Public Studies

To determine if a link exists between high-fructose corn syrup consumption and obesity when compared with sugar.

The experiment found that rats consuming high-fructose corn syrup were much more likely to become obese and have various health problems, especially with cholesterol.

In an initial experiment, Hoebel and colleagues from the Princeton Neuroscience Institute gave male rats water sweetened with either high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose (standard table sugar) in addition to their standard diet of rat feed. The concentration of sugar was roughly the same as that found in commercial sodas, while the concentration of high-fructose corn syrup was half that found in soda.

The study, published online in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, found that, not only did rats consuming high-fructose corn syrup gain more weight than those eating sugar, but they also had abnormal increases in body fat, particularly in the abdomen and in the form of elevated triglyceride levels in the blood. In a second experiment, researchers tracked weight gain, body fat and triglycerides in rats eating only rat feed, compared with those regularly consuming high-fructose corn syrup. Researchers found that, compared with those on a standard rat diet, those eating the high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight, and had higher concentrations of body fat and triglycerides, symptoms in keeping with what is known as metabolic syndrome in humans. Male rats in particular put on a significant amount of excess weight during the six-month study, gaining 48% more weight than those on the standard diet.

[+] This study has been peer reviewed and validated by various researchers from Princeton.