If you want to be a hit at your next party or office luncheon, just drop this little fact into the conversation: “You know, Coke used to be made with real sugar.” You’ll get one of two responses: “Wait, Coke isn’t made with sugar?” or “I don’t care, I only drink Diet Coke.” Both responses make sense, because the real answer is incredibly confusing. The sweet stuff in your regular American coke is high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This syrupy concoction is made from corn, and it’s way cheaper to produce than sugar. It’s used in all kinds of processed foods, but is HFCS worse for you than regular sugar? The short answer is yes. Regular sugar (sucrose) isn’t healthier, but eating a lot of HFCS is especially toxic. If you’re consuming a lot of it, it can lead to a wide variety of health problems like diabetes, inflammation, elevated triglycerides and fat gain, especially around the midsection. Believe it or not, Coca-Cola only stopped using real cane sugar in the U.S. in 1984. Today, the company uses HFCS-55 — 55% fructose and 45% glucose — which makes it slightly sweeter than table sugar, which is a 50/50 split of fructose and glucose. The extra fructose also makes the soda more stable, giving it a slightly longer shelf life than sodas made with cane or beet sugar. Longer shelf life means less money in waste and unsold sodas. Will Coca-Cola ever make U.S. Coke with real sugar again? Technically, it already does. Coke bottles with a yellow cap are certified kosher, which means HFCS is not among the ingredients.
