Commentary: HFCS Doesn't Cause Obesity

There was a time when high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was just another sweetener. But then, in 2004, George Bray and colleagues published a commentary linking HFCS to obesity. Since then, use of the sweetener has been the subject of almost constant consumer and media backlash.

According to one group of nutrition and health experts, this disdain is largely unfounded. In a commentary published in the International Journal of Obesity, James M. Rippe, M.D. and colleagues note that, although Bray's article fueled debate in the media and among consumers about the metabolism and health effects of HFCS, medical and nutrition professionals failed to see the connection between HFCS and obesity. Data from randomized controlled trials do not support the link, they say, adding that "consumption of HFCS has declined for the past ten years despite obesity levels staying constant or rising in most groups in many countries."

Click here to read the full commentary.

Dr Rippe and Rippe Lifestyle Institue received research grants and consulting fees from a variety of companies and organizations. Including ConAgra, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Weight Watchers and the Corn Refiners Association. Dr Foreyt is a member of the scientific advisory panel of the corn refiners association.