HFCS & Sugar Sweetened Drinks

Researchers Find Beverages Sweetened with HFCS and Sugar as well as Milk Have Similar Impact

Stijn Soenen and Margriet S. Westerterp-Plantenga, researchers at the Department of Human Biology at Maastricht University in The Netherlands, studied the effects of milk and beverages sweetened with sugar and HFCS on feelings of fullness. The researchers found "no differences in satiety, compensation or overconsumption" between the three beverages. (25)

You can read the full study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition by clicking here.

An abstract of the study is below.

No differences in satiety or energy intake after high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or milk preloads
Stijn Soenen and Margriet S Westerterp-Plantenga, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

Background: It is unclear whether energy-containing drinks, especially those sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), promote positive energy balance and thereby play a role in the development of obesity.

Objective: The objective was to examine the satiating effects of HFCS and sucrose in comparison with milk and a diet drink.

Design: The effects of four 800-mL drinks containing no energy or 1.5 MJ from sucrose, HFCS, or milk on satiety were assessed, first in 15 men and 15 women with a mean (±SD) body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) of 22.1 ± 1.9 according to visual analogue scales (VAS) and blood variables and second in 20 men and 20 women (BMI: 22.4 ± 2.1) according to ingestion of a standardized ad libitum meal (granola cereal + yogurt, 10.1 kJ/g).

Results: Fifty minutes after consumption of the 1.5-MJ preload drinks containing sucrose, HFCS, or milk, 170%-mm VAS changes in satiety were observed. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) (P < 0.001) and ghrelin (P < 0.05) concentrations changed accordingly. Compensatory energy intake did not differ significantly between the 3 preloads and ranged from 30% to 45%. Energy intake compensations were related to satiety (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). No differences were observed between the effects of the sucrose- and HFCS-containing drinks on changes in VAS and on insulin, glucose, GLP-1, and ghrelin concentrations. Changes in appetite VAS ratings were a function of changes in GLP-1, ghrelin, insulin, and glucose concentrations.

Conclusion:Energy balance consequences of HFCS-sweetened soft drinks are not different from those of other isoenergetic drinks, eg, a sucrose-drink or milk.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 6, 1586-1594, December 2007