Sep 26, 2008 6:40 pm US/Eastern
AMA, FDA: High Fructose Corn Syrup Gets Bad Rap
Doctor Tells CBS 2 HD: It's Not The Sweetener That Causes Obesity; It's How Much Of It We Use
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
High fructose corn syrup is the most commonly used sweetener by American food manufacturers. It's a cheaper alternative to sugar, but health experts charge it's contributing to the obesity epidemic. The industry says that's not true and is fighting back with a new ad campaign.
The commercial is part of a national advertising blitz designed to sweeten the high fructose corn syrup industry's image. It's definitely gotten a bad rap in recent years. Despite having the same amount of calories as sugar, high fructose corn syrup has been linked to disease and weight gain and that's been leaving a bad taste in some shoppers' mouths.
"I try to stay away from it," said one shopper.
Corn syrup consumption is on the decline. Americans eat 12 percent less of it than a decade ago. But the industry says the sweetener's reputation isn't deserved, emphasizing that just like sugar, fructose is fine in moderation.
"Our product has been highly mischaracterized in the public domain and we felt that it's important not to step back and not allow that to continue," said Audrae Erickson of the Corn Refiners Association.
And the American Medical Association has weighed in on the issue, saying "High fructose syrup does not appear to contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners" like sugar.
What's more, the Food and Drug Administration now says it can use the label "natural."
"We find it almost everywhere, it's omnipresent in the food supply," said Dr. Carla Wolper.
But obesity experts like Wolper say it's the amount of high fructose corn syrup that food manufacturers across the board are putting into their products that is the real problem.
"It's also in breads and sauces and other products that would have had a small amount of sugar added," Wolper said. "Sweet is a trigger for us. It will make us crave more sweet, so if it's in the food, you're going to eat more of it so who is it benefiting, again the producers of this food," said food and health author Andrea Beaman.
Beaman said this is what accounts for our bigger waists.
"If you are eating the standard American diet, you are probably having 27 to 30 teaspoons or more every single day," said Beaman who advices you read food labels to keep a tab on how much high fructose corn syrup you're consuming.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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