Activists are yet again trying to demonize high-fructose corn syrup, this time with a new study that purports to find a higher prevalence of diabetes in countries whose populations seemingly consume more of the sweetener than other countries. The study found that the rate of type 2 diabetes was 20 percent higher in those countries where HFCS was used commonly. This comes on the heels of the expanding use of HFCS in products such as sodas, breakfast cereals and baked goods.
However, ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava points out a few serious flaws in the study. This is an ecological (population-wide) study which has nothing to do with looking at individuals it does not assess individuals food consumption. Rather, it is based on food disappearance data, which is an uncertain index of what people actually consume, as it does not differentiate between what was eaten and what was thrown away. She also says that it has been shown that even in countries that use little or no HFCS, the rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes have increased. In fact, those countries with the highest rates of diabetes, Egypt and Malaysia, have low consumption of HFCS.
And Dr. Gilbert Ross also adds HFCS has been shown to be metabolically equivalent to table sugar sucrose. Thus, there is no biological plausibility to figuring out the relationship of HFCS to anything. This ridiculous study basically says only that obesity and diabetes are closely linked not exactly big news. In the end, to reduce your risk of obesity and diabetes, you have to watch intake of all calories, not simply of HFCS.
