Effects of high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose on the pharmacokinetics of fructose and acute metabolic and hemodynamic responses in healthy subjects

Abstract

It is unclear whether high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which contains a higher amount of fructose and provides an immediate source of free fructose, induces greater systemic concentrations of fructose as compared with sucrose. It is also unclear whether exposure to higher levels of fructose leads to increased fructose-induced adverse effects. The objective was to prospectively compare the effects of HFCS- vs sucrose-sweetened soft drinks on acute metabolic and hemodynamic effects. Forty men and women consumed 24 oz of HFCS- or sucrose-sweetened beverages in a randomized crossover design study. Blood and urine samples were collected over 6 hours. Blood pressure, heart rate, fructose, and a variety of other metabolic biomarkers were measured. Fructose area under the curve and maximum concentration, dose-normalized glucose area under the curve and maximum concentration, relative bioavailability of glucose, changes in postprandial concentrations of serum uric acid, and systolic blood pressure maximum levels were higher when HFCS-sweetened beverages were consumed as compared with sucrose-sweetened beverages. Compared with sucrose, HFCS leads to greater fructose systemic exposure and significantly different acute metabolic effects.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00661947.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: RJJ has a patent application on inhibition of fructokinase as a mechanism to treat sugar craving. RJJ also has a lay book, The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick (Rodale and Simon and Schuster, 2008). None of the authors declared a conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1

Study population. Sixty-nine subjects were recruited. Forty participants completed both treatment arms.

Figure 2

Effect of consuming HFCS- versus sucrose-sweetened beverages during a 6 hr period on (A) fructose, (B) normalized fructose by dose of each treatment, (C) FE_fructose, (D) glucose, and (E) normalized glucose by dose of each treatment. Values are least square means ± standard errors. P-value shown represents overall treatment effect. P-value: * =

Figure 3

Effect of consuming HFCS- versus sucrose-sweetened beverages during a 6 hr period on (A) SUA, (B) FEUA, (C) Tg, (D) insulin, and (E) lactate. Values are least square means ± standard errors. P-value shown represents overall treatment effect. * p-value