Added sugars, including high-fructose corn syrup found in sugar-sweetened beverages, are linked to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions; drinking one 12-ounce sugar-sweetened soft drink daily without cutting calories elsewhere could lead to up to 15 pounds of weight gain over three years.
Harvard's Nutrition Source flags added sugars such as high-fructose corn syrup in sugary drinks as contributors to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
The American Heart Association recommends most women consume no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons / 24 grams) of added sugar and most men no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons / 36 grams); high fructose corn syrup is named among the added sugars to look for on ingredient labels.
AHA caps added-sugar intake at roughly 6 tsp/24 g/day for women and 9 tsp/36 g/day for men, and identifies high-fructose corn syrup as one of the named added sugars.
Ultra-processed foods are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives; high-fructose corn syrup is listed among the ingredients 'only found in group 4' (the ultra-processed category) of the NOVA classification.
Under the NOVA food-processing classification (developed by Monteiro and colleagues), high-fructose corn syrup is a marker ingredient that identifies a product as ultra-processed (NOVA Group 4).