The consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) beverages has increased since the 1970s. At the same time, childhood obesity is on the rise, causing children to be at risk of heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. Healthcare providers have attributed childhood obesity to the consumption of HFCS in the form of beverages. This article will look at the available research and determine if there is scientific evidence underlying the idea that sweetened soft drinks, especially those containing HFCS, could cause or contribute to childhood obesity. A thorough literature search was performed using the ISI Web of Sciences, PubMed and Scopus databases within the years 2006-2012. The search generated 19 results. The articles were screened, and six were deemed eligible: four systematic reviews and two meta-analyses. Two systematic reviews found that there is no relationship between consumption of HFCS beverages and obesity in children. The other two systematic reviews found possible links between HFCS and childhood obesity. The meta-analysis articles found that consumption of HFCS beverages can contribute to childhood obesity, and limitation of sweetened beverages may help decrease obesity in children. Available research studies demonstrate inconclusive scientific evidence definitively linking HFCS to obesity in children.

The composition of commercial corn oil from USA corn is remarkably constant. A total of 103 samples of refined corn oil produced over a period of 2.5 years were analyzed by the alkali isomerization procedure. Nearly 86% of the samples had an iodine value (I.V.) within one unit of the average value, 123.6. Linoleic content on a fatty acid basis, averaged 55.5%; 93% of the values were within two units of this value. All samples contained small amts of linolenic acid. This uniformity undoubtedly results from the system of corn marketing and buying which brings grain from the entire corn belt to the processing plants. A number of corn oils were analyzed by GLC. The average linoleic acid content by this method was ca. 2.5 units higher than that found by the isomerization method. This difference may occur because GLC responds to all C‐18 dienes equally while the alkali isomerization method responds only to conjugatable dienes. Possible sources of error in both methods of fatty acid analysis are discussed. Corn oil samples taken over a 16‐month period were analyzed by GLC. Although much of our experience has been with the alkali isomerization method, the GLC technique is preferred because it is simpler and yields more information on fatty acid composition. Another important advantage is that determination of the I.V. of the oil serves as a check on GLC results. The I.V. calculated from the GLC results, making allowance for 1.25% unsaponifiables in the case of corn oil, should be within a few units of the Wijs value. Oils derived commercially from corns grown in other countries are generally more saturated than those from USA corn. The I.V. of the samples examined varied from 107舑125, the linoleic acid contents from 42舑56%. The relationship between I.V. and linoleic acid content established by others from hybrid corns holds fairly well for these samples.

Triallate [S-(2,3,3-trichloroallyl)diisopropylthiocarbamate] mixed with soil (1.5 ppmw) stimulated coleoptile extension, reduced the length of the primary leaf, but had no effect on mesocotyl development of wild oat (Avena fatuaL.) grown in soil in a growth chamber. Incubation of the triallate-treated soil for as long as 20 weeks at constant temperatures (10 C, 16 C, and 20 C) did not reduce phytotoxicity. Triallate phytotoxicity was similar at soil moisture levels of either 5% greater than wilting point or 5% less than field capacity. The phytotoxicity remained the same after a freezing cycle during an 8-week soil incubation. Phytotoxic effects of triallate were markedly reduced as soil organic matter increased.