{"id":76633,"date":"2025-07-19T23:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T23:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/76633\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T23:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T23:58:10","slug":"is-cane-sugar-healthier-than-high-fructose-corn-syrup-experts-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/76633\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Cane Sugar Healthier Than High Fructose Corn Syrup? Experts Explain"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-1wk73g0 emevuu60\">\n<li data-node-id=\"0.0\">President Trump recently suggested Coca-Cola should swap out high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar.<\/li>\n<li data-node-id=\"0.1\">Experts say that the two are really not that different, and have similar health impacts.<\/li>\n<li data-node-id=\"0.2\">Here&#8217;s what else the top doctors and nutritionists want you to know. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">On Wednesday, President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/life\/a19998486\/donald-trump-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/life\/a19998486\/donald-trump-children\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Trump\" data-node-id=\"2.1\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> suggested on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WhiteHouse\/posts\/i-have-been-speaking-to-coca-cola-about-using-real-cane-sugar-in-coke-in-the-uni\/122141733476723345\/#:~:text=%22I%20have%20been%20speaking%20to,1d%F3%B0%9E%8B%F3%B1%9F%A0\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WhiteHouse\/posts\/i-have-been-speaking-to-coca-cola-about-using-real-cane-sugar-in-coke-in-the-uni\/122141733476723345\/#:~:text=%22I%20have%20been%20speaking%20to,1d%F3%B0%9E%8B%F3%B1%9F%A0\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Facebook\" data-node-id=\"2.3\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> that he had convinced Coca-Cola to phase out high-fructose corn syrup in its products in favor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a65078475\/artificial-sweeteners-vs-sugar\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a65078475\/artificial-sweeteners-vs-sugar\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"cane sugar\" data-node-id=\"2.5\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">cane sugar<\/a>. &#8220;I have been speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/food\/a19975450\/coke-plus-fiber-soda\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/food\/a19975450\/coke-plus-fiber-soda\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Coca-Cola\" data-node-id=\"2.7\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Coca-Cola<\/a> about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI&#8217;d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them \u2014 You&#8217;ll see. It&#8217;s just better!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">It&#8217;s clear that high fructose corn syrup isn&#8217;t, well, great for you. It&#8217;s been <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC6549781\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC6549781\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"linked\" data-node-id=\"3.3\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">linked<\/a> to an increased risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a19956435\/subtle-diabetes-symptoms\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a19956435\/subtle-diabetes-symptoms\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"type 2 diabetes\" data-node-id=\"3.5\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">type 2 diabetes<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a64780422\/ultra-processed-food-heart-disease-parkinsons-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/health\/a64780422\/ultra-processed-food-heart-disease-parkinsons-study\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"heart disease\" data-node-id=\"3.7\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">heart disease<\/a>, among other health issues. Plus, it doesn&#8217;t look super appealing. In response, more and more companies have started to use more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/food\/g28772914\/natural-sweeteners\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.womenshealthmag.com\/food\/g28772914\/natural-sweeteners\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"natural forms of sugar\" data-node-id=\"3.9\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">natural forms of sugar<\/a> in their products, but there are a lot of questions swirling around cane sugar now that President Donald Trump is talking about its perks.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">But is one actually \u201cbetter\u201d than the other? Here\u2019s what you need to know about cane sugar versus high fructose corn syrup, according to experts.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"body-tip css-18qyn7q emevuu60\"><strong data-node-id=\"6.0\">Meet the experts<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/drspencer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/drspencer.com\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Spencer Nadolsky, DO\" data-node-id=\"6.2\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Spencer Nadolsky, DO<\/a>, an obesity and lipid specialist physician; Scott Keatley, RD, of <a href=\"https:\/\/keatleymnt.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-node-id=\"6.4\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/keatleymnt.com\/\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy<\/a>; Keri Gans, RDN, is author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X?linkCode=ogi&amp;tag=womenshealth-auto-20&amp;ascsubtag=%5Bartid%7C2140.a.65320172%5Bsrc%7Cwww.google.com%5Bch%7C%5Blt%7Csale%5Bpid%7Cbe2a9af4-c004-45e6-8580-ba1f7f582197%5Baxid%7Cbe24e577-72c5-4d1f-899d-f33af0508f4a\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"The Small Change Diet\" data-vars-ga-product-id=\"be2a9af4-c004-45e6-8580-ba1f7f582197\" data-node-id=\"6.6.0\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X\" data-product-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X\" data-affiliate=\"true\" data-affiliate-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X?tag=womenshealth-auto-20\" data-affiliate-network=\"{&quot;site_id&quot;:&quot;6b499c58-dc46-4f93-80b3-25265395e77a&quot;,&quot;metadata&quot;:{&quot;links&quot;:{&quot;default&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X?tag=womenshealth-auto-20&quot;,&quot;sem&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X?tag=wh-lift-20&quot;,&quot;social&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Small-Change-Diet-Thinner-Healthier\/dp\/145160890X?tag=wh-soc-lift-20&quot;}},&quot;network&quot;:{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Amazon&quot;},&quot;product_metadata&quot;:null,&quot;afflink_redirect&quot;:&quot;\/_p\/afflink\/rzqk\/amazon&quot;}\" data-vars-ga-product-brand=\"amazon.com\" data-vars-ga-product-retailer-id=\"9de8c213-e8b5-4361-8b92-827e3cbe7093\" data-vars-ga-product-sem3-brand=\"amazon.com\" data-vars-ga-link-treatment=\"sale | (not set)\" data-vars-ga-axid=\"be24e577-72c5-4d1f-899d-f33af0508f4a\" data-amazon-ascsubtag=\"[artid|2140.a.65320172[src|www.google.com[ch|[lt|sale[pid|be2a9af4-c004-45e6-8580-ba1f7f582197[axid|be24e577-72c5-4d1f-899d-f33af0508f4a\" data-aps-asc-tag=\"womenshealth-auto-20\" data-aps-asc-subtag=\"[artid|2140.a.65320172[src|www.google.com[ch|[lt|sale[pid|be2a9af4-c004-45e6-8580-ba1f7f582197[axid|be24e577-72c5-4d1f-899d-f33af0508f4a\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">The Small Change Diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong data-node-id=\"7.0\">What is cane sugar?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"8\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">Cane sugar is fructose (a form of sugar) that\u2019s extracted and refined from the sugarcane plant, explains Scott Keatley, RD, of <a href=\"https:\/\/keatleymnt.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-node-id=\"8.1\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/keatleymnt.com\/\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" rel=\"noopener\">Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy<\/a>. \u201cIt is found in everything from baked goods to cereals to beverages, essentially anything labeled with \u2018sugar,\u2019 \u2018raw sugar,\u2019 or \u2018evaporated cane juice,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIt is often sourced from cane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong data-node-id=\"9.0\">What is high fructose corn syrup?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"10\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">High fructose corn syrup, on the other hand, is a sweetener made from corn starch, Keatley says. \u201cThere are different formulations, but the two most common are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, the latter being used most often in soft drinks,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"11\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">It\u2019s often found in soda, condiments, snack bars, sweetened dairy products, and shelf-stable baked goods, according to Keatley.<\/p>\n<p>Sugar Stories From WH<strong data-node-id=\"13.0\">Why are they bad for your health?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"14\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">As with everything, how much of these types of sugar you consume and how you consume it matters. \u201cNeither product is inherently bad, it&#8217;s the way we use them which can cause health consequences,\u201d Keatley says. \u201cBoth cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup contribute to excessive calorie intake without nutritional benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"15\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">Having too much of either one of these products can increase the amount of fat in your blood, mess with how your body processes sugar, lead to fat building up in your liver, and increase inflammation in your body, Keatley says.  <\/p>\n<p><strong data-node-id=\"16.0\">Is one better for you than the other?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"17\" class=\"body-text css-i9p093 emevuu60\">Nope, consuming one is not worse than consuming the other, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/drspencer.com\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/drspencer.com\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Spencer Nadolsky, DO\" data-node-id=\"17.1\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spencer Nadolsky, DO<\/a>, an obesity and lipid specialist physician. (On X, he hilariously <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DrNadolsky\/status\/1945830144062509381\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DrNadolsky\/status\/1945830144062509381\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"compared\" data-node-id=\"17.3\" class=\"body-link css-7bauu1 emevuu60\">compared<\/a> exchanging one for the other to &#8220;rearranging the chairs on the Titanic.&#8221;) <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"18\" class=\"body-text css-i9p093 emevuu60\">\u201cCane sugar and high fructose corn syrup have very similar clinical outcomes in terms of metabolic health when consumed at similar doses,\u201d he says. \u201cThere doesn\u2019t seem to be much of a clinical advantage in terms of metabolic health for either one. Preference is likely dependent on taste.\u201d <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"20\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">This is partly because the two aren&#8217;t that different in molecular makeup. Cane sugar is sucrose, which is a molecule that connects glucose and fructose together, Dr. Nadolsky explains. \u201cHigh fructose corn syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose.\u201d If you want to get a little more technical, sucrose is 50\/50 glucose and fructose, with the molecules connected, while high fructose corn syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose that isn\u2019t connected, he explains.  That means the product is made up of about 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"21\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">\u201cWhile some feel the sucrose should be better due to the glucose and fructose being connected with slightly less fructose, the studies looking at them don\u2019t show meaningful differences in terms of metabolic health,\u201d Dr. Nadolsky says. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"22\" class=\"css-i9p093 emevuu60\">At the end of the day, Dr. Nadolsky says it\u2019s better to limit any and all added sugars in your life, regardless of where they come from. <\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752969490_533_ea27d1a6-ecd9-4da8-b2a7-049a03b4ab93_1528214135.file\" alt=\"Headshot of Korin Miller\" title=\"Headshot of Korin Miller\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"css-o0wq4v ev8dhu53\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men\u2019s Health, Women\u2019s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master\u2019s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Trump recently suggested Coca-Cola should swap out high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar. Experts say that the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":76634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[3178,53005,1201,210,2875,1182,53004,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-76633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-content-type-news","9":"tag-contentid-98ef259f-6bc7-44ea-8699-11ee7868a518","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-locale-us","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-shorttitle-heres-the-deal-with-cane-sugar-and-hfcs","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114882616010768566","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}