High Fructose Corn Syrup: Is It Good For You?

High fructose corn syrup or HFSC as it is commonly called, is a corn starch sweetener processed by glucose isomerase converting some of its glucose into fructose. Often compared to granulated sugar, it is considered to have manufacturing advantages over it. This include cost-effectiveness and ease of handle. It has however sparked concerns about its health risks compared to other sweeteners. The United States Food and Drug Administration has declared it a safe ingredient in food manufacturing. Its uses include but not limited to; food industry as a sweetener and beekeeping as a honey substitute for bee colonies when nectar is in low supply. It benefits compared with other sweeteners include; they act as a preservative that protect flavor and color of fruit, contribute to the bulk or volume of ice-cream or baked goods, reduce the harsh vinegar bites in non-salt foods, control melting and boiling points of products and they retain moisture so high products taste better..

The high fructose corn syrup health risks are associated with conditions such as obesity and metabolic disorders since it is suspected to contain more sugar than normal sugars such as fruit juice concentrates. There has however been plans to implement public health measures. The FDA together with The Dietary Guidelines recommend that everyone limit consumption of all added sugars, companies such as McDonalds and Hunt’s Ketchup have replaced their high fructose corn syrup with conventional sugar, Companies such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Heinz have reduced products that also use sugar as an alternative. People with fructose malabsorption should avoid foods containing HFCS.