Feeding Disease: The Case for Ending Government-Sponsored Sugar Addiction

A bill, S.2165 in Arizona to ban purchase of these drinks using SNAP fund programs has come out of committee. Expect a fight from those who want to deny the harms.

Imagine the government handing out coupons for cigarettes in the 1980s, even after the Surgeon General's warning became a cultural touchstone. Now imagine we’re doing the dietary equivalent — today, knowingly — and funding it with public dollars. Welcome to SNAP in the age of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), where policies meant to alleviate hunger have become complicit in fueling America’s chronic disease crisis.

For decades, science has been sounding the alarm: sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), particularly those containing HFCS, are not just empty calories. They’re metabolic saboteurs. Despite mounting evidence from rodent studies, human trials, epidemiological reviews, and global modeling research, these products remain fully eligible for purchase under taxpayer-funded nutrition assistance programs. And artificial sweeteners, marketed as healthier alternatives, are increasingly implicated in parallel or even greater risks.

Arizona bill S.2165 in Arizona, sponsored by State Representative Leo Biasucci, has come out of the State Health committee - and it’s backed by science. Here are the referenced studies.

The Rodent Canaries in the Metabolic Coal Mine

One of the most striking early warnings came from a 2010 study conducted at Princeton University by Bocarsly, Avena, and Hoebel. Rats fed high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those consuming an equal-calorie amount of sucrose. The HFCS-fed rats developed higher body fat — especially in the abdomen — and elevated triglyceride levels. These changes occurred despite equal calorie intake, underscoring the unique metabolic effects of HFCS beyond mere caloric density. This finding was emphasized in both the peer-reviewed literature and a Princeton University press release titled A Sweet Problem.

More recent studies added a microbial dimension. In 2023, Meng and colleagues demonstrated that HFCS not only promotes fat accumulation in mice but also significantly alters gut microbiota composition. These microbial shifts were linked to obesity via reductions in microbial diversity and changes in specific bacterial populations. Wang et al. (2022) confirmed similar results, noting increased perirenal and liver fat alongside distinct microbial alterations.

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The Human Mirror: Fast-Acting Metabolic Harm

Human studies paint an equally troubling picture. At UC Davis, Stanhope and colleagues found that just two weeks of consuming HFCS-sweetened beverages led to increased liver fat and decreased insulin sensitivity. These markers are early hallmarks of type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A complementary analysis by Wood (2021) further emphasized that both sucrose and HFCS carry these risks, reinforcing the conclusion that sugar-sweetened beverages of all kinds are metabolically hazardous.

What makes HFCS uniquely harmful is its biochemical path: unlike glucose, fructose bypasses key hormonal regulators like insulin and leptin. According to a foundational 2004 paper by Bray, Nielsen, and Popkin, fructose fails to trigger the satiety signals that typically regulate food intake. Meanwhile, HFCS intake in the U.S. had exploded by over 1,000% between 1970 and 1990, and it now accounts for over 40% of all added caloric sweeteners in the food supply.

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The Global Toll: Sugar as a Pandemic Variable

The metabolic impacts of sugary drinks are not just biological — they’re epidemiological. A 2023 modeling study by Zhou et al., published in Nature Medicine and summarized by Food & Wine, estimated that sugar-sweetened beverages contributed to over 2.2 million cases of type 2 diabetes, 1.2 million cases of cardiovascular disease, and 340,000 deaths worldwide in 2020 alone. This staggering burden mirrors the scale of infectious pandemics but remains largely ignored in public policy.

The CDC has documented that SSB consumption is disproportionately high among young adults, non-Hispanic Black individuals, and those with lower incomes — precisely the demographic groups most reliant on SNAP. In addition to metabolic disease, the CDC associates sugary drink consumption with heart disease, kidney disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Their 2021 and 2022 reports confirm that these risks are not randomly distributed but reflect broader socioeconomic and racial inequities.

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Sugar, Cancer, and the Illusion of Juice

A 2019 prospective cohort study in The BMJ by Chazelas et al. found that a mere 100mL daily increase in sugary drink intake was associated with an 18% increased risk of all cancers and a 22% increased risk of breast cancer. Strikingly, this correlation held for 100% fruit juices as well, indicating that natural sugar is not exempt from scrutiny.

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Artificial Sweeteners: Different Molecule, Similar Risks

Artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), marketed as healthier alternatives, are far from benign. A 2023 umbrella review by Diaz et al. concluded that ASB consumption was linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and even all-cause mortality. Though the evidence linking ASBs to cancer was weaker, the methodological quality of existing studies was found to be low, with inconsistent protocols and unclear funding sources.

Escobar Gil and Laverde Gil (2023) expanded the concern further, demonstrating that ASBs are associated with a wide array of non-metabolic risks: mental health disorders, delayed child neurodevelopment, cardiac remodeling, worsened diabetic retinopathy, end-stage renal disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and hip fractures. The idea that these drinks are safe because they lack sugar is a dangerously outdated assumption.

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Vascular Catastrophe in a Can

In 2012, Gardener and colleagues studied the impact of soft drinks in the Northern Manhattan population. Their findings, later echoed in summaries by EatingWell, showed that both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages were associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke and other vascular events. Murphy (2025) reported that regular consumption of carbonated drinks raises stroke risk by 22%, with added sugars, caffeine, and weight gain contributing to vascular vulnerability.

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The Fiscal and Moral Contradiction

Given this robust, consistent body of evidence, the continued eligibility of these products under SNAP is more than a policy oversight — it is a public health contradiction. SNAP was designed to alleviate food insecurity and support nutrition. Yet it funds access to products that promote the very diseases it should be protecting against.

Taxpayers fund both the purchase of these products and the long-term medical care required to treat their effects. Meanwhile, the same government restricts sugary cereals and sodas from WIC and imposes nutrition guidelines on public school meals. Why does SNAP remain exempt from such standards?

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Aligning SNAP with Science: A MAHA Moment

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative provides a framework for evidence-aligned reform. Removing HFCS-laden and sugar-sweetened beverages from SNAP eligibility would represent one of the most impactful, low-cost public health interventions available. It would reduce disease burdens, lower long-term healthcare costs, and protect the dignity and well-being of the most vulnerable.

This is not about restriction — it is about removing public endorsement of products that fuel chronic illness. No one’s freedom is reduced by no longer being subsidized to buy poison.

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Conclusion: Rationalism Requires Action

If we are to take evidence seriously — and uphold any consistent ethic of care — we must stop using public funds to feed disease. SNAP should nourish, not erode. It should be a lifeline, not a liability.

The science is clear. The costs are measurable. The harm is ongoing. The fix is obvious. Let’s stop pretending we don’t know — and start acting like we do.

The Bill S.2165

Rep. Biasucci’s Video | Facebook

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, COURTESY POPULAR RATIONALISM (DR. LYONS-WEILER, IPAK)

Bocarsly ME, Powell ES, Avena NM, Hoebel BG. High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2010 Nov;97(1):101-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.02.012. Epub 2010 Feb 26. PMID: 20219526; PMCID: PMC3522469. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3522469/

Princeton University. (2010, March 22).

A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain. Princeton University News.

https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/03/22/sweet-problem-princeton-researchers-find-high-fructose-corn-syrup-prompts

This study in rats showed that HFCS led to significantly greater weight gain than table sugar, despite similar calorie intake. It suggests unique metabolic effects of HFCS beyond its caloric content.

Bray, G. A., Nielsen, S. J., & Popkin, B. M. (2004). Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79(4), 537–543. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/79.4.537

The study examines the link between high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption and rising obesity rates, noting that HFCS intake increased by over 1,000% between 1970 and 1990 and now accounts for over 40% of added caloric sweeteners in the U.S. Unlike glucose, fructose is metabolized differently, promoting fat production while failing to trigger insulin and leptin, hormones that regulate appetite and body weight. This suggests that excessive HFCS consumption, particularly in sweetened beverages, may contribute to overeating and the obesity epidemic.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Get the facts: Sugar-sweetened beverages and consumption. CDC Nutrition.

https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html

The CDC outlines multiple adverse health outcomes related to sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, including obesity, diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It serves as a government-endorsed source summarizing broader public health risks.

CDC. (2022, April 11). Sugar sweetened beverage intake. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of added sugars in the American diet and are linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues. Consumption patterns vary by age, gender, race, geography, and socioeconomic status, with higher intake among certain groups, such as young adults, non-Hispanic Black individuals, and those with lower incomes. Frequent SSB consumption is also associated with unhealthy behaviors like smoking, poor sleep, lack of exercise, and excessive screen time.

Chazelas, E., Srour, B., Desmetz, E., Kesse-Guyot, E., Julia, C., Deschamps, V., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Galan, P., Hercberg, S., Latino-Martel, P., Deschasaux, M., & Touvier, M. (2019). Sugary drink consumption and risk of cancer: Results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort. BMJ, l2408. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l2408

A large prospective study from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort found that higher consumption of sugary drinks, including 100% fruit juices, was associated with an increased risk of overall cancer and breast cancer. A 100mL daily increase in sugary drink intake was linked to an 18% higher risk of overall cancer and a 22% higher risk of breast cancer, while artificially sweetened beverages showed no significant association.

Diaz, C., Rezende, L. F. M., Sabag, A., Lee, D. H., Ferrari, G., Giovannucci, E. L., & Rey-Lopez, J. P. (2023). Artificially sweetened beverages and health outcomes: An umbrella review. Advances in Nutrition, 14(4), 710–717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.05.010

The meta-analyses found that consuming artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) is associated with a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, all-cause mortality, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. However, evidence linking ASBs to cancers and other diseases was weak, and the quality of systematic reviews had notable deficiencies, such as unclear funding sources and lack of predefined study protocols.

Escobar Gil, T., & Laverde Gil, J. (2023). Artificially sweetened beverages beyond the metabolic risks: A systematic review of the literature. Cureus.

https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33231

The systematic review analyzed the non-metabolic health effects of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), revealing associations with mental health issues, delayed child neurodevelopment, cardiac remodeling, worsened diabetic retinopathy, and risks for conditions such as end-stage renal disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, and hip fractures. The study, which reviewed 21 key articles from 1,323 initial findings, highlights growing concerns about ASBs beyond their metabolic impact, emphasizing potential risks across multiple organ systems.

Gardener, H., Rundek, T., Markert, M., Wright, C. B., & Sacco, R. L. (2012). Diet soft drink consumption is associated with an increased risk of vascular events in the Northern Manhattan Study. EatingWell (summary).

https://www.eatingwell.com/the-surprising-drink-that-could-increase-your-stroke-risk-11700059

This summary highlights findings that both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages are associated with a higher risk of stroke. The data suggest caution even with so-called 'diet' alternatives to sugary drinks.

Miller, K. (2025, January 19). A new study ties sugary drinks to diabetes, heart disease, and hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. Food & Wine. https://www.foodandwine.com/sugary-drinks-diabetes-heart-disease-8776956

The study from Tufts University analyzed global dietary data and found that in 2020 alone, sugary drinks contributed to 2.2 million cases of type 2 diabetes, 1.2 million cases of cardiovascular disease, and 340,000 related deaths. Researchers highlight that sugar-sweetened beverages cause rapid blood sugar spikes, inflammation, insulin resistance, and fat accumulation, all of which increase the risk of chronic illnesses.

Meng, Q., Lin, M. S., & Tzeng, D. T. W. (2023). High-fructose corn syrup alters intestinal microbiota composition and promotes obesity in mice. npj Science of Food, 7(1), 23.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-022-00133-7

This study demonstrated that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) significantly alters gut microbiota in mice and leads to increased body fat. It emphasizes the biological pathway linking HFCS consumption and obesity through microbial modulation.

Murphy, D. (2025, March 22). The surprising drink that could increase your stroke risk, according to experts. EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/the-surprising-drink-that-could-increase-your-stroke-risk-11700059

Regular consumption of carbonated drinks, both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened, has been linked to a 22% higher risk of stroke, with factors such as added sugars, caffeine, and weight gain contributing to vascular health issues. While enjoying these beverages occasionally may not pose a significant risk, experts recommend opting for healthier alternatives like water, herbal tea, or unsweetened fruit juice to reduce stroke risk. Additionally, adopting a balanced diet, increasing physical activity, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol intake are crucial steps in maintaining overall vascular health.

Parker, H. (2010). A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain. Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2010/03/22/sweet-problem-princeton-researchers-find-high-fructose-corn-syrup-prompts

Princeton researchers found that rats consuming high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those consuming table sugar, despite having the same caloric intake. Long-term consumption led to increased body fat, particularly in the abdomen, and elevated triglyceride levels, suggesting links to obesity and metabolic syndrome. The study highlights potential health risks of high-fructose corn syrup and its role in the obesity epidemic.

Stanhope, K. L., Medici, V., Bremer, A. A., Lee, V., Lam, H. D., Nunez, M. V., ... & Havel, P. J. (2015). Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverages increases liver fat and decreases insulin sensitivity in humans. UC Davis Health News.

https://www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/both-sucrose-and-high-fructose-corn-syrup-linked-increased-health-risks

This human study found that consuming HFCS or sucrose-sweetened beverages led to increased liver fat and decreased insulin sensitivity within just two weeks. These changes are associated with a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Wang, X., Zhu, L., Li, X., Wang, X., Hao, R., & Li, J. (2022). Effects of high fructose corn syrup on intestinal microbiota structure and obesity in mice. Npj Science of Food, 6(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-022-00133-7

The study investigating the effects of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in mice found that long-term consumption led to increased body fat and significant alterations in gut microbiota composition. Mice given HFCS-containing drinking water had higher perirenal, epididymal, and liver fat percentages, along with reduced microbial diversity and distinct changes in key bacterial populations.

Wood, T. (2021, August 30). Both sucrose and high fructose corn syrup linked to increased health risks. UC Davis. https://www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/both-sucrose-and-high-fructose-corn-syrup-linked-increased-health-risks

The University of California, Davis study found that consuming sucrose and high fructose corn syrup increases liver fat and decreases insulin sensitivity, both of which raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Participants who drank sugar-sweetened beverages for just two weeks showed significant metabolic changes, regardless of whether the sugar source was sucrose or high fructose corn syrup.

Zhou, B., Bentham, J., Di Cesare, M., Bixby, H., Danaei, G., Cowan, M. J., ... & Ezzati, M. (2023).

Burden of disease associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in adults globally: A modelling study. Food & Wine (reporting on Nature Medicine).

https://www.foodandwine.com/sugary-drinks-diabetes-heart-disease-8776956

This article summarizes a global model estimating that sugar-sweetened drinks contributed to over 2 million diabetes cases and hundreds of thousands of cardiovascular cases in 2020. It reinforces the massive global health impact of sugary beverages.