On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola agreed to start sweetening its products with cane sugar, rather than high-fructose corn syrup. Whether that will indeed happen remains to be seen; a Coca-Cola spokesperson did not confirm the president’s assertion.
Still, Trump said on Truth Social, “You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Is it, though?
When it comes to potential health impacts, the answer is no, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
“Both high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are about 50% fructose, 50% glucose, and have identical metabolic effects,” he said.
That is, both can equally raise the risk for obesity, diabetes, and high triglycerides and blood pressure. Both provide the same number of calories, but the body processes them differently.
Whether from cane sugar or corn syrup, it's the fructose that appears to cause the most harm. The sugar is almost entirely processed by the liver, which converts excess fructose into triglycerides, a type of fat linked to heart disease.
And unlike glucose, fructose doesn’t prompt the body to produce insulin. Insulin triggers a hormone that helps a person feel full.
Over time, too much fructose can lead to insulin resistance and increase the risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Corn syrup does have slightly more fructose than table sugar, at a ratio of 55% fructose to 45% glucose.
Dr. Melanie Jay, a professor of medicine and population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of the NYU Langone Comprehensive Program on Obesity Research, said it’s possible that switching from corn syrup to cane sugar may be beneficial on a population level.
“A 5% difference might mean that millions of people are getting less fructose,” she said. “But it’s not like table sugar is a health food. Added sugar in whatever form should be limited.”
Sugary sodas have long been associated with obesity in children. A 2023 international study found that adolescents who drank one or more soft drinks a day had a higher prevalence of being overweight or obese, compared to young people who didn't drink soda daily.
There are 240 calories in a 20-ounce original Coke, with 65 grams of added sugars. The current dietary guidelines recommend that teens and children limit added sugars to less than 50 grams a day.
No matter the choice of sweetener, sodas generally fall into the category of ultraprocessed food because of their added sugars, artificial colors and flavorings. All have been targets of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., long an opponent of ultraprocessed foods.
In a statement Friday, Kennedy said that he welcomes news that Coca-Cola may be switching to cane sugar. “Americans deserve access to the same natural foods that other countries enjoy and the President is delivering that.”
Is natural sweetener different?
While all fruit contains some level of sugar, and some vegetables do, as well, that kind of natural sweetener isn’t on the same level as added sugars in soda, Jay said. An apple, for example, does contain sugar, but it’s also rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals — and especially fiber.
“When you eat the apple, your stomach has to process it. The sugar isn’t released into the body quickly, so you feel more full,” she said. “When we drink soda, we’re not getting that fiber, so the sugar is absorbed directly into our bloodstream.”
Does cane sugar taste the same as corn syrup?
Would a change in sweetener alter the taste of an icy cold Coca-Cola?
Discerning Coke-aphiles probably would notice a difference, said Mozaffarian. (He’s on team cane sugar, by the way: “I can’t stand the taste of corn syrup.”)
Reducing sweetness overall, he said, is key. “We need to kick America’s addiction for intensely — really sickly — sweet taste.”
Said NYU’s Jay, “it’s always better to cut down on soda, no matter what the form of sugar is.”
