The first one links increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup with scarring in the liver, or fibrosis, among those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Researchers at Duke University analyzed 427 adults' dietary questionnaires collected within three months of their liver biopsies. They found that 81 percent of the studies' participants with NAFLD regularly consumed beverages containing high fructose corn syrup. Researchers also found that those who consumed greater amounts of fructose also had increased liver fibrosis.
Currently, three out of 10 American adults have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. While only a minority progress to cirrhosis, those patients are at greater risk for liver failure and liver cancer.
The second study found that high fructose corn syrup causes significantly more weight gain than table sugar.
Researchers at Princeton University found that when rats consumed high fructose corn syrup they gained considerably more weight than rats given table sugar, even when both groups had the same overall caloric intake.
Additionally, the study found that long-term consumption of high fructose corn syrup led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in triglycerides.
Of course, the Corn Refiners Association has taken issue with both studies.
But who can refute that since the 1970s when high fructose corn syrup came on the scene as a cheaper replacement for sugar, obesity in the U.S. has skyrocketed?
