July 24, 2025, 2:02 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Donald Trump is making the sweetness of cola a matter for the U.S. government. He urged Coca-Cola via social media to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. His reasoning: “It’s just better!” But in what way? Sweeter? Healthier? After all, cane sugar is part of brown sugar, which enjoys a good reputation among consumers. Whether this assumption holds true is revealed by FITBOOK nutrition expert Sophie Brünke.
Sugar is not particularly healthy. Consuming too much can lead to cavities, obesity, or Type 2 diabetes. But does switching to a different type of sugar help? President Trump apparently sees potential in replacing corn syrup with cane sugar in cola. On his network “Truth Social,” he announced: “I have spoken with Coca-Cola about using REAL cane sugar in cola in the United States, and they have agreed to do so.” Indeed, Coca-Cola announced in a press release that this fall, a cane sugar version will be launched in the American market. However, there is no clear confirmation or denial that the initiative came from the White House. The release states the product launch is “part of the ongoing innovation agenda.”1 Competitor Pepsi is also releasing a new cola. In addition to cane sugar, it will feature a small amount of fiber and have a prebiotic effect.2
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Cola Has Different Recipes – Depending on the Country
Depending on the taste preferences of the population and the availability of raw materials, the recipe for the dark soda varies slightly. This changes the sweetener and the overall sugar content. In Germany, for example, cola contains sucrose, or white sugar. Since American corn producers receive subsidies, corn syrup is cheaper than cane sugar in the U.S. and is a popular sweetener in the beverage and food industry.
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How Do Corn Syrup and Cane Sugar Differ?
First, we distinguish between cane sugar and beet sugar. As the names suggest, cane sugar is made from sugarcane and beet sugar from sugar beets. The process is similar. Both consist of sucrose, the familiar white table sugar. There are no differences in terms of nutrient content.
Corn syrup is industrially produced by breaking down cornstarch. Like table sugar, it consists of glucose and fructose, but the proportions of these simple sugars can vary. In Germany, since 2017, corn syrup can be added to foods without limits – without declaring the glucose and fructose content.3
Health Differences
Corn syrup is viewed critically by experts. The main reason is the variable fructose content, which is metabolized differently than glucose and is associated with the development of fatty liver, among other things. The Max Rubner Institute still evaluates corn syrup (also known as isoglucose) from a nutritional perspective the same as white table sugar – the literature on this is limited, but human studies have found no differences between isoglucose and sucrose in terms of markers like weight and blood pressure.4
Cane sugar, on the other hand, as brown sugar, provides slightly more minerals. Hence, it has its consumer-friendly image. But the fact remains: sugar is sugar. The additional minerals compared to white refined sugar are so minimal that they make no difference.