High Fructose Corn Syrup

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

High Fructose Corn Syrup changes rating with portion size. Its rating is estimated from what it is made of, so the servings are described rather than weighed.

Small serving Moderate
Moderate serving High
Large serving High

Excess Fructose

High fructose corn syrup is High FODMAP, a concentrated sweetener that packs more free fructose than your gut can easily keep up with.

The trouble is Excess Fructose: this syrup carries more fructose than glucose, so it sits at moderate even at a small serving and climbs to high by a moderate serving.
It hides in many sweetened drinks, sauces, and packaged snacks, so it is worth a quick glance at ingredient lists when a product tastes sweet.

When you want to sweeten something at home, reach for plain table sugar or a little maple syrup, which sit more comfortably in typical amounts.

Why high fructose corn syrup is rated high

High fructose corn syrup is rated high FODMAP overall, and that rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than from a measured serving. The problem is Excess Fructose. The syrup carries more fructose than glucose, and that unmatched fructose is the part the gut struggles to absorb. On the ladder there is no rung where it comes in low: a Small serving already reads moderate, a Moderate serving reads high, and a Large serving stays high. Because it is a liquid sweetener with nothing to dilute it, the fructose arrives in concentrated form.

What changes your risk

Serving size A Small serving sits at moderate, and from a Moderate serving upward it is high. No serving on the ladder brings it down to low, so a smaller pour lowers the load without making it a low FODMAP food.
Hidden sources It turns up in soft drinks, sweetened juice drinks, ketchup-style sauces, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, cereal bars and packaged baked goods. On some labels it appears as glucose-fructose syrup, so a product that tastes sweet is worth a look at the ingredient list.
Stacking with other fructose-heavy foods Excess Fructose adds up across a meal. Pairing a sweetened drink with honey, agave syrup, apple, pear, mango or watermelon in the same sitting piles one Excess Fructose source on top of another.
Cooking and baking Heat does not break fructose down. Syrup that is simmered into a glaze or baked into a muffin is still fully there in the finished food.
Spreading it out If a product containing it does turn up in your day, the load is easier to manage when it is not eaten alongside other Excess Fructose foods in the same meal.

Swaps

For sweetening at home, plain table sugar, maple syrup and rice malt syrup all fill the same role without the fructose surplus. Table sugar works in baking and sauces, maple syrup suits glazes, dressings and drinks, and rice malt syrup is a good stand-in where a thick, sticky syrup is needed, such as in granola or bars. Do not reach for honey or agave syrup as a replacement: both are high in the same subgroup, so they repeat the problem rather than solve it.

How to lower the load

The most useful habit is reading labels on sauces, condiments and sweetened drinks, since this syrup is rarely something you buy on its own. When a recipe for barbecue sauce, a sticky marinade or a homemade cola-style drink calls for corn syrup, make it with table sugar, maple syrup or rice malt syrup instead, and build savoury flavour with garlic-infused oil and chives rather than onion or garlic powder. For drinks, unsweetened sparkling water with fresh orange or a few strawberries gives flavour without the syrup.

Common questions

is high fructose corn syrup low fodmap

No. It is rated high FODMAP overall, estimated from what it is made of, because it carries more fructose than glucose. Even a Small serving reads moderate, and it is high by a Moderate serving.

is hfcs high in excess fructose

Yes, Excess Fructose is the reason for its rating. The syrup has more fructose than glucose, and that unpaired fructose is what drives it to high.

does baking or cooking high fructose corn syrup make it lower fodmap

No. Heat does not break fructose down, so the syrup in a baked good or a simmered sauce carries the same load as it did in the bottle.

what can i use instead of high fructose corn syrup on a low fodmap diet

Table sugar, maple syrup and rice malt syrup all work as low FODMAP sweeteners. Avoid honey and agave syrup, which are high in the same subgroup.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.