High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Not a Unique Cause Of Obesity

To the Editor:

Mark Muller’s May 10 commentary “Let’s Support Farmers And Consumers, Not Agribusiness,” unfortunately mischaracterizes high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by suggesting that it is a unique cause of obesity.

Scientific experts do not agree that HFCS is a unique cause of obesity. The November/December 2005 issue of Nutrition Today includes a report from the Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy and its Ceres Workshop, which was compiled by scientists who reviewed a number of critical commentaries about HFCS and found that HFCS is not a unique contributor to obesity.

Many parts of the world, including Australia, Mexico and Europe, have rising rates of obesity and diabetes despite having little or no HFCS in their foods and beverages. In fact, USDA data show that per capita consumption of HFCS has been declining in recent years, yet the incidence of obesity and diabetes in the United States remains on the rise.

Like sugar, HFCS contains approximately equal ratios of fructose and glucose. As noted by the Food and Drug Administration in 1996, “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS is approximately the same as that of honey, invert sugar and the disaccharide sucrose (or table sugar).”

HFCS has gained a prominent position in the US food industry for many reasons. While price may have been a factor in food manufacturers’ choice in sweeteners more than 20 years ago, US food manufacturers’ continued use of HFCS is based on function and benefit rather than its price relative to sugar.

HFCS can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet. In 1983, the FDA listed HFCS as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in food, and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996. According to the American Dietetic Association, “Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations ... as well as individual health goals.”

Audrae Erickson

President

Corn Refiners Association

1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, D.C. 20006              May 12, 2006