Sugar Wars

By David Bjerklie

The corn lobby disputes it, but nutritionists have long singled out the high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten soft drinks as one of the reasons so many U.S. kids are overweight. It certainly doesn't help mice stay trim. In an experiment at the University of Cincinnati, mice that drank fructose-laced water ate less food, gained more weight and put on 90% more body fat than mice that drank only water. Scientists say fructose may affect metabolism in a way that favors fat storage, but that's sure to be disputed too. --By David Bjerklie