There have been unsafe levels of unpaired fructose in the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in U.S. beverages, and research/case study evidence shows their intake is associated with greater asthma prevalence/risk/incidence, a debilitating disease, likely due to fructose-malabsorption, gut fructosylation, and gut dysbiosis mechanisms. The “unexplained” asthma epidemic has disproportionately affected children and Black individuals, groups with higher fructose-malabsorption prevalence than others, and research to assess disproportionately higher asthma risk/incidence among Black individuals in association with HFCS sweetened beverage intake is lacking.

Demographic, lifestyle, dietary data collected at enrollment/(1985-86), and incident asthma through exam 5/(1995-96), were used in Cox proportional hazards models to assess HFCS intake associations (hazard-ratios) with asthma risk/incidence.

CARDIA-Study participants from Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Oakland, CA.

1998 Black and 2104 White young adults.

HFCS sweetened beverage intake >once/wk was significantly associated with higher asthma risk relative to ≤ once/wk, (P-trend=0.04), among Black participants only; risk was 2.8 times higher among 2-4 times/wk consumers (HR=2.8, 95% CI 1.1-7.3, P=0.04), and 3.5 times higher when consumed multiple times/d, independent of sucrose intake/obesity/dietary quality/smoking/in-home smoke-exposure (HR=3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.9, P=0.02). Intake of orange juice, with nominal unpaired fructose, was not associated with asthma in either group, nor was intake of sucrose, a disaccharide (paired) of fructose/glucose.

Ubiquitous HFCS in the U.S. food supply, with HFCS that contains high/unsafe unpaired fructose, a.k.a. excess-free-fructose, and the fructose/gut/lung/axis are overlooked risk factors in the “unexplained” U.S. asthma epidemic that disproportionately affects Black individuals.