A study released by Princeton University demonstrates the difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar. For those who avoid consumption of high fructose corn syrup (hfcs), you may have some highly respected support, and maybe now all your friends won't view you as 'that crazy nut job who thinks everything and everyone is out to destroy all things fun and delicious'. (And maybe Princeton will next study the effects of taking a 'chill pill' on overly up-tight and neurotic people!) But lets dig into the study!

Here is the scary truth: The CDC has reported in the 40 years since the introduction of high-fructose corn syrup as a cost-effective sweetener in the American diet, rates of obesity in the U.S. have skyrocketed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1970, around 15 percent of the U.S. population met the definition for obesity; today, roughly one-third of the American adults are considered obese. On average, Americans consume 60 pounds of hfcs per person every year, and is found in a wide range of foods and beverages, including fruit juice, soda, cereal, bread, yogurt, ketchup and mayonnaise.

"In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States."

"When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

So what is the reasonable conclusion to be drawn? Don't accept a invitation to dine with lab rats? If Princeton can figure this hfcs stuff out, why can't they figure out how to play basketball better? Why is that old man in the photo hanging out in the lab with 3 college coeds so much? (Here is a link to the original article: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/)

Good questions, but likely the best response is the one you have heard and probably already suspect to be best; stay away from all things hfcs. The body doesn't need it and products that include it as an ingredient are not necessary for human survival.

If drinks that include hfcs are part of your routine to relax or have fun, or if you feel like you need sweetened drinks to survive the rigors of your day, a true reality check is on order for you and will be showing up soon in the form of some nasty and very real conditions that we do to ourselves - like metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes - and these guys don't play nice. They don't care if you "need that drink to unwind" - they destroy lives in ways that are much worse than anything you may have to experience without that hfcs laden drink.

Small changes do matter, don't ever give up the fight to be better. The battle within can be tough, and we are here to help.