Coca Cola, Heinz Ketchup, Snickers containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is safe to consume within prescribed limits.

A social media post claiming that High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) accelerates cancer tumor growth via liver. Users have raised concerns on the use of products containing HFCS such as Coca Cola, Heinz Ketchup, snickers etc. Another concern raised is that HFCS is made from insecticidal GMO corn which is also carcinogenic. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading.

What’s the claim? 

Social media users are claiming that High Fructose Corn Syrup Accelerates Cancer Tumor Growth Via the Liver. In a process called interorgan lipid transfer (when fats move between organs and tissues in the body), the liver makes fructose more available to cancer cells by turning it into nutrients in the blood they can use. High fructose intake has also been shown to contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and linked to diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. 

Apart from this, HFCS is made from insecticidal GMO corn (corn that produces a toxic insecticide within every cell of the plant) that’s doused with carcinogenic glyphosate, glufosinate, 2,4-D and/or dicamba herbicides.

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Fact Check- 

First, we found out whether the products mentioned in the post contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

We found that Coca Cola mentioned in its website that along with carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavours and caffeine, it also uses High Fructose Corn Syrup as an ingredient. 

While Heinz Tomato Ketchup generally contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), the company also introduced a product ‘Heinz Simply Tomato Ketchup’ which has no artificial flavours and HFCS. 

We also found that Snickers do not use HFCS as one of its ingredients. Rather it  uses Corn Syrup which is different from HFCS. Corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup are two different products even though both products are made from corn starch. Regular corn syrup is 100% glucose yet high-fructose corn syrup has some of its glucose converted to fructose. 

How is HFCS made? Is it a genetically modified product?

According to a website, High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made from corn, including genetically modified (GMO) corn. Research shows HFCS from GMO corn is the same as HFCS from regular corn because the genetic material breaks down during processing and becomes undetectable. Similarly, GMO crops may also be used to produce beet sugar.

Using GMO corn in food is safe for people and the environment. Organizations like the National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization confirm its safety. GMO corn has been tested extensively and grown for years. It helps farmers use fewer chemicals, grow more on less land, protect the environment etc. 

As per US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), HFCS is derived from corn starch. When corn starch is broken down into individual glucose molecules, the end product is corn syrup, which is essentially 100% glucose. To make HFCS, enzymes are added to corn syrup in order to convert some of the glucose to another simple sugar called fructose, also called “fruit sugar” because it occurs naturally in fruits and berries.

A lot of people also questioned the use of glyphosate and other substances used in the preparation of HFCS which is carcinogenic in nature. 

The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has released draft assessments on glyphosate, a widely used pesticide in 2017. The health risk assessment concludes that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer and poses no significant health risks if used properly. However, the ecological risk assessment shows potential effects on birds, mammals, and plants. EPA had drafted this assessment after considering studies from other organizations. 

In a response to the comment after the risk assessment report in 2019, EPA had said that there are no risks to human health from the current registered uses of glyphosate and that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. EPA has conducted comprehensive human health and ecological risk assessments for glyphosate and has not received any information that would change the conclusions of its risk assessments.

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) accelerating cancer tumour growth? 

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener made from corn starch by converting glucose into fructose using an enzyme. It comes in two main types: one with about 42% fructose and another with 55% fructose. HFCS has been listed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance when prepared and used under good manufacturing practice under FDA rules. 

On the contrary to this, a study suggested that research on mice showed that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may enhance tumor growth by increasing fatty acid production in tumors. Tumors in HFCS-treated mice had higher levels of fatty acids like palmitic acid and stearic acid and showed changes in genes related to fatty acid metabolism. The study also found that HFCS promotes tumor growth by boosting fatty acid synthesis. When the key enzyme for fatty acid production (FASN) was removed in these mice, HFCS could no longer enhance tumor growth, suggesting that fatty acid production plays a key role in the process.

Another study suggested that excess consumption of fructose can promote both obesity and colorectal cancer which was evident in mice. According to Dr. Goncalves of Weill Cornell Medicine, it remains controversial whether substantial amounts of the HFCS that people consume in their diets can reach the colon, or whether most of it gets absorbed higher in the digestive tract. The mouse digestive tract is much shorter than the human version, relative to size, making it easy for HFCS to reach the colon in mice. He also suggested further study and prepared a team to carry forward the research. 

Further we found that the FDA received questions about the safety of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), often related to how the body processes fructose. The FDA stated that there is no evidence that HFCS is less safe than other sweeteners like sucrose (table sugar) or honey, which have similar amounts of glucose and fructose. However, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting all added sugars, including HFCS, to maintain a healthy diet, a guideline the FDA fully supports.

Conclusion: Although Coca Cola and Heinz Kethup have High Fructose Corn Syrup, it was approved by FDA and other food safety organizations. There are studies showing the carcinogenic nature of HFCS but it is safe to consume within acceptable limits.