HFCS Not Unique Cause of Obesity

Experts Conclude Evidence Lacking to Implicate
High Fructose Corn Syrup as a Unique Cause of
Obesity

An expert review of the research literature on the dietary role of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has found insufficient support for the notion that high fructose corn syrup could play a unique causal role in obesity.

The expert panel led by Richard Forshee, Ph.D. of the University of Maryland Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy (CFNAP) concluded that "the currently available evidence is insufficient to implicate HFCS per se as a causal factor in the overweight and obesity problem in the United States." The panel's report was published in the August 2007 issue of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.

The report found that there are many other "plausible explanations for rising overweight and obesity rates" in the United States, listing such factors as "a decrease in smoking; an increase in sedentary occupations; an increase in two-income households and single-parent households; transportation and infrastructure changes that discourage physical activity; a decrease in PE classes and extracurricular sports programs in schools; an increase in sedentary forms of entertainment (i.e. TV/movie viewing, video games, etc.); demographic changes (i.e. aging population, immigration, etc.); a decrease in food costs with increase in food availability; and changes in food consumption patterns."

The full text of the expert review is available by clicking here.

An abstract of the review is below.

A Critical Examination of the Evidence Relating High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain

Authors: Richard A. Forshee a; Maureen L. Storey a; David B. Allison a; Walter H. Glinsmann a; Gayle L. Hein a; David R. Lineback a; Sanford A. Miller a; Theresa A. Nicklas a; Gary A. Weaver a; John S. White a

Affiliation: a Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy, University of Maryland - College Park, 1122 Patapsco Building, College Park, MD, USA

Abstract
The use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has increased over the past several decades in the United States while overweight and obesity rates have risen dramatically. Some scientists hypothesize that HFCS consumption has uniquely contributed to the increasing mean body mass index (BMI) of the U.S. population. The Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy convened an expert panel to discuss the published scientific literature examining the relationship between consumption of HFCS or "soft drinks" (proxy for HFCS) and weight gain. The authors conducted original analysis to address certain gaps in the literature. Evidence from ecological studies linking HFCS consumption with rising BMI rates is unreliable. Evidence from epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials is inconclusive. Studies analyzing the differences between HFCS and sucrose consumption and their contributions to weight gain do not exist. HFCS and sucrose have similar monosaccharide compositions and sweetness values. The fructose:glucose (F:G) ratio in the U.S. food supply has not appreciably changed since the introduction of HFCS in the 1960s. It is unclear why HFCS would affect satiety or absorption and metabolism of fructose any differently than would sucrose. Based on the currently available evidence, the expert panel concluded that HFCS does not appear to contribute to overweight and obesity any differently than do other energy sources. Research recommendations were made to improve our understanding of the association of HFCS and weight gain.