Statement from Corn Refiners Association: Study Finds Beverages Sweetened With High Fructose Corn Syrup Affect Fullness, Hunger in Same Way as Those Sweetened With Sugar

WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Statement from Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, on peer-reviewed study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study found no evidence that regular carbonated soft drinks sweetened with either sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have significantly different effects on hunger or fullness.

"This new study on sweetened beverages supports previous research showing there is very little difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar from the perspective of the human body.

"High fructose corn syrup has nearly the same composition as sugar and honey -- roughly half fructose and half glucose -- with each having four calories per gram. So it is not surprising that sugar and high fructose corn syrup affect the appetite in the same way.

"The study supports previous and other current research on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). These include:

  -- Research by Almiron-Roig and coworkers in 2003 showed that a regular
     soft drink, orange juice and low-fat milk were not significantly
     different in their effects on hunger or satiety ratings, or in calories
     consumed at a subsequent meal. (Almiron-Roig E, Drewnowski A, Hunger,
     thirst, and energy intakes following consumption of caloric beverages,
     Physiol Behav. 2003; 79:767-74.)

  -- A recent study by Kathleen J Melanson, et al at Rhode Island University
     reviewed the effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose on
     circulating levels of glucose, leptin, insulin and ghrelin in a study
     group of lean women.  All four tested substances have been hypothesized
     to play a role in metabolism and obesity.  The study found "no
     differences in the metabolic effects" of HFCS and sucrose in this
     short-term study, and called for further similar studies of obese
     individuals and males. (Melanson KJ, Zukley L, Lowndes J, Nguyen V,
     Angelopoulos TJ, Rippe JM, Effects of high-fructose corn syrup and
     sucrose consumption on circulating glucose, insulin, leptin, and
     ghrelin and on appetite in normal-weight women, Nutrition (2007)
     23(2):103-12.)

  -- Linda M Zukley, et al at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute reviewed the
     effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose on triglycerides
     in a study group of lean women.  This short-term study found "no
     differences in the metabolic effects in lean women [of HFCS] compared
     to sucrose," and called for further similar studies of obese
     individuals or individuals at risk for the metabolic syndrome. Their
     paper was presented at the June 2007 meeting of The Endocrine Society.
     ("The Effect of High Fructose Corn Syrup on Post-Prandial Lipemia in
     Normal Weight Females" Program Abstract # P2-46)

  -- Joshua Lowndes, et al at the Rippe Lifestyle Institute reviewed the
     effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sucrose on circulating
     levels of uric acid in a study group of lean women.  Uric acid is
     believed to play a role in the development of the metabolic syndrome.
     This short-term study found "no differences in the metabolic effects in
     lean women [of HFCS] compared to sucrose," and called for further
     similar studies of obese individuals and males. Their paper was
     presented at the June 2007 meeting of The Endocrine Society. ("The
     Effect of High-Fructose Corn Syrup on Uric Acid Levels in Normal Weight
     Women" Program Abstract # P2-45)

"These studies are in line with other research showing that high fructose corn syrup is not a unique contributor to the worldwide rise in obesity and diabetes. U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that per capita consumption of HFCS is actually on the decline in the United States, yet obesity and diabetes rates continue to rise. In fact, many parts of the world, including Mexico and Europe, have rising rates of obesity and diabetes, despite having little or no HFCS in their foods and beverages.

"As noted in a recent report in Nutrition Today: '"Currently, there is no convincing evidence to support a link between HFCS consumption and overweight/obesity."'

The new study was supported by grants from the American Beverage Association and the Corn Refiners Association, and by a fellowship from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

It can be found at http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/1/116.