Coca-Cola may swap out high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar, Trump says. Is that healthier?

Whether Coca-Cola swaps out high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar remains to be seen. (Joshua Lott/Reuters via CNN Newsource) (Joshua Lott/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

U.S. President Donald Trump announced this week that the Coca-Cola Company has agreed to his requests for the brand to use “REAL” cane sugar in its U.S. products instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

The company hasn’t confirmed the swap, but high-fructose corn syrup has been one of many products targeted by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in recent months.

Kennedy called the common, cheap sweetener a “formula for making you obese and diabetic” in a September episode of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s podcast. Kennedy and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement he leads have been lobbying the food and beverage industry to remove several ingredients from product formulations, including artificial food dyes and seed oils.

While Coca-Cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup in the United States, its Mexican counterpart is made with cane sugar, a significant export of the country.

The company did not confirm Trump’s announcement and said it is unable to provide further comment at this time due to its upcoming earnings. Coca-Cola did issue a statement for a Thursday report, saying that “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”

Is cane sugar soda better for you?

Sugar-filled soda isn’t good for you regardless of whatever sugar is used to sweeten it, according to health experts.

“Excess consumption of sugar from any source harms health,” said Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, via email. “What makes soda unhealthy is that it’s liquid sugar, providing empty calories with no nutritional benefits. Swapping one type of sugar for another does nothing to make soda healthier.”

“To make the U.S. food supply healthier, the Trump administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar,” added Greenthal, noting that CSPI and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene lobbied the US Food and Drug Administration to set added sugar reduction targets for the U.S. food supply, “similar to FDA’s existing sodium reduction targets for industry.”

Greenthal urged the administration to implement this policy, while veteran nutrition researcher Dr. Walter C. Willett said there’s even more to be done.

“If we are serious about reducing the adverse effects of sugar-sweetened soda, there are many steps we can take, including warning labels on these beverages, limiting sales in schools and other public places, and taxing, then using these taxes to support health and nutrition programs for children,” said Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, via email.

The corn refining industry opposes the possible swap, denying any nutritional benefit.

“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” said John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, a trade association representing the corn refining market in the U.S., in a statement.

“President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit. Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”

What is high-fructose corn syrup?

Cane sugar is produced from sugarcane and is sucrose, a type of sugar naturally comprised of two simple sugars, glucose and fructose, in equal measure. Fructose is commonly called “fruit sugar” since it naturally occurs in fruits and berries, according to the FDA.

High-fructose corn syrup, on the other hand, is made from processed corn starch. Starch is a chain of glucose molecules joined together, according to the FDA. “When corn starch is broken down into individual glucose molecules, the end product is corn syrup, which is essentially 100% glucose.”

To turn that product into high-fructose corn syrup, enzymes are added to convert some of the glucose to fructose. Different formulations of high-fructose corn syrup contain varying amounts of fructose, but the most common forms carry either 42 per cent or 55 per cent fructose, while the rest is glucose and water, according to the FDA. The 42 per cent formulation is often used in processed foods including cereals and baked goods, while the 55 per cent version is primarily used in sodas.

Our food supply didn’t always include high-fructose corn syrup. Sucrose from sugarcane and sugar beets was the primary sweetener globally until 1957, according to Britannica. That’s when said enzymes allowed a turning point in the sweetener industry burdened by the rising costs of sugar; sugar shortages and rations during World War II and the Cuban Revolution; and technological advances in sweetener production in Japan.

Consumption of the cheap sweetener in the US began spiking in the 1970s, coinciding with government subsidies for corn farmers. Coca-Cola started using it in the early 1980s to lower costs except in Mexico.

The new sweetener was also more stable than sugar, which helps increase product shelf life, according to Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes educator and owner of 360Girls&Women.

Sugar vs. high-fructose corn syrup

Most studies have supported the idea that “from a nutritional standpoint, there’s no difference between high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose,” said Dr. Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University.

“They have the same number of calories,” Nestle said. “They taste the same.” And there’s been a long-held idea that the body doesn’t know the difference between the two.

However, some recent research challenges this long-held conclusion, according to Anderson-Haynes, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “In terms of how the body metabolizes it, it’s a little different than straight sugar,” she said.

Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has been more associated with weight gain, obesity and dyslipidemia, abnormal levels of lipids, or fats, in the blood, Anderson-Haynes added. But it’s also true that despite a decline in intake over the past 26 years, according to Britannica, rates of diabetes and obesity have continued to climb.

Also, some studies report that “fatty liver or inflammation in the liver overall really increased with subjects who consume high-fructose corn syrup versus subjects who consume sucrose,” she said.

Another study found high-fructose corn syrup is linked to higher levels of C-reactive protein, a substance the liver produces in response to inflammation from various causes or sources.

Scientists have also discovered links between consumption and insulin resistance, Anderson-Haynes said. That’s a condition in which your muscle, fat and liver cells don’t properly respond to insulin, which helps sugar enter your cells to be used for energy. Insulin resistance can lead to high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes.

Recent research also found babies who consumed formula sweetened with corn syrup solids had higher blood sugar and a higher risk of obesity by age four than those who drank lactose-based formula or breastmilk.

What about herbicides on corn?

Most corn grown in the United States is genetically modified and nearly half is sprayed with glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide that’s also another target of the MAHA movement.

Glyphosate has most conclusively been linked to cancer, and some researchers are investigating potential connections to infertility and insulin resistance, Anderson-Haynes said.

“Evidence shows that GMO corn is perfectly safe to eat,” Greenthal said. “But even if you’re worried about the safety of GMOs, by the time an ear of corn becomes a soft drink, there’s no genetic material left from the corn that made the (high-fructose corn syrup).”

But really, herbicides should be the least of your worries when it comes to sugar, she said. “A much more pressing concern is how the liquid sugar will affect your teeth and provide empty calories that can cause weight gain and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”

What should you be eating and drinking?

The healthiest diet is one rich in whole foods, including fruits and vegetables, Anderson-Haynes said. She recommends avoiding added sugar but does think that if you’re going to eat it, natural sugar is slightly better than high-fructose corn syrup.

People should limit sugar intake to less than 25 grams, or about 6 teaspoons, per day, according to the World Health Organization and other institutions. That’s about as much in 2 ½ chocolate chip cookies, 16 ounces of fruit punch or 1 ½ tablespoons of honey — or just a bit over half of a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola.

If you’re having trouble kicking a soda habit, consider trying sparkling water with lemon and lime juice and ginger, Anderson-Haynes suggested. Kombucha without added sugar may also sate cravings.

By Kristen Rogers, CNN