Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. The objective of this study was to compare, in an animal model, the effect of different sugar types (sucrose vs. high-fructose corn syrup 55%) consumed as 10% by weight of the diet (11.6% of daily caloric intake) on the amount of food consumed, body weight, fatty tissue deposits, concentrations of selected lipids, and atherogenic indices of blood plasma.

Material and method. The experiment was carried out on 30 5-month-old Wistar male rats, fed three differ- ent diets, containing, amongst other foods, (1) ground unrefined cereal grains, (2) sucrose, (3) high-fructose corn syrup.

Results. Weight gains in animals on sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup diets were higher than those con- suming basic feed, but the effect was not associated with perivisceral fat accumulation. It has been found that all the atherogenic indices (Castelli’s Risk Index I, Castelli’s Risk Index II, Atherogenic Index of Plasma, Atherogenic Coefficient) were statistically significantly higher in animals on a high-fructose corn syrup diet compared to both the control group and those on a sucrose diet.

Conclusion. The effect of the 55% high-fructose corn syrup on the tested parameters of lipid metabolism was not equivalent to that of sucrose. Using HFCS-55 instead of sucrose has an adverse effect on blood lipid parameters, while weight gains and peri-organ fat deposits are comparable. Moreover, the obtained results confirm that tested animals were susceptible to the adverse effects of sugars added to their diet, even in small amounts. This emphasises the need to precisely control the amount of added sugars in the diet.