Cane sugar vs high-fructose corn syrup in soda: what health experts say about Coca-Cola's switch

Economic Times

5 days ago

AP Coca-Cola bottles showing the difference between high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar sweeteners in popular beverages (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Starting this fall, consumers in the US will have the option to buy Coca-Cola's signature soda sweetened with domestic cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The move, confirmed by the beverage company in July, was hailed by White House officials as a major win for their "Make America Healthy Again" initiative."It's just better!" President Donald Trump wrote in a July 16 post on X, saying he had been speaking with the company about the change. Coca-Cola's shift is the latest in a string of food reforms announced by US companies in line with the Trump administration's MAHA agenda.
Also read: Trump's sugar economics for Coke amid the company's multi-billion tax caseCane sugar is refined from the crystallized juices of sugar cane, which is cultivated in warm climates around the world and in the southern United States. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from the refining of corn and gained popularity since the 1980s for being cheaper to produce.Cane sugar, known scientifically as sucrose, is made up of 50 per cent glucose and 50 per cent fructose molecules. High-fructose corn syrup can contain variable amounts of fructose. HFCS 42 contains 42 per cent fructose and 58 per cent glucose and is primarily used in processed foods, cereals and baked goods. HFCS 55 contains 55 per cent fructose and is often found in sodas, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
"Both of them are just a natural food stripped way down to nothing but sugar," said Kimber Stanhope, a research nutritional biologist at the University of California, Davis.To make high-fructose corn syrup, starch from corn is first turned into a syrup composed mostly of glucose. Manufacturers add enzymes to convert some of that glucose into fructose, which tastes sweeter. To make table sugar, manufacturers use machines to squeeze juice out of sugarcane or sugar beets, then purify the liquid and refine it through heating and other processes.Also read: Make Coke Great Again: Trump says Coca-Cola US products to switch to real cane sugarNutrition researchers say focusing on the two sweeteners misses the point because scientific studies have found that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages frequently is associated with weight gain and a higher risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
"Whether it's high-fructose corn syrup or table sugar, it's soda, and we need to drink a lot less," said Christopher Gardner, a nutrition scientist and professor of medicine at Stanford. A 2021 study funded by the National Institutes of Health tested drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar against aspartame-based sodas. Both the syrup and cane sugar increased fatty liver disease and decreased insulin sensitivity, a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, with "no significant differences" between the two."The calories will be the same, the impact on blood sugar is almost the same, and the risk of obesity will be the same," said Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.The modestly higher percentage of fructose in drinks with high-fructose corn syrup could make those products slightly worse for health over the long term, compared with ones with sucrose, according to Stanhope. This is because of how fructose and glucose are handled by the liver.The glucose that isn't used by the liver is sent to the rest of the body to be used for energy. But when fructose gets to the liver, it largely stays there. What isn't needed for energy is turned into fat. Fat in the liver can cause inflammation and raise the risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Also read: Coca-Cola-Coke, PepsiCo-Lay's to under major changes? What consumers need to know "Maybe the negative consequences are slightly smaller, but don't think you're doing your body any favors," by picking soda with sucrose, Stanhope said. People who drank three servings a day of beverages with high-fructose corn syrup had higher levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides and more liver fat after 12 days, according to her study. So did people who had the same amount of drinks sweetened with sucrose.Switching from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar is not likely to "change anybody's health," Stanhope said. While Cohen, a school nutrition policy expert, advocates for policies that reduce sugar intake, she said replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar is "more akin to putting a filter on a cigarette.""It doesn't suddenly make it a health food. It's still going to be an ultra-processed food with 39 grams of sugar," Cohen said, referring to the amount of sugar in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. That's more than half of the daily added sugar intake recommended for adults in the US Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans."It makes no sense, health officials celebrating swapping high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar as a win for public health," said Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "It's things like this that can make it hard to take the administration seriously."US dietary guidelines recommend that Americans limit their consumption of added sugars to 10 per cent of daily calories. For someone with a 2,200-calorie-a-day diet, that could mean one 16.9-ounce bottle of classic Coca-Cola a day. The American Heart Association recommends a limit of 6 per cent. Americans average about 13 per cent, federal data shows.Sugar-sweetened beverages are the top source of added sugars in the American diet, making up 24 per cent of daily added sugar intake, according to federal data. Americans love drinking soda, cracking on average about five cans of full-calorie sodas a week.
Christina Roberto, director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said sugary beverages are more problematic than other kinds of sweets because they have little nutritional value and aren't filling. "This is just pure liquid sugar," she said. "At least a Snickers bar has some nuts."
Also read: Why does American Coca-Cola taste different from ... Industry response and consumer trendsCoca-Cola's announcement is in line with growing trends that signify more desire among consumers to avoid ultra-processed products, said Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, an industry research and analysis publication. Over the past few decades, the beverage space has moved toward an emphasis on health and wellness.PepsiCo announced plans to launch a prebiotic version of their flagship drink, which has less sugar than the original, to cater to young consumers interested in gut health. The company acquired the popular alternative soda company Poppi in May. Coca-Cola already sells Mexican-made Coca-Cola sweetened with cane sugar in the US, and its Kosher for Passover Coke is made with sugar. PepsiCo sells a "real sugar" option.Kennedy himself has referred to sugar as "poison" and praised West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey for seeking to ban all sodas from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in the state. As the federal government continues to seek changes in the US food industry, nutrition experts expressed optimism at interest in reforms, but said policies that tackle reducing the overall consumption of processed foods should be prioritized."This is an area where I think regardless of whether you're on the left or the right, most people agree that we really should be reducing the amount of ultra-processed foods that we have, and it's really wonderful that this administration is prioritizing that and showing the power that the president can have over the food supply," Cohen said.Experts said that requiring food companies to list the percentage of fructose in products sweetened by high-fructose corn syrup and establishing added sugar reduction targets would be more helpful than switching to cane sugar.
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"When I hear RFK Jr. say 'sugar is poison,' I feel optimistic about how he will lead his agencies to reduce sugar in our food supply," Greenthal said. "On the flip side, when I see him celebrate a swap from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar, I start to question whether to take it seriously about taking steps to improve health."