The Confusion About High Fructose Corn Syrup and Weight Gain

Confused about the effects that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) can have on your weight? It's no wonder. Every day consumers are bombarded with ads about the health benefits of certain foods. Many of these foods contain high fructose corn syrup. You start to think; if the advertisers are saying it is healthy, it must be.

But then comes an article or a news item about the dangers of HFCS and its roles in weight gain. Then you start to question the safety and health repercussions of foods with HFCS.

Then here come even more ads. Happy moms spouting the good news about high fructose corn syrup. Couples getting romantic over their HFCS-sweetened treats. They are saying things like: it's made from corn. It has no more calories than sugar. It is fine in moderation.

And did you catch the part of the commercial that lets you know that the ads are paid for and sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association? Probably not the best source of unbiased information on the subject. To back up their claims about HFCS, they have a whole page dedicated to the findings of studies and scientific reviews. Notice that the dates of these studies are at least 2 years old and some are as old as 5 years.

More recent studies have been made about the effects of a diet which includes HFCS and its effect on weight gain. In fact, in March of 2010; Princeton University posted a news release to their website about their findings in regard to high fructose corn syrup and it's effects on weight.

They stated that two groups of rats with the same caloric intakes differed in weight gain depending on whether they had access to high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar. The group with HFCS gained significantly more weight than the others.

They also stated that, in addition to the significant weight gain; long-term consumption led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen. Most of us are familiar with belly fat. This is a rather disturbing find considering how dangerous abdominal fat can be. Belly fat can lead to insulin resistance; which in turn can cause diabetes and heart disease.

The findings of this study seem pretty convincing to me; especially given that every single rat across the board who consumed HFCS in this study gained weight.

Chances are you are now consuming foods that contain corn syrup. It is included in a myriad of products; including, bread, cereal, soda, fruit juice, ketchup, yogurt and more. The average American consumed 60 pounds of HFCS a year.

If you are watching your weight or trying to maintain a healthy diet, it seems prudent to try to steer away from HFCS containing foods and opt for healthier sweetener choices. The simple change of buying more foods in their natural states, before they are processed and canned, would help cut back immensely on your consumption of HFCS.

Resources
Princeton University Website - A Sweet Problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain

Wikipedia - High Fructose Corn Syrup

Corn Refiners Website - Sweet Surprise

Associated Content, Sam Bradley - Burn The BellyFat, The Dangers of Abdominal Obesity