseandothersugarsandcomponentsareshowninTable6.3.
Ingeneral,allcaloricsweetenerscauseaninsulinresponsetoagreater(pureglucose)orlesser
(fructose)extent.However,bothHFCSandsugar(sucrose)causeaboutthesameinsulinreleasein
thebody,becausetheycontainaboutthesameamountsofglucoseandfructose.
AstudybyLindaM.ZukleyattheRippeLifestyleInstituteontheeffectofHFCSonuricacid
and body triglycerides of lean women resulted in “no differences in the metabolic effects.” The
glycemicindex(GI),whichisbasedonhowmuchbloodsugarincreasesover2-3hafterameal,
hasamoderatevalueof55-60forHFCSandsugarcomparedtopureglucose(100)andfructose
(20).Moreover,inresponsetoclaimsofafoodallergyeffectfromHFCSconsumption,littleimmu-
nologicalconnectionduetotraceproteinsthatremainedafterHFCSproductionhasbeenreported.
Table6.4showssomeofthemostcommoncaloricand/ornutritivesweetenersandtheirgeneral
nutritionalcharacteristics,whicharesummarizedasfollows:

• Eachhasapproximatelythesamecomposition(fructoseandglucose)

• Eachoffersroughlythesamesweetnesspergram(4kcal/g)

table 6.3 Composition of hFCS a versus Other Sugars

Sweeteners hFCS 42 (%) hFCS 55 (%) Sucrose (%) Inverted Sugar b (%) honey c (%)

Fructose 42 55 50 45 49

Glucose 53 42 50 45 43

Other sugars 5 3 0 10 5

Other substances 0 0 0 0 3

Source: Adapted from Hull, p.: Glucose Syrups: Technology and Applications , 2010. Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag
GmbH & Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission. Reprinted from Developments in Sweeteners: Applied
Science , Grenby, T. H., Copyright 1987, with permission from Elsevier. O'Brien-Nabors, L., Alternative
Sweeteners , Marcel Dekker, Inc., New york, 2001.
a HFCS of two formulations, 42% and 55% fructose with the balance of glucose and higher sugar.
b Hydrolyzed sugar.
c Honey: 3% of proteins, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.