High-Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Liver Damage

Is high-fructose corn syrup the next trans fat?

Americans eat almost 40 pounds of the ubiquitous sweetener a year as it shows up in everything from Coke to Heinz Ketchup to Oreo cookies. A new Duke University Medical Center study finds that eating the sugar substitute can cause the type of scarring and liver damage alcoholics suffer from heavy drinking.

Here's more from the Triangle Business Journal:

High fructose corn syrup has been targeted by health officials as a potential cause of the growing rate of obesity. The syrup came into vogue in the 1970s as a cheaper alternative for sugar. It is now commonly found in soft drinks and other processed foods.

“There is an increasing amount of data that suggests high fructose corn syrup is fueling the fire of the obesity epidemic, but until now, no one has ever suggested that it contributes to liver disease and/or liver injury,” says Manal Abdelmalek, a Duke associate professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology/hepatology.

The corn industry has recently begun an advertising campaign touting the merits and safety of the syrup.

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