Despite the pervasive media campaign coming to corn syrup's defense, science is starting to show a clear difference between regular sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
One study showed that rats who drank HFCS-sweetened beverages gained significantly more weight than those who slurped drinks sweetened with sugar -- even when both groups consumed the same amount of calories.
While more research is needed, the difference could be related to the way each sweetener is processed by the body.
Both are made of fructose and glucose, but in sugar, the two compounds are bound tightly together and require an extra step to metabolize. In HFCS, the glucose and fructose are already separate and so can be absorbed more directly, the study's senior researcher Bartley Hoebel of Princeton University told LiveScience.
The researchers expect the finding to be relevant to humans, pointing out that HFCS is not only found in soft drinks, but can be the primary ingredient in baked goods, many cereals, canned fruits, desserts, juices and jams.
The study was published by the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior in March 2010.
http://www.livescience.com/health/Top-7-Diet-Tricks-100521-1.html
