There’s new competition for making things sweeter without adding calories. Today, the Food and Drug Administration approved two versions of a new zero-calorie sweetener made from rebiana, an extract from the stevia plant. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo plan to use the sweetener in drinks soon – new products may be on store shelves as early as next week. Coca Cola’s version of the sweetener is called Truvia; Pepsi’s is PureVia.

Related posts

• News Nugget: Coke to sell drinks with Stevia without FDA approval
• News Nugget: Potato chips of the future in the making
• Slim-Fast recall
• News Nugget: Should the U.S. tax high-sugar drinks?
• News Nugget: New York plans “fat tax” on drinks

Could it be true? Has high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – which is in a crazy amount of foods and beverages like soda pop – been getting a bad rap it doesn’t deserve? Is it actually no worse than sugar, which also lurks in many products?

In 2004, research linked the increase of people getting more high-fructose corn syrup in their diets to the rise in obesity. This led to more research and a lot of concern over the cheap sweetener which seems to be everywhere.

But now – is science proving otherwise? This week, five new papers find no special link between HFCS and obesity. And one of those reports was written by Barry Popkin, a co-author on the first paper speaking out against the sweetener in 2004.

“It doesn’t appear that when you consume high-fructose corn syrup, you have any different total effect on appetite than if you consume any other sugar,” he tells USA Today.

The research seems to show sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup are not that different. And that if you have a lot of fructose – whether from HFCS or from table sugar – both will increase triglycerides, which could make you more at risk for heart disease.

I know we haven’t heard the end of this. And I want to know what you think. Has HFCS gotten an unfair shake? Have you cut back or cut out HFCS from your diet or do you not really think it’s that big of a deal?

And Cathy (A Life Less Sweet) – I definitely want to hear your take on this new research.

***UPDATED – See what A Life Less Sweet has to say about this over here.

[Photo Credit: stock.xchng]

Related posts

• Want some mercury with your favorite (HFCS) foods?
• Young kids urged to take cholesterol drugs
• What are the healthiest and unhealthiest cities?
• Some children’s cereals are more than half sugar
• Requiring calorie counts on menus could go national