Facts On Corn Syrup Vs High Fructose Corn Syrup

The high fructose corn syrup has made considerable noise in the health industry. Facts about this topic have been controversial because according to health experts, a variation in corn syrup hinders the health of its consumers.

Normal Corn Syrup. Courtesy – http://recipes.howstuffworks.com

Before one can understand high fructose corn syrup or HFCS, one must first understand where corn syrup comes from. As the name reflects, these sweeteners come from corn. When farmers harvest corn crops, kernels are being extracted to become the source of corn starch used for corn syrup. The germ is being used to make the oil while the other parts of the kernel are broken down into starch, protein and fiber. Pure corn syrup isn’t that sweet and tasty that is why it has been modified. The dextrose content of pure corn syrup is being made into fructose thus, high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup. Courtesy – http://medifasthealth.org

HFCS and corn syrup has been compared in numerous ways. Both of them share some similarities but also have differences that consumers must know about. Here is a list of some of the comparisons made regarding HFCS and corn syrup.

• Both HFCS and corn syrup contain dextrose
• HFCS can cause worse effects than corn syrup to the health like obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, tooth decay and risks of getting heart disease
• Both come from natural corn
• HFCS contains a lot of fructose while corn syrup does not contain a single molecule of fructose at all
• Corn syrup is not as sweet as HFCS
• HFCS can negatively affect insulin production and Leptin production in the body. These two are responsible for regulating a person’s appetite
• HFCS and corn syrup are inexpensive

In short, corn syrup is healthier but HFCS is sweeter. HFCS has been created because consumers demanded a sweeter variety to our regular corn syrup. Also, consumers wanted candies or drinks that were sweeter but were less expensive. HFCS is one of the most inexpensive artificial sweeteners that is known to humanity. The use of HCFS has saved millions for manufacturers of sweet food. There are also different varieties of HFCS. Experts modified this product for it to contain just a percentage of fructose and the remaining to be dextrose. Candy and soft drinks in particular use HFCS that contain 55% fructose. Some other products use less or more. It all depends on how healthy or how tasty you want that product to be.

HFCS intake has increased over the years. Courtesy – http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com

People often use HFCS as sweeteners because it is relatively more inexpensive than other artificial sweeteners. However, you need to take into consideration the health risks that HFCS may bring. HFCS costs around half of what sugar costs. These values will provide the same amount of sweetening. It all sounds okay at this point however; since HFCS is so affordable, people tend to consume it in big amounts thus, leading to weight gain and eventually obesity. The cost you saved on sweeteners will cost you your health. If you want to enjoy HFCS, make sure that you do not have problems with your blood sugar level, sugar addiction, sugar cravings and sugar binging. Always remember how sugar can create bad effects to the body.

Linda Hamilton

Linda is a certified dietician and life coach. After 5 years of gaining experience with the NHS community, Linda now works on a freelance basis providing nutrition and dietary advice to clients across the UK. She strives to promote positive, practical messages about food and health to treat nutrition related health problems.