Table sugar and high fructose corn syrup compared for health effects
What it found
In five studies, table sugar and high fructose corn syrup made no difference to blood glucose, lipid levels or appetite.
When only fructose was consumed, lipid levels rose significantly.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Blood glucose
No difference was found in changes in blood glucose levels between table sugar consumption and high fructose corn syrup consumption.
Lipid levels
No difference was found in changes in lipid levels between table sugar consumption and high fructose corn syrup consumption.
Appetite
No difference was found in changes in appetite between table sugar consumption and high fructose corn syrup consumption.
Fructose alone
When only fructose was consumed, lipid levels were significantly increased.
What the authors conclude
“The evidence suggests that fructose, found in both table sugar and HFCS, has a negative effect on health outcomes.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the evidence suggests that fructose, found in both table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, has a negative effect on health outcomes.
- They advise that clinicians should teach patients and families that all sugar consumption should be closely monitored and kept below the 40 g/day recommended by the World Health Organization.
How it was done
There is lack of consensus in the lay literature to support consumption of table sugar as a preferred sweetener when compared to high fructose corn syrup.
The authors searched nursing and health-related databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials, and Health and Wellness, for research articles. Five studies that met inclusion criteria were compared and evaluated for purpose, sample size, procedure, findings, and level of evidence.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The paper looked at five studies, so the findings may not cover all the ways people eat sugar in real life.
- The studies compared table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, so they cannot show what happens when either is eaten in large amounts over many years.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- James Madison University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Sugar or high fructose corn syrup-what should nurses teach patients and families?
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Sobel LL, Dalby E (2014). Sugar or high fructose corn syrup-what should nurses teach patients and families?. Worldviews on evidence-based nursing. doi:10.1111/wvn.12027PubMed 24612636DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error