HFCS, "you know what they say"...

High Fructose Corn Syrup is a cheap alternative to traditional table sugar also known as sucrose. Sucrose is made of equal parts of glucose and fructose. HFCS is, as you might suspect from the name, proportionately higher in fructose, usually around 55% fructose to glucose 45%.

So why the hub-bub over HFCS. The commercials, paid for by the Corn Refiners Association, tell us, "you know what they say"...and leave it at that, only filling in the blanks with hollow and disingenuous phrases like HFCS is "nutritionally the same as sugar". While the statement may be accurate, sugar is not nutritious in the least. Take a look at the USDA nutrition database for sugar. There is NO nutrition, save calories, in sugar.

The issues associated with HFCS and, at least in my opinion with sugar, are:

"...fructose is absorbed differently than other sugars, which may have nutritional consequences. When glucose is consumed, it increases production of insulin, which enables sugar in the blood to be transported into cells where it can be used for energy. It also increases production of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite and fat storage, and suppresses production of ghrelin, a hormone made by the stomach that helps regulate food intake. Because of this reaction, it has been suggested that after eating glucose, hunger declines.

Fructose, however, doesn't stimulate insulin secretion or increase leptin production or suppress production of ghrelin. Therefore, researchers suggest that consuming a lot of fructose, similar to consuming a lot of fat, may contribute to weight gain.

Additionally, fructose is converted into the chemical backbone of trigylcerides more efficiently than glucose, and elevated levels of trigylcerides are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. One study found that fructose produced significantly higher blood levels of triglycerides in men, although not in women, leading researchers to say that diets high in fructose may be undesirable, especially for men.

Further, fructose may alter the magnesium balance in the body, leading to an acceleration of bone loss, according to a USDA study.

Researchers have also examined evidence from multiple studies and concluded that large quantities of fructose from a variety of sources, such as table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, induce insulin resistance, impair glucose tolerance, produce high levels of insulin, boost a dangerous type of fat in the blood and cause high blood pressure in animals."

The above being from this link.

And now you do know what they say.