High Fructose Corn Syrup

More and more, I'm becoming one of those people who points at high fructose corn syrup as a contributing factor to obesity in the US.  I'm not saying it's the sole cause (after all, we're a nation of lazy fat asses), but it's definitely a contributing factor.  Apparently researchers at Princeton University agree, however. The following portion of the article was quoted on Creative Loafing's article about it:

A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

I will freely admit there have been times where I've wanted to throw things at the TV screen when one of those commercials from the corn industry came on trying to claim that high fructose corn syrup was a-ok because it was made from corn. After all, corn is natural, so it's okay, right?

As a general rule, I avoid HFCS as much as possible. I have to give major kudos to Pepsi for bringing back sodas made with cane sugar rather than HFCS, at least in limited quantities. It means if I want to indulge in a non-diet soda, I can grab a Mountain Dew Throwback or a Heritage Dr. Pepper. It's also nice that Kroger carries the imported Coca-cola from Mexico that's made with cane sugar (if you ever get a chance, compare the ingredient labels on one of the cane sugar sodas to the HFCS variety if you want to see more of the differences).

It's good to see research coming out to support the idea that we're making things harder on ourselves by chintzing out on the sweetener in our food.