Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause of the obesity epidemic

Abstract

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is one of the most misunderstood food ingredients. HFCS was developed in the mid-1960s as an alternative to sucrose and because of its physical and functional properties, was widely embraced by the food industry. The use of HFCS grew rapidly from 1970–1999, principally as a replacement for sucrose. HFCS usage in the United States peaked in 1999 and it has been in decline since that time. At its peak, HFCS was still less consumed in the United States than was sucrose, although sucrose did have a significant decline in usage during the time that HFCS usage increased. Worldwide, sucrose is still the dominant sweetener with over nine times as much consumption as HFCS.