The question of whether high fructose corn syrup is a particularly noxious substance is being fought on many fronts, including currently in a Los Angeles courtroom. Corn refiners are fighting mightily not to be demonized, and regularly send out missives stating their case to anyone who will listen. Their latest newsletter landed on my e-doorstep this morning, and it was amusing enough for me to relate it to you.

One article riffs on a Yahoo health blogger Lisa Collier Cool's "busting" five food myths, including one  that HFCS is no worse than sugar:

“In reality, both table sugar and HFCS are almost identical, nutritionally, with similar effects on the body’s levels of insulin, blood glucose, triglycerides, and hunger hormones. The real problem isn’t the type of sweetener we eat, but the fact that Americans are consuming way too many empty calories, a key culprit in the obesity epidemic.”

I agree with this. I'm persuaded that despite the "high fructose" in the name, the chemical composition of HFCS and table sugar are quite close. I've heard countervailing arguments, but it's not a point worth fighting — precisely for the reason that I think the corn refiners are foolish to be citing this post! All refined sugar is noxious, so at best, they're crowing that their product is just as bad as the other sugars.

How's that for a slogan: "High fructose corn syrup: We're no worse!"

The implication is that corn refiners have no fear that refined-sugar consumption is in peril, despite clear and mounting evidence that it is unhealthful in the quantities we are now consuming it.

I wish I could say I disagree with them.