Report: Corn syrup unfairly blamed for obestity

"This new report confirms what we've been saying all along--the obesity problem is due to poor dietary habits and a lack of exercise. Statistics show that U.S. consumers are eating more and exercising less. To single out one ingredient as the cause of obesity is absurd."

--Rick Tolman, CEO, NCGA

DES MOINES (DTN)--A Virginia Tech report released recently says high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is being unfairly blamed as a leading contributor to obesity in the United States. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) CEO Rick Tolman said the Virginia Tech research convincingly discredits a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that asserted HFCS is partially responsible for the marked increase in U.S. obesity rates, according to a NCGA press release.

"This new report confirms what we've been saying all along--the obesity problem is due to poor dietary habits and a lack of exercise," Tolman said. "Statistics show that U.S. consumers are eating more and exercising less. To single out one ingredient as the cause of obesity is absurd."

Presenting the findings of their research to the Institute of Food Technologists convention in Las Vegas, the Virginia Tech researchers said HFCS is no worse for the human body than any other sweetener. Previous studies have mistakenly evaluated the sugars that comprise HFCS in a dry state, rather than in the liquid form, according to the Virginia Tech report. Most of those flawed studies concluded that HFCS is sweeter than sugar, despite the fact that HFCS has the same levels of sweetness as regular table sugar.

"There is simply no credible scientific evidence that HFCS is the cause of rising overweight and obesity rates," said Maureen Storey, director of the Virginia Tech's Center for Food and Nutrition Policy. "Overweight and obesity is a serious worldwide health problem and better research is needed to effectively prevent unhealthy weight gain. Unfortunately, recent published commentaries and studies on HFCS have only confused the issue and misinformed the public with regard to a key public health problem."

Storey said the body breaks HFCS down into the same simple sugars as table sugar, contrary to the assertions of previous studies. She said much of the available research on HFCS is erroneous because it analyzes fructose or corn syrup rather than the specific composition of HFCS.

Popular media reports have helped to perpetuate the myth that HFCS and farm support programs are precipitating causes of obesity. Continued circulation of this misinformation could have a negative effect on public policy, Storey said.

"Commentaries that suggest HFCS is a unique contributor to obesity are doing a disservice, especially from a public policy perspective," she said. "There are already too few resources available to address the [obesity] issue, and we cannot afford to divert public policy attention toward agenda- driven theories that are unsound scientifically."

Tolman said a recent statement by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) uses sound science to sum up the obesity debate. According to the ADA, "Excess body fat (obesity) arises from the energy imbalance caused by taking in too much energy and using too little. Obesity is a complex problem and its cause cannot be simply attributed to any one component of the food supply."