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Science Says Honey's Not So Good For You After All
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Sep 12, 2015
Modified Sep 12, 2015
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www.BillionPhotos.com/Shutterstock
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Sep 12, 2015
Modified Sep 12, 2015
Share
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Nutritionists have been warning people off high fructose corn syrup for some time now, linking the sweetener to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other health concerns. But it turns out even nature's sweet stuff isn't all that healthy—a new study found that honey is just as bad for us as those high-fructose corn sweeteners we've so long considered evil.
The Washington Post reported this week on the surprising results of a recent USDA study, finding very few differences in subjects who consumed cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or honey. "Honey is thought of as more natural whereas white sugar and high fructose corn syrup are processed from the cane or the beet or the corn,” Susan K. Raatz, one of the USDA researchers, told the paper. “We wanted to find out if they were different. But chemically, they are very, very similar, and that’s what it seems to break down to."
The news is kind of scary, considering honey's been seen as a natural, healthier alternative to the oft-maligned high fructose stuff. On the other hand, it might also indicate that high fructose corn syrup isn't as awful as we've been led to believe, either. Indeed, as the Mayo Clinic purports, "At this time, there's insufficient evidence to say that high-fructose corn syrup is any less healthy than other types of sweeteners."
In the end, the best course of action is probably to limit your sweet stuff intake, or eat bland turnips for the rest of your life. Or just keep your honey consumption limited to sweet Fleetwood Mac songs.
Tagged
high fructose corn syrup
honey
obesity
Rebecca Fishbein
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