High fructose corn syrup is basically sucrose (table sugar), but with a little more fructose. Sucrose is 50-50 fructose-to-glucose. HFCS ranges from 50-50 fructose-to-glucose to as high as 85-15, but most lies under 65-35. The problem is fructose. Avoid sucrose and HFCS and you avoid the fructose problem.
I admit that I have more problems with fructose and alcohol than most people because of a suspected ALDH2 mutation (Asian flush from American Indian heritage). I consider myself to be a canary in the coal mine.
When I was a kid, in the 50’s and 60’s, soft drinks still used cane sugar for sweeteners and so did everything else.
We had relatively few obese kids in school, only two in my class of 30+, and they were from obese families.
I live near a Middle School and a High School, so I see them walk to school, and most of the kids look overweight..............