High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become a favorite target of many health-conscious consumers, who contend that it is a major cause of the obesity "epidemic" in the United States. Indeed, some scientists are concerned by studies showing that animals fed a diet high in HFCS suffer negative effects. Meanwhile, groups such as the Corn Refiners Association and the American Beverage Association say that HFCS is being unfairly demonized. Should consumers be concerned? Here's what we know about HFCS.

What and Where Is HFCS?

HFCS is a sweetener and preservative that's made by breaking down cornstarch into sugars. Part glucose and part fructose, it has the exact number of calories per gram as the sugar derived from cane or beets. Like table sugar, it offers nothing in the way of nutrition: no minerals, no vitamins, no fats or proteins, and no fiber.

The food and beverage industries in the United States had good reasons to start using HFCS when it became available in the late 1960s. HFCS is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. It is sweeter than sugar, easy to store, and it extends the shelf life of foods. In addition, corn is cheap because of federal subsidies to corn growers, and tariffs on imported sugar make HFCS the cheaper choice. These benefits have made HFCS a staple ingredient of countless packaged and processed foods. In the United States, it is also the most widely used sweetener in carbonated soft drinks, juice drinks, and sports drinks.

HFCS can be found as a key ingredient even in products that are not necessarily sweet, such as salad dressings, soup, crackers, and even children's vitamins. These common foods may all carry HFCS:

• Pancake syrups
• Popsicles
• Fruit-flavored yogurts
• Frozen yogurts
• Ketchup and BBQ sauces
• Marinades
• Condiments
• Salad dressings
• Jarred and canned pasta sauces
• Applesauce
• Canned soups
• Canned fruits (if not in its own juice)
• Breads, crackers, and baked goods
• Breakfast bars
• Breakfast cereals - highly sweetened or not
• Fruit juice and fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice

• What Are the Charges Against HFCS?

  For some time, a number of nutrition experts have been blaming consumption of HFCS for the growing obesity rates in this country. In the spring of 2008, the American Medical Association announced at its annual policy-making meeting that high-fructose corn syrup does not contribute more to obesity than sugar or other caloric sweeteners. However, new studies contradict the AMA, and also point to other potential hazards.

  According to an article by Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times (Oct. 30, 2008), a small study published in 2008 in theJournal of Nutrition suggests that fructose may make people fatter by bypassing the body's regulation of sugars, meaning it gets more quickly converted to fat than do other sugars.

  Animal studies have shown a link between a diet high in HFCS and such adverse health effects as diabetes and elevated levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. The evidence has not been as clear in human studies. However, Parker-Pope reports that the Journal of Hepatology (June 2008) suggests there is a link between human consumption of HFCS in sodas and fatty liver disease.

  In October 2008, researchers from Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago released the results of their study of the link between kidney disease and HFCS. Using data from nearly 9,400 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004, they found that overall, people who drank two or more sugary sodas a day were at 40 percent higher risk for kidney damage, while the risk for women soda drinkers nearly doubled.

  In addition to the charge that HFCS is a dietary hazard, environmentalists claim that corn and its byproducts are not earth-friendly. In conventional monoculture – where a single crop is grown – corn depletes soil nutrients, uses more fertilizers and insecticides, and causes more soil erosion than other crops, according to Professor David Pimentel, a professor in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Milling and chemically altering corn to create HFCS is energy-intensive. So, avoiding HFCS is also one more way we can go green.What Do We Know for Sure?

  In an interview for CBS News, Margot G. Wootan, director of Nutritional Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest said that the tagline for HFCS should be, "It's just as bad as regular sugar." What people need to be concerned about, she says, is the consumption of huge amounts of sugar, in any form. But because it's so ubiquitous, it's difficult to avoid consuming HFCS.

  According to a commentary in the April 2004 issue of theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the consumption of HFCS increased over 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990. The authors state that HFCS represents more than 40 percent of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages, and is the sole caloric sweetener in the most popular soft drinks in the United States. As Americans consume large quantities of HFCS in the form of soft drinks, their waistlines expand in direct proportion to the size and number of soft drinks they consume. Nutritional studies performed at the Harvard School of Public Health conclude that individuals who drink more than one sweetened beverage per day substantially increase their risk of gaining weight and developing diabetes.

  "It is not uncommon for teenagers to receive 500 to 1,000 calories per day from sugar-sweetened drinks," says David Ludwig, Director of the Optimal Weight for Life Program at Children's Hospital Boston. "These drinks may be easy to over-consume, because calories in liquid form seem to be less satiating, or less filling, than calories in solid form." (Children's Hospital news release)

  How to Avoid HFCS

  The only way to know whether a product contains HFCS is to read the label. If high-fructose corn syrup is listed first or is high on the list of ingredients, don't eat or drink it. Don't buy highly processed foods – the more you stick to fresh whole foods, the less HFCS you will consume.

  Try to eliminate soft drinks from your family's diet; drink more water instead. Buy 100% fruit juice instead of fruit-flavored drinks – even better, choose fresh fruit over fruit juices. And if you buy canned fruit, make sure that it has been canned in its own juices rather than heavy syrup.