NBC News
Last Wednesday, the president, Donald Trump, announced that Coca-Cola agreed to begin to sweeten their products with cane sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup. It is about to be seen if this will happen; A Coca-Cola spokesman did not confirm the president’s statement.
Even so, Trump declared in Truth Social: “You’ll see! It’s simply better!”
Is cane sugar really better as Trump states?
As for possible health impacts, The answer is nosaid Dr. Dariush Mozofarian, cardiologist and director of the Food Is Medicine Institute of the Friedman School of Sciences and Nutrition Policies of the University of Tufts.
“Both high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar contain approximately 50 % fructose and 50 % glucose, and have identical metabolic effects,” he explained.
That is, both can also increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, high levels of triglycerides and arterial hypertension. Both provide the same amount of calories, but the body processes them differently.
But You need context To better understand the implications of both products in the general health of the population.
Whether from cane sugar or corn syrup, fructose seems to be the most harmful. Sugar is almost entirely processed by the liver, which converts excess fructose into triglycerides, a type of fat related to heart disease.
And unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate the body to produce insulin. Insulin activates a hormone that helps the person feel satiated.
Over time, excess fructose can cause insulin resistance and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
(Three states cut access to Medicaid for undocumented)
Corn syrup contains a little more fructose than table sugar, in a proportion of 55 % fructose for 45 % glucose.
Dr. Melanie Jay, Professor of Population Medicine and Health at the Grossman Medicine Faculty of the University of New York and director of the Comprehensive Langone Program for Research on Obesity of the University of New York, said that It is possible that changing corn syrup for cane sugar is beneficial for the population.
“A 5% difference could mean that millions of people consume less fructose,” he said. “But table sugar is not a healthy food. Added sugar, in any way, should be limited.”
Suggage sodas have long been associated with childhood obesity. An international study of 2023 revealed that adolescents who drank one or more soft drinks a day had a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity, compared to young people who did not drink soft drinks.
An original 590 ml coca-cool (20 ounces) contains 240 calories, With 65 grams of added sugars. Current dietary guidelines recommend that adolescents and children limit the consumption of added sugars to less than 50 grams per day.
(Gastrointestinal cancers increase in children under 50)
Regardless of the chosen sweetener, soft drinks are generally classified as ultraprocessed foods due to their added sugars, dyes and artificial flavorings. All of them have been criticized by the Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who for a long time opposes ultraprocessed foods.
In a statement issued on Friday, Kennedy expressed his satisfaction with the news that Coca-Cola could be changing to cane sugar. “Americans deserve to have access to the same natural foods that other countries enjoy, and the president is providing it.”
Is the natural sweetener different?
While all fruits contain a certain level of sugar, and some vegetables too, that type of natural sweetener is not at the same level as the added sugars of the soft drinks, Jay explained. An apple, for example, does contain sugar, but is also rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and, above all, fiber.
“When you eat an apple, your stomach has to process it. Sugar does not freeze quickly in the body, so you feel more full,” he explained. “When we drink soft drinks, we don’t get that fiber, so sugar is directly absorbed into the bloodstream.”
A matter of flavor
Would a sweetener change alter the taste of a very cold coca-cool?
Coca-Cola fans with criteria would probably notice the difference, said Mozafferian. (By the way, he is on the side of cane sugar: “I can’t stand the taste of corn syrup”).
Reducing sweetness in general, he said, is key. “We need to end the United States addiction for intensely sweet, really cloying.”
Jay, from the University of New York, commented: “It is always better to reduce the consumption of soft drinks, regardless of the type of sugar.”
