Hidden Sugars Add to Obesity Problem

June 1, 2004 -- As Americans battle obesity, many are not aware that most of the sugar they consume comes from corn that is hidden in their diets.

Much of the nation's corn crop is fed to animals and turned into meat. Most of the rest is processed into thousands of products, which can be found on every supermarket shelf.

These are the unintended consequences of subsidizing America's farmers, who are already the most efficient in the world.

Perhaps nowhere is the connection of farm subsidies and obesity more visible than in movie theaters. The popcorn is made with subsidized corn, which is so inexpensive that the bag it comes in costs more than the popcorn itself. That's why the mega-size costs only a few pennies more.

The oil the popcorn is cooked in is subsidized, too, as is the oil that goes on top — that's usually not butter, but subsidized vegetable oil.

And there's corn in the soda — a corn-derived sweetener called high-fructose corn syrup. Since the 1970s, its use has gone up more than 4,000 percent.

Subsidized corn sweeteners, which have pretty much taken over from sugar, are in candy, pretzels and some hot dogs, too.

Americans consume nearly three times more corn in the form of corn sweeteners than they do in every other form. Corn is the principal source of sweeteners in the American diet.

The subsidies lower the cost of the ingredients that go into processed foods, particularly high-calorie foods. And they make those foods cheaper.

Growers reject the notion that these subsidies are contributing to the obesity epidemic. They argue that a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle are matters of personal responsibility.