In a new clinical trial with 145 subjects, subjects were given drinks sweetened with aspartame, glucose, fructose, or high-fructose corn syrup for two weeks.
Some results
HFCS group:
17% higher LDL-C
15% higher apoB
11% higher
Subjects were given beverages to drink three times per day, containing:
Aspartame, control
Glucose, 25% daily energy requirements
Fructose, 17.5%
Fructose, 25%
High-fructose corn syrup, 17.5%
HFCS, 25%
Sucrose, 25%
Patients were told to refrain from drinking any other sugar-sweetened beverages.
Riboflavin was added to the drinks as a biomarker for adherence and tested in the urine.
Urinary riboflavin was low at the beginning, rose throughout the study, and did not rise differently between participants in each group over the course of the study, indicating that the biomarker worked and adherence was similar between groups.
The trial was double-blinded and on an outpatient basis.
Subjects were not randomized but groups were matched for sex, BMI, and concentrations of fasting triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, HDL-C, and insulin at baseline.