An apparently novel claim filed in a Buffalo federal court alleges that high fructose corn syrup is to blame for a dramatic increase in Type 2 diabetes. Buffalo attorney J. Michael Hayes on Monday filed an action in the Western District on behalf of a 14-year-old girl, alleging the diabetic illness she developed two years ago is directly attributable to high fructose corn syrup, a commercial sweetener used in scores of products since the late 1960s.
While the food industry claims the product is natural and safe, Hayes, citing research to the contrary, notes there is no naturally occurring fructose in corn. His complaint in S.F. v. Archer-Daniels-Midland, 1:13-cv-00634, alleges high fructose corn syrup is a chemically manipulated substance, molecularly different from organic sucrose, and its consumption leads to liver insulin resistance. It also claims a global increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes since around 1970 mirrors the expanding use of high fructose corn syrup in foods and beverages.
