The Real Scoop on High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar

Bob sent me an email wanting to know if bee honey is more fattening than jelly or jam when used on a piece of bread. Bob, it’s your personal preference. The calories in a tablespoon of honey, jam or jelly average 55-65 and there is very little difference nutritionally so enjoy your favorite. The key to weight maintenance is portion control and the total calories you take in every day against how many you burn off in daily activities and exercise. Your question, Bob, ties in with the current urban myth that high fructose corn syrup is the evil sweetener that is making everyone fat. It reminds me of when eggs got such a bad rap and people stopped eating them because they were told their cholesterol would go up. Then research clearly showed us that cholesterol levels in the body elevate because of the total saturated fat in the diet, not the cholesterol in an egg.

The real deal about high fructose corn syrup is that your body doesn’t see it any differently than sugar or honey. Why? Because HFCS is comprised of approximately equal ratios of glucose and fructose just like sugar (sucrose) and honey. It is purified from corn with no artificial ingredients as sugar is derived from sugar cane and sugar beets. Sugar and corn syrup are equally sweet and both contain four calories per gram. You might have heard that honey is healthier than either sugar or HFCS. Honey does contain small amounts of proteins, vitamins and minerals, but these compounds together make up less than 0.5% of honey. Depending on the type of floral, honey does contain varying levels of antioxidants.

There is no difference in how the body metabolizes table sugar and high fructose corn syrup. This past June The American Medical Association concluded from evidence-based research that “high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.” Bottom line…HFCS doesn’t make you any fatter than sugar or honey. Yes, as a country Americans are heavier than we’ve ever been. Portion sizes are obscene. We consume more calories from all food sources including foods made with sweeteners and we exercise way less. The remote control and computer mouse see all the action.

Consider the 90-10 way of eating…90% of the time you make the healthiest choices possible and then 10% of the time you allow for treats. Become a label sleuth and be aware of the amount of sweet treats and sweeteners that you consume. It’s all about the calories.

Dr. Susan

Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie.
Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO: http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/
Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com