High-fructose corn syrup prevents freezer burn and is often found in frozen foods. It is also used to keep breads brown and soft.

High-fructose theories

In recent years, some experts have sounded the alarm that high-fructose corn syrup may be responsible for rising obesity rates. Food manufacturers began using high-fructose corn syrup in large quantities in the early 1980s, just about the time that obesity rates began to climb.

Some experts believe this is no coincidence. They argue that consumption of fructose changes hormonal patterns inside the body. As a result, appetite levels increase. The body also becomes predisposed to storing greater amounts of fat, according to this theory.

Some studies have suggested a particular link between high-fructose corn syrup and disorders such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. The National Cancer Institute has fingered the introduction of high-fructose corn syrup as one of the causes of the obesity epidemic. However, it remains unclear whether high-fructose corn syrup does more harm than other sweeteners.

In fact, many experts believe that high-fructose corn syrup may is responsible for higher obesity rates only because Americans consume much greater amounts of calories than in the past. According to this theory, there is no unique effect of high-fructose corn syrup on the body.

Until further research settles the question, most experts simply advise people to avoid consuming excess amounts of high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. Decreasing your intake of soft drinks – which has grown five-fold in the past 50 years in America – is a good start.