high fructose corn syrup: not the root of all evil

A little over a year ago, I noted efforts to demonize high fructose corn syrup, and critiqued policy recommendations based on inconclusive research. (It was historical rather than experimental, and based on animal studies.)

Now, new research on humans supports the claim that, in sugary soda at least, high fructose corn syrup is no worse than glorious cane sugar.

It's a small study — 37 subjects — but its authors say it appears to undermine a recently popular theory that high-fructose corn syrup contributes to weight gain by making people feel less full than other sweeteners do.

The study showed that "people don't seem to react differently to the different kinds of sugar," said Pablo Monsivais, nutritional-sciences research fellow at the UW and the lead author of the report, which appears in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Monsivais cautioned that the findings were limited to high-fructose corn syrup in beverages only, and the results may not apply to the solid form of the sweetener used in cereal, peanut butter and thousands of other food products.

Read the article for the details, as well as tangential finding that, unsurprisingly, drinking plain water with a meal is better for your waistline.