What is the difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar?
Sugar and HFCS have the same number of calories as most carbohydrates; both contribute 4 calories per gram. They are also equal in sweetness.2 Sugar and HFCS contain nearly the same one-to-one ratio of two sugars—fructose and glucose: • Sugar is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. • High fructose corn syrup is sold principally in two formulations—42 percent and 55 percent fructose—with the balance made up of primarily glucose and higher sugars.1 Once the combination of glucose and fructose found in high fructose corn syrup and sugar are absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners appear to be metabolized similarly in the body.3,4,5,6,7,8 In terms of chemical structure, table sugar and high fructose corn syrup differ by the bonding of their sugars. Table sugar is a disaccharide, in which fructose and glucose are linked by a chemical bond.9 Fructose and glucose are not bonded in high fructose corn syrup, and so are sometimes referred to as “free” sugars.
