My family does not consume high fructose corn syrup, as far as we know, which takes considerable effort. The stuff is literally in everything, including Baby Tylenol. To avoid high fructose corn syrup, we try to make as much food as possible from scratch. Otherwise, we are serious label readers! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find pickle relish or fruit jam without high fructose corn syrup? For the years we have avoided the stuff, we have felt a little self-conscious. Are we over-reacting?

Well….probably not so much. A new article argues that fructose is a “powerful inducer of genomic and epigenomic variability with the capacity to reorganize gene networks critical for central metabolic regulation and neuronal processes in the brain….” Okay, that doesn’t sound good at all! The authors suggest that the affected systems are important for understanding metabolic, neurological, and psychiatric disorders.

I know what the Corn Refiners and the National Corngrowers Association are going to say–high fructose corn syrup and fructose are not one and the same (HFCS combines some percentage of fructose with another sugar, usually glucose or sucrose). We also know that sugar is basically sugar. Still, the amount of fructose supplied to the public via high fructose corn syrup compared to the amount we normally would obtain is huge. HFCS allows food manufacturers to add sweetener very cheaply to products that normally would not contain much or any sugar at all. Really, who needs sweet hot dog buns? Sweet soup? When I was a child, you put a spoonful of sugar on your cereal if you wanted it to be sweet–the sugar wasn’t added in huge quantities by the manufacturer. Sadly, food manufacturing personnel have figured out that if you make it sweeter and fattier, people buy more.

Some of the arguments in favor of high fructose remind me a bit of the arguments against the dangers of tobacco. “Problems with recent reports attacking high fructose corn syrup demonstrate the need for clarity and caution on the part of research scientists…..” “The authors failed to provide needed perspective….” “The authors clearly acknowledge several limitations of their study….” Okay, that’s fair, but it’s not like the corn industry is likely to be objective here either. What are the odds that they would admit their product causes problems, even if the data hit them in the face?

So while reading this, you just finished a huge bottle of your favorite soft drink? The good news is that consuming DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, appears to reverse fructose-induced genetic changes. Where do you find DHA? Fish, fish oil, walnuts, flaxseed, and most fruits and vegetables are good sources. In addition, an “all things in moderation” attitude might be our best bet, and that includes our consumption of sweets in general.


27 Comments

hannahdavis · April 30, 2016 at 10:06 am

As a kid raised in a family that wasn’t allowed to have high fructose corn syrup, I now understand my mother’s major concern. It makes me wonder how much high fructose corn syrup is needed to cause such an effect like changing gene networks in metabolic regulation and neuronal processes and how much omega 3 is needed to reverse those same effects. It also has me wondering the effects of no calorie sweeteners that are found in various diet beverages. I hope more studies are being researched about these added sweeteners and their effects on obesity in America since we also have the highest high fructose corn syrup consumed per person a year. This would be hard to compare as other countries have various diets varying more than just in high fructose corn syrup but it would be a good way to show people the true effects it has on their body and society as a whole.

vimorris@calpoly.edu · May 1, 2016 at 5:03 pm

The image displaying that the average American consumes 24.78 KG of high fructose corn per year was not very surprising but unfortunate to hear. Staying away from processed food and the candy isle and focusing on putting fresh fruits and vegetables in the cart is the typical extent my family will go to in order to eat fairly healthy. I was encouraged to hear that as a whole your family avoids high fructose corn syrup and regularly read the labels, something I often do but am not really sure what I am looking for most of the time. After reading the post I am hoping to focus on incorporating more DHA into my diet and extend my research on the effects products included in the labels have on our health.

lwickwir · May 2, 2016 at 6:23 pm

As the same with the other comments, my family too is very big on eating healthy and making sure they stay away from processed foods. Every time I go home for a while I always find myself losing weight a bit and feeling more energetic. Unfortunately, as being a college student, I feel as if I do not have the money nor the time to really eat healthy since things are always on the go. However, I feel like once my life has settled more I feel as if I will implement these same healthy food guidelines that you and my parents have.

Bcrowley712 · May 2, 2016 at 8:29 pm

I was never a child that had parents that restricted me and my brother from processed foods, but i always saw commercials about high fructose corn syrup being bad for you, and then other commercials that said it was no different than glucose. I always thought that it was just a health concern for weight and fat storage that was the issue and did not know that it had a psychological or neurological effect on the body, and that is scary! I wish that easy to make foods or just food in general was not processed with so many chemicals, and I wonder all of the time what effect all of those chemicals will have on our bodies in future studies.

hsaner · May 4, 2016 at 12:50 pm

Coming from a family that tries to eat healthy but often find ourselves buying more processed food than we’d like to admit, these results are really something to keep an eye on. It does frustrate me that high fructose supporters and corporations are trying to discredit studies just because they disagree with the findings. However, it is reassuring to hear that DHA appears to reverse fructose-induced genetic changes. I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of “everything in moderation” because it’s unrealistic for people to try to cut out high fructose corn syrup out of their diet altogether, but it would be a good idea (especially in America) for them to try to limit it.

michellesandler · May 6, 2016 at 2:07 am

Diet and reading labels is something that people need to be more aware about. Growing up, food was not something my family was strict about. Organic foods, typically being more expensive, was not something my parents bought and not the food I was geared towards. As I got older and after learning more about how the foods we eat can affect us, I became more educated about paying attention to labels and being more cautious about what foods I should or shouldn’t consume. I began to live a healthier lifestyle and now try to avoid processed foods and sweets containing high fructose corn syrup. I also introduced this to my family and they now are more attentive to the foods they buy and put into their bodies. The fact that high fructose corn syrup has epigenetic effects on the body makes me hope that more research on this will be done and awareness increased. After reading this article, I learned more about what foods I need to include in my diet to consume DHA.

jaoliva@calpoly.edu · May 6, 2016 at 3:28 pm

I could not agree more with how similar the arguments supporting tobacco and high corn fructose syrup are. Growing up, my family was very naive about what we consumed and much hasn’t changed. However, when I was young there weren’t many reasons to stay indoors (no television shows/video games) so I was able to get some sort of physical activity throughout the day but this isn’t the case for my younger cousins. I feel like so many people are afraid to step out of their comfort zone or just don’t have the motivation to go out of their way to find the healthier options and it’s harming the younger generations the most. It is very concerning to me how being selective with what you consume may be considered a luxury to some people. Some of my family members avoid organic food and prefer to eat the cheaper fast food (which is the worst and contain more of the high fructose corn syrup) simply because that’s all they could afford. There must be a way to decrease the usage of potential dangerous additives while still keeping the lower class in mind.

madelinechae · May 8, 2016 at 1:18 pm

Most of my meals growing up consisted of my mom’s nutritious homemade cooking, and because everyone in my family remained fit by playing sports year around, reading food labels is not something that I grew up doing very often. I think that that since everyone looked healthy and felt healthy, none of us thought anything of the dangers of substances like high fructose corn syrup. I believe this is one of the reasons why my dad was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; fortunately, since he has been diagnosed, my family has made a significant effort to watch our diets and be more cognizant of what we are putting into our bodies. That being said, it’s true that the arguments in favor of high fructose do sound fairly similar to those who favor tobacco because the bottom line is that both are things that some people are simply not open to acknowledging are dangerous.

annahempill · May 8, 2016 at 8:58 pm

Growing up my mom was very adamant about our family eating healthy and staying away from processed foods as much as possible. My understanding was that foods with high fructose were unhealthy because of the weight gain and fats that came along with these products. I was not aware of the neurological and psychological affects that high fructose food and drinks can have on the body. It is hard to find unprocessed food living in a dorm on campus with a meal plan. However, this blog alone has made me recognize that I need to be more conscious of what I put in my body. The fact that these foods can have affects on my mental health as well as my physical health is very concerning to me. As I finish off this school year I think I will be more conscious of what I consume, and become more adamant about reading labels and being knowledgeable about what I am putting into my body.

arklipp · May 11, 2016 at 9:25 am

I agree with the above comments that it is hard to eat foods from scratch as a college student. The amount of high-fructose corn syrup in American diets has a massive effect on obesity rates and has a lot to do with meals provided to children at a young age. I was not allowed to have any soft-drinks as a kid and now I just don’t have any craving for them in the least. However, my sister took the other route and because she wasn’t allowed to have many processed foods at home, any time she had money she would buy junk food. I feel as though it will be easier to monitor what I eat when I have the time and income to make food for myself.

estrickf · May 11, 2016 at 1:12 pm

Dr. Freberg,

I find the information in this article very crucial to the common American consumer today. Too many families have diets based on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and more research should be conducted on the exact effects of this on lifetime health and epigenomic variability. I find it shocking that even after studies reveal that it has the capacity to “reorganize gene networks critical for central metabolic regulation and neuronal processes in the brain”. This red flag should cause the groups that allow this to put aside their desire for business and look out for the public health. Even if it can be reversed by consuming DHA, it still seems as if little to no intake of HFCS should be consumed. America should learn from the rest of the world based on the numbers of yearly average consumption.

Makayla Riggs · May 14, 2016 at 1:15 pm

I grew up in a family where that idea of eating everything in moderation was HUGE! In order to have any type of dessert, we had to finish our dinners and actually had to do a determined amount of sit-ups and push-ups. Even though moderation was important, my parents never exactly emphasized “healthy” eating. Yes we had balanced diets but as far as the content of the food, I couldn’t tell you if it was good or bad. We were always a family on the run so avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup was hard when we needing food to be fast. Luckily, now after being in school and being able to control my own diet, I feel like I am not only eating in moderation but am overall eating healthier by monitoring not just what is on my plate but also what is in that food on my plate.

clairep · May 16, 2016 at 3:37 pm

I generally try to maintain a “healthy” eating pattern, but never considered specifically limiting my consumption of high fructose corn syrup, as I did not realize the severe consequences that came along with this all too common ingredient. Although the exact makeup of our food was not typically mentioned, throughout life at home from my childhood and beyond my parents implemented a variety of whole foods into my diet and limited my consumption of sugary foods; my dad being a dentist was particularly fond of this plan, seeing as how I had no idea what soda was until around the first grade. I may not have been fond of these limitations then, but the habituation that came from meals eaten at home have definitely carried over into my college years as a positive influence. Now that I am in control of feeding myself, I practice the same general principles that my parents did; thanks to this post am now seeing more of the light in their health-conscious decisions. I know that there is more that I can do to ensure that I am correctly nourishing my body and brain with the right food components — I am definitely going to become a more serious label reader myself!

victoriatonikian · May 17, 2016 at 1:30 pm

My family was definitely not one that was very vocally against eating high fructose corn syrup, but I also don’t feel like we were consistently consuming it as rates that were unhealthy. As child we had pretty balanced meals and desserts were not an always after dinner. I think this is contributed to my eating habits as an individual in college. Having my own apartment and cooking myself I find that for the most part I’m pretty healthy and am able to balance my own diet and desserts are not always a must. With that being said I also don’t feel like I’m missing out on dessert or need to have it every single day. I think that with moderation and balance it can be more beneficial and healthy.

alexandrabush · May 30, 2016 at 8:51 pm

Coming from a family that is huge on playing sports and eating salad everyday, I always had a big bowl of some sugary cereal before school. I also drank a lot of soda and ate loads of fast food between school and practice. These habits have carried on with me and have slightly increased since going to college. I always knew the U.S. had the most unhealthiest food but the visual really put it into perspective. After reading about how bad high fructose corn syrup truly is, I am going to start reading labels and try to cut down on the soda and other unhealthy foods.

bailey_arthur · May 30, 2016 at 10:41 pm

It is insane the amounts of high fructose corn syrup there are in our foods. My friend is actually allergic to high fructose corn syrup and that puts huge limitations on her diet. I have seen a shift in people’s views of high fructose corn syrup shifting, and businesses are getting trickery with their advertising and labeling. Even though I am able to eat high fructose corn syrup, the fact that fructose can “reorganize gene networks” really scares me into watching what I eat. I also agree that the corn industry will not give up this product easily because of the large revenue it produces, so it is up to us as a culture to discard the products that we do not want in our diets. There are many alternatives that do not involve fructose so we should really look into those for an alternative and provide better options for those who cannot consume or choose not to consume glucose.

maddieadie · June 2, 2016 at 9:16 am

I thought that was a very interesting and relevant blog post! I have heard about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup before, but it is so hard to stay away from that I try to push it out of consciousness. I think its great that your family manages to stays away from it. I definitely agree that it can mess with metabolism and hormones affecting hunger. It is not nutrient dense or filling so people eat so much of it without knowing the harm. This blog also brought me to question more about the dangers of other foods such as meat and dairy. I have heard of a lot of harmful effects of eating animal products, but it is very hard for me to stay on a vegan diet. However, the more I learn the facts about food, the easier it is for me to make healthier choices. The more awareness people bring to the subject of the effects of certain foods will make the biggest impact on people changing their diets.

Chan.Jayme · June 2, 2016 at 7:37 pm

My mom was never super strict about things like that. Her way of preventing us from being unhealthy would to limit us. The pantry would never be stocked with snacks like other people’s houses. I remember going over to my friend’s house and they would have every snack known to mankind, it was amazing. Being in college and watching my own eating habits, I am also not super strict on myself. I cook whatever is easy and whatever I have, I don’t make a conscious effort to check ingredients and read labels. However, after reading this article it definitely reminded me to keep a lookout for that!

Morrison_Finck · June 2, 2016 at 9:35 pm

As a young child, my parents severely monitored my food intake, insuring that my diet was balanced and healthy. Over the years, as I was able to make my own food choices, my health-conscious decisions went on the decline. Since arriving at Cal Poly, I have made questionable diet choices, knowingly eating campus food filled with high-fructose corn syrup. After reading this article, I plan to begin the process of altering my food choices for the better, becoming more conscious about the food choices I am making.

carsonmulholland · September 25, 2016 at 4:59 pm

My family, just like most mentioned above, avoided high fructose corn syrup at all costs. My mom did NOT want us eating the god forsaken devil’s food that had this product in it, at least that’s what she made it seem like. When I was younger and this was made so very clear, is when there were multiple studies coming out about how terrible this product was for you. And for reasons like mentioned in your blog, I can see why many turned away from it in such disgust, like my mom who wanted her babies to grow up as healthy and organic as possible. However, it is hard to keep paying attention to something like this over the years. In fact, I had completely forgotten to look at labels for this product in years until reading this blog post right now! But thank you for bringing it back to my attention because it reminded me of the look of horror my mom had when I was 6 years old and read “high-fructose corn syrup” in the ingredients, putting the item back on the shelf in disgust at the grocery store.

brittanymertzel · October 8, 2016 at 3:15 pm

The first thing that caught my eye in this article was the photo at the top which displays the amount in KG of consumption of high fructose corn syrup per person per year. The United States has over half as much as any other place in the world, in some places in the world it is more than 24 times as much. Personally, I have not been aware of my individual intake of high fructose corn syrup and with this stat in mind, I need to be more aware of what I am putting into my body. The fact that the reason why manufacturers are adding this extra sugar into their products is to enhance their product sales, is absolutely ridiculous. They need to worry more about the well being of humanity rather than selling their products. I didn’t even really know the specific dangers and high consumption rates of fructose corn syrup until reading this article, so thank you Dr. Freberg! I will be paying more attention to this and will be telling my family and friends. I love the “all things in moderation” quote that you gave and will be using this and passing it on.

RachelSemple · October 14, 2016 at 5:27 pm

Although I was aware that high fructose corn syrup was bad for you, I did not understand the extent of it’s negative effects until reading this article. I try to eat healthy on a daily basis, but I now realize that I should be making a more conscious effort to read labels and be aware of exactly how much high fructose corn syrup I am consuming. According to the article, I, as an American, must be consuming a lot! This being my first year living off campus and grocery shopping on my own, I will now look more closely at the foods I am buying for myself. I think it is a shame that information like this is relatively hidden from the public’s knowledge, and that companies are willing to sacrifice their customer’s health for some extra money.

Charlene Niku · November 7, 2016 at 11:44 am

I’ve always heard that high fructose corn syrup is unhealthy and that is has health risks, but I never put much thought into it because growing up, my parents provided pretty healthy snacks and I still try not to consume too much junk food. With that being said, however, I must admit that I never pay enough attention to food labels. I probably consume more high fructose corn syrup that I realize, and after learning from this article, I know the consequences that can arise from such products. I will make more of an effort to be conscious of what foods and drinks I consume. I definitely agree that the American diet consists of too much unnecessary sugar. I don’t think the American public is very well educated when it comes to knowing how to read food labels, how many popular products contain an excessive amount of sugar, and that food manufacturers are more concerned with making money than with providing healthy products. As a college student it can be quite difficult to find inexpensive yet healthy foods, but as I gain a better understanding of the importance of eating healthier, I will try harder to find healthier options and I will pay more attention to food labels.

rachelcarlson · March 12, 2017 at 8:55 pm

Wow! I have never had a diet high in HFCS my whole life. I was raised in a very health-conscious home: my mother treated sugar like the devil. None of that around! I often have a very hard time explaining my issues with HFCS to friends, especially those who accuse me of being overly cautious with my food choices. I am a total label reader, and if I spot HFCS, its out!! Why the heck is there added sugar in bread? It took me nearly a year of searching to discover a sugar free bread, Ezekiel, and I havent looked back since. The added sugar is detrimental to our health (physical and mental) and waistlines. I will be citing this blog post to all my soda-drinking pals next time they diss my anti-sugar antics (and gladly rebuttal with a stevia-sweetened soda).

Amy Edelstein · May 7, 2017 at 3:52 pm

I was blessed with parents that raised me on a very healthy diet. Eating in moderation was extremely important in my family, and I remember my mom always saying “a balanced diet is the best diet.” While I didn’t really know what that meant back when I was eating my plate full of vegetables, protein, and grains (my little 5-year-old self simply knew that this was what one would consider “balanced”), I now have a better understanding of what “eating in moderation” really means. Towards the end of my high-school years, I chose to become a pescitarian (basically a vegetarian who eats fish and dairy products) because I began to understand what my body responds best to – what foods make me feel the healthiest and most satisfied. Furthermore, I never really considered the specifics of what I am eating, for example, high fructose corn syrup that just happens to be found in many of the foods I consume. Today, I would consider myself a healthy eater, and I really do try to put the best nutrients in my body. If you think about it, our body strongly thrives on food (or at least I know that mine does), and it is important to put things in our body that will make us feel energized, satisfied, and balanced. Thus, after reading that fructose can “reorganize gene networks”, I will definitely become more aware and cautious with the products that contain this ingredient. As an independent college student that can essentially choose to eat whatever she wants, I choose to eat healthy; I choose to fill my body with foods that provide me with the best nutrients.

emilyknighton · December 1, 2017 at 1:07 am

The arguments for and against different categories of food products have always been fascinating to me. I came to Cal Poly as a nutrition major, but grew increasingly frustrated with the information we were learning in some of my classes. It seemed like somehow the dairy industry had infiltrated our “unbiased” and empirical textbooks by the ways that some of them discussed milk. I’m not an expert, but I do know that someone can survive just fine without drinking the three glasses so milk every day that come so strongly recommended by the government. The more I tried to learn, the more conflicting information I was hearing, depending on the source. Especially on the internet, it can be extremely unclear what’s considered “good” for you, “bad” for you, and why. I’ve heard about campaigns against sugar and fat and sodium, and eventually someone told me that the “low-fat” craze was funded by the sugar industry to cover their own sticky, obesity-ridden tracks. When I began to see how much power money and politics have over what we’re told we should be eating, honestly, it scared me. I’ve had stomach issues for the entirety of my young adult life, and suddenly I felt like there was no source I could ever truly trust to provide me with guidance. In the end, I switched my major to biology (which is not bias-free, but does not fall victim to the same health-craze, fad-diet drama) for a more well-rounded understanding of what happens when a human being digests food. So hopefully, with enough time and schooling, I’ll have the tools to start answering some of my own health questions.

Britnee Archambault · February 12, 2018 at 10:41 am

I have never been taught about the affects of eating and drinking substances containing high fructose but I have always known that is is not good to eat/drink, but now I do. I have never been concerned with high fructose but now I feel like I should be, especially since my body is developing as I grow older and I cannot eat as carelessly as I use to be able to. I am always concerned with eating food that make me feel energized (fruits and veggies) but I never have actually researched what kinds of ingredients will make me feel that way, but now I am going to be more cautious of what i’m putting into my body.

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