(from babble.com)

Have you seen these really awkward commercials from the Corn Refiners Association? (Here are two more.) The group is trying to fight the bad rap that high fructose corn syrup–which provides almost 7 percent of daily caloric consumption in the US–has been getting from foodies. And now, scientists are getting in on the action.

A group of Princeton scientists recently came out with a study that concluded that consuming high fructose corn syrup led to higher weight gain than consuming regular sugar. According to a news release, rats who consumed high fructose corn syrup over a long period of time became well, obese.

“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, at least under the conditions of our tests,” said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. “When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they’re becoming obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don’t see this; they don’t all gain extra weight.”

But the study has attracted criticism for its methods.