Between the 1970's and early 2000s, the prevalence of the use of HFCS as a cheaper alternative to table sugar in sweetening our food, rose dramatically. In fact, during that time, the US saw a 25-percent increase in added sugars overall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup) Derived from the conversion of glucose into fructose using enzymes, it has been believed that this trend correlates to the rise in obesity in America that occurred during the same time period. However, the American Council on Science and Health asserts that because sucrose (table sugar) and HFCS "have essentially the same composition, [it would] thus be highly unlikely for them to have different effects on body weight or metabolism" (http://www.acsh.org/publications/high-fructose-corn-syrup-separating-myths-from-facts/). If the link between the rise of the use of HFCS and the increase in obesity were scientifically conclusive, a difference in chemical composition of HFCS and sucrose would be present.
While the science supporting HFCS as a deviant form of sugar is inconclusive, the focus should shift from the source of added sugar to the additional calories that come with the consumption of added sugar. As consumers, our attention to food labels should examine not necessarily the type of sweetener present in a food item, but the amount of sugar contained in each serving. It is the added sugars in our diet (regardless of the HFCS or sucrose variety) that have been proven to play a direct role in obesity, type-II diabetes and high triglycerides leading to cardiovascular disease.
