You may have noticed some new foods as of late if you are a Starbucks patron. As of July 1st Starbucks started selling baked goods free of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), artificial flavors and dyes. The new campaign comes with the tag line “Real Food. Simply Delicious”. As much as this is commendable, some critics are saying that the move towards unprocessed sugars is simply a marketing ploy. Pepsi, for example, has already introduced new soda products made with cane sugar. But is cane or beet sugar healthier? Some research has shown that highly processed sugars like HFCS can more readily lead to hepatic steatosis (aka fatty liver disease) and contribute to obesity. But from a caloric standpoint, there’s essentially no difference. Cane or beet sugar contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose and HFCS contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose. All three sugars deliver about 15-20 calories per teaspoon. Therefore, the only way still to reduce caloric intake from sugars is to consume less sugar.
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.