High fructose corn syrup drinks and arthritis in young US adults
What it found
Young US adults who drank high excess free fructose beverages five or more times a week were three times as likely to report arthritis as those who drank them rarely.
The link was not seen with diet drinks.
What they found
Studies in people
Arthritis prevalence
Overall, 4.6% of the 1,084 young adults reported arthritis or a history of arthritis. Among those who drank high excess free fructose beverages five or more times a week, 3.5% reported arthritis, compared with 0.5% of those who drank them rarely or never.
Combined high fructose drinks
Young adults who drank any combination of high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks and apple juice five or more times a week had three times higher odds of arthritis than those who drank them once a month or less. This remained after adjusting for physical activity, other dietary factors, blood glucose and smoking.
Non-diet soda alone
Drinking non-diet soft drinks alone five or more times a week showed a tendency toward higher odds of arthritis, but the result was not statistically significant after adjusting for other factors.
Diet drinks
Diet soft drinks and diet fruit drinks were not associated with arthritis. Arthritis prevalence among regular consumers of diet drinks was 1.1%, compared with 0% among non or low consumers.
Other findings
Fructose malabsorption
The authors note that research shows about 30% of healthy adults malabsorb fructose after a 25 gram dose of excess free fructose, and 10% after a 12 gram dose, but not after sucrose or equal amounts of fructose and glucose. A 20 ounce bottle of cola sweetened with the 60/40 variant of high fructose corn syrup contains 13 grams of excess free fructose.
Possible mechanism
The authors suggest that unabsorbed excess free fructose may react with proteins in the gut to form advanced glycation end-products, which could then travel to joints and promote inflammation. They point to existing research showing these compounds are elevated in joint tissues of arthritis patients.
What the authors conclude
“Regular consumption of high EFF beverages is associated with young adult arthritis.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that regular consumption of high excess free fructose beverages is associated with arthritis in US adults aged 20 to 30 years.
- They say the results support the possibility that unabsorbed excess free fructose may form compounds in the gut that play a role in the link between gut and joint inflammation.
- They call for long-term and laboratory research to confirm and clarify the mechanisms involved.
How it was done
The authors wanted to explore a possible reason why regular sugary soft drink intake has been linked to rheumatoid arthritis in women, independent of weight and lifestyle. They focused on fructose malabsorption and the idea that unabsorbed excess free fructose in the gut may form inflammatory compounds that travel to joints.
They analysed data from 1,084 US adults aged 20 to 30 who took part in a national health and nutrition survey between 2003 and 2006. They compared how often people drank high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks and apple juice with whether they reported ever being told by a doctor that they had arthritis, adjusting for many lifestyle and health factors.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show whether the drinks came before the arthritis or whether arthritis led to changes in drinking habits.
- It cannot prove that high fructose corn syrup drinks cause arthritis, only that there is a link.
- Arthritis was self-reported, so some people may have been misclassified.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- NY Medical College, USA; Icahn School of Medicine, USA; University of Massachusetts, USA
The paper
- Title
- Intake of high-fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks and apple juice is associated with prevalent arthritis in US adults, aged 20-30 years
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- DeChristopher LR, Uribarri J, Tucker KL (2016). Intake of high-fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks and apple juice is associated with prevalent arthritis in US adults, aged 20-30 years. Nutrition & diabetes. doi:10.1038/nutd.2016.7Free full textPubMed 26950480DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error