My research directly gives answers to the question concerning Coca Cola switching from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to cane sugar. As I have looked at many advertisements during last week as Coca Cola decides to start a version of its beverage having cane sugar rather than high fructose corn sugar (HFCS), I noticed that they do not know and understand the science behind their claim of cane sugar is healthier and better than HFCS. In addition, it is worth noting that Pepsi has already reintroduced cane sugar into some of their soft drinks in 2025. See { Pepsi is making a bold bet that prebiotic sodas are here to stay | CNN Business }. The news should interview me. I can explain the science and I made the discovery as to why cane sugar is a little healthier. Really both cane sugar and corn sugars and corn products are both bad for your health. But HFCS and corn products in general are a little unhealthier, though HFCS is even less healthy than corn itself.
The science based on Reginald B. Little (RBL) is the relative amounts of the stable isotopes 13C and 12C in the cane sugar verses the corn sugar and syrup. The element carbon has two stable isotopes 12C (more common as it is 99% in inorganic carbon samples) and 13C (less common, nonprimordial as it is about 1% in inorganic carbon samples). Although 13C is 1% carbon in nonliving matter, in living matter it is much less in abundance relative to primordial 12C. Scientists prior to Reginald B. Little (RBL) have assumed that the 13C and 12C are metabolized in same way by cells in humans. But RBL has based on his theory and Little Effect discovered that humans, animals, and microbes (bacteria, virus, fungi, ect...) manifest different biochemistry of 13C relative to 12C. On basis of different biochemistry and enzymatics of 13C relative to 12C, RBL has proposed, published and discovered that prolong acute and chronic ingestion of 13C in food by humans and animals can cause diseases like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, vascular diseases of brain and heart. See {"On the Atomic Carcinogenic Mechanism and Cure for Cancer: Ferrochemistry for Cause of Warburg Effect" { https://bookstore.bookpi.org/product/on-the-atomic-carcinogenic-mechanism-and-cure-for-cancer-ferrochemistry-for-cause-of-warburg-effect/ }, see comment below for web address } and { https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUS82tRmG0M }.
Scientists have assumed that 13C in biomolecules eaten by humans does not alter metabolism and cause disease. RBL discovered that 13C is processed by catabolism and anabolism in humans and animals in different ways than in microorganisms for malfunctions in biochemistry and altered physiology in humans and animals due to 13C isotope rather than 12C isotope. Scientists have known and measured for decades that plants anabolize 13C in CO2 during photosynthesis in slower less efficient ways than 12C. Thereby plants grow depleting 13C in their biomolecules and enriching 12C into their biomolecules and tissues. But some plants enrich 13C slightly more than others. Scientists have discovered plants categorize as C4 plants anabolize by photosynthesis 13C in greater amounts into their biomolecules and tissues. Both corn and sugar cane are C4 plants. Most plants are C3 plants, and their photosynthesis incorporates 13C in lesser amounts than C4 plants like corn and sugar cane.
So in these kingdoms of life Mammals, Humans and Plants, scientists had previously reasoned the anabolism in plants caused 13C depletion, but they reasoned the catabolism of carbohydrates had negligible isotope effects of 12C and 13C. In this regard, prior scientists were wrong. In 2013, RBL discovered by new isotope effect from his theory that 13C can manifest different biochemistry during its catabolism in humans just as it can manifest different anabolism in plants. Thereby humans eating foods enriched in 13C can have different metabolism and physiology than eating foods enriched in 12C. This isotope effect is the true science of why both corn sugar and cane sugars are bad for you. As an example just this month in July 2025, scientists published online an article measuring microorganisms catabolizing 13C at substantial slower rates than 12C in plant biomass for enriching 13C in residual organic matter. See { 1-s2.0-S1164556325000470-ga1_lrg.jpg (1352×886) } as published in { Changes in carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios with decomposition of plant residue - ScienceDirect }. Just as such bacteria preferentially decompose biomolecules having 12C relative to 13C isotope, so also do humans, animals and their microbiomes metabolize by catabolism 12C at different significantly rates than 13C.
RBL is one of the only scientists in the world with this knowledge of this 13C/12C isotope effect during catabolism as he discovered it! See { https://www.ej-physics.org/index.php/ejphysics/article/view/187 } It is healthier to eat fruit and veggies as most of these have sugars enriched in 12C and much less sugars enriched in 13C like corn and cane sugar. Prior to RBL this was not known. RBL has changed the world in positive way, giving knowledge to help humanity. But there is more. RBL demonstrates that in general although both corn sugar (HFCS) and cane sugars are bad for you due to their containing more 13C than sugars from C3 plants (apples, oranges, plums, lemons, turnips, beans, broccoli, ect), corn is worse than sugar cane. Why is corn and the HFCS made from it worse than cane sugar? RBL determined that the processing of HFCS from corn starch involves bacteria, fungi and enzymes invertase and isomerase and the enzymatics of breaking down complex carbohydrates of corn to simple monomers of glucose and fructose enrich the glucose (at C1 and fructose (at C2) with 13C at these bonds in bond specific ways. The isomerase is the strongest enricher of 13C in the final glucose (at C1) and fructose (at C2) than invertase! The production of sugar (sucrose) from sugar cane in past has not involved these enzymatic reactions and the enrichment of 13C in the final product sucrose is not as large as 13C enrichment in fructose and glucose. Sucrose is a polymer of glucose and fructose. This is another difference between cane sugar and HFCS. The cane sugar has glucose and fructose tied bound together in chemical bonds as sucrose. But in the HFCS, the glucose and fructose are not bound together. So the fructose and glucose mixture that is HFCS go directly into blood after ingestion. The sucrose from sugar cane requires some digestion after ingestion to break the sucrose chemically into glucose and fructose. The fructose from HFCS also goes into the system by different route relative to glucose. For instance, a lot of fructose goes into the liver to produce various fatty acids, some of which have been measured to more rapidly feed cancer and support cancer advancement.
In addition to the 13C enrichment in bond specific fashion by bacteria, fungi and enzymes like invertase and isomerase, RBL has further demonstrated in his book that the 13C enriched C2 (carbon) in fructose and C1 (carbon) in glucose from the microbial processing of corn starch to HFCS also causes 18O replacing 16O in the ring involving C2 (carbon) in fructose and C1 (carbon) in glucose. 13C has spin =1/2 and positive NMM, but 18O has spin = 0 and NMM = 0. But RBL determined that by activation 18O has transient spin = 1 via 18O fractionally transmuting to 18N and/or 18O fractionally transmuting to 18F. RBL notes the proclivity of 18O to transmute due to proximity to double magic number of its nucleus, having 8 protons and 8 neutrons with two additional neutrons for 10 neutrons, as 8 and 2 are magic numbers. RBL introduce the greater instability of nuclei 1/4 and midway between magic number nuclei. RBL in 2005, RBL noted 18O is more active as fractionally altering and unusual isotope effect. See { International Journal of Physical Sciences - magnetocatalytic adiabatic spin torque orbital transformations for novel chemical and catalytic reaction dynamics: the little effect }. Recent determination of magic number of 14 for neutrons and protons gives more support of RBL reasoning more transient fractional fissing and fusing of 18O as the prior magic numbers of 2 , 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126 recently include magic number 14. Thereby between 8 and 20 is also 14. Thereby half between 8 and 14 is 11. The 1/4 shell of 8 to 14 is about 9 to 10. Thereby 18O having 10 neutrons manifest an unstable nucleus for fractional reversible fissing and fusing by RBL theory. RBL has demonstrated that 18O enrichment can alter chemical and biochemical processes. RBL notes here such effect of 18O enrichment sugar rings at 13C enriched C2 of fructose and 13C enriched C1 of glucose cause a double isotope effect in glucose and fructose in HFCS.
The process by which HFCS is produced industrially leads to even greater enrichment of 13C in the free glucose and fructose of HFCS. This is yet another difference between HFCS and cane sugar and why HFCS is a little worse than cane sugar (sucrose)! RBL discovered this isotope effect of 13C for the more ill effect of HFCS. Thereby cane sugar is a little better than HFCS. But cane sugar cost more money to produce than HFCS. So, if there is no better health outcome for cane sugar than HFCS then there is no motive to switch. Sadly, I have tried to advocate building a lab at my current job to develop data more for this. My attempts to work with local Universities to get more measurements were not adequately supported and welcomed by Chemistry there. I had a student in 2022 working with me getting data. We got some proving data. But people started to turn me away. As demonstrated here by my discovery of this ill effect of 13C on animal and human health and the role of sugars and sweeteners for such, I have changed the world in a positive way. Again, I have performed great science to help mankind.
It is important to note that I have published manuscript further demonstrating that artificial sweeteners like aspartame, erythritol, xylitol and sucralose are bad for humans due to their production by microbes by fermentation of sugar and HFCS. The same 13C in the sugar and HFCS gets in the artificial sweetener and cause malfunctions on metabolism in humans eating them for causing some diseases. there have been two press releases I noticed today concerning altered metabolism and poor health outcomes from artificial sweeteners.
In considering the ferrochemistry given here by Reginald B. Little (RBL) for greater isotopic enrichment of fructose and glucose with 13C and 18O during the microbial process of converting corn starch to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it is also important to consider other discoveries of RBL of the industrial production also possibly producing the life chiral sugar D-glucose and D-fructose, but also the possibility of some L-glucose and L-fructose production and/or the partial chiral inversions about many chiral centers in D-fructose and D-glucose. The bio-fermentative production of HFCS from corn starch to produce HFCS involves bacteria and fungi. The bacteria commonly used are Bacillus species, Streptomyces, Arthrobacter, and Actinoplanes. The Streptomyces, Arthrobacter, and Actinoplanes are the sources of the glucose isomerase. The glucose isomerase is the enzyme commonly used to isomerize glucose to fructose and such involves enriching C1 (carbon) of glucose with 13C and C2 (carbon) of fructose with 13C. RBL has in prior publication noted that during industrial production of food and drugs by fermentative and bioengineered processes the alteration of chiralities may occur. See { Relativistic Chiral Inversion of Non-Zero Nuclear Magnetic Moments During Centrifugal Industrial Fermentative Processes | European Journal of Applied Physics }. RBL has also been able to show in a paper under review that stable isotopes of 13C, 15N can alter stereochemistry about amino acids on basis of his theory. Thereby just as with amino acids, the sugars produced by bio-engineered process can possibly undergo altered chirality. The common chiral glucose and fructose are D-glucose and D-fructose. The mammals and humans typically process the D-Glucose and D-Fructose and Plants typically produce the D-chiral sugars. The L -chiral sugars are not common in plants and humans and mammals. But many bacteria and fungi can consume and/or produce the L chiral sugars. This is the case for the bacteria used in the HFCS bio-engineered process. And these bacteria as disclosed and discoverd here by RBL can cause trace productions of L-glucose and L-Fructose in theory. For instance it is known that Actinoplanes bacteria produces L-Glucose and they have enzymes to convert L glucose to other complounds. Streptomyces species are known to produce L-fructose by use of xylose isomerase (also known as glucose isomerase). The bio-fermentative and production also involves fungi like Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus , Basidiomycetes class, including Flammulina, Phellinus, and Lentinus species. Aspergillus niger can produce some L-chiral sugars. And Aspergillus niger can enrich amino acids and proteins with 15N. It is important to consider in these production facilities the possibility of contamination of tanks by other microbes and their alteration of the D-Glucose and D-Fructose in the product HFCS. For instance, Pseudomonas sp produces and uses L-fructose. HFCS facilities can get contaminated with Pseudomonas sp and lead to L-fructose in some of the HFCS in theory. If HFCS is contaminated with L-glucose or L-fructose, the body metabolizes and responds to the chiral enantiomers in different ways relative to the D-Glucose and D-fructose. For instance, unlike D-glucose which is catabolized during digestions, mammals and humans lack enzymes to catabolize L-Glucose . Studies have reveal ingestion of L-glucose causes it to act as a laxative. There is no literature on the effects of L-fructose on the human body. It is interesting research frontier to measure how L-fructose affects the human body and is L fructose existing in trace amounts from current production process. I raise the hypothesis here of possible interconversion of D-Fructose partially to L-Fructose in some foods as in the soft drinks here due to the strong acidity, occasional heating and the mild pressure under which the beverages are stored.
In considering these many medical experts, they note very little difference between sucrose from cane sugar and the glucose and fructose in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In my prior note in this question, I noted diastereomers of fructose and glucose produced due to the different bioengineered process on corn starch to form HFCS could cause different properties of HFCS relative to cane sugar. Here I note that it is known that some bacteria have enzymes that can catalyze conversion of D-Fructose to some of its diastereomers. Here I give theory that the diastereomers in HFCS from such possibilities can cause altered metabolism in humans and animals to cause diseases. For instance, the enzyme D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE) can alter chirality of one or more carbon centers in D-fructose. I focus on such possibility in D-Fructose as the process of industrial producing HFCS intrinsically enriches C2 (carbon) in D-fructose. By my theory the 13C has positive nuclear magnetic moments (NMMs) and in general nonzero NMMs have by my theory greater proclivity for optical inversion and altered chirality. I show that here. In considering the HFCS production process some bacteria and fungi have D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE). For instance Bacillus species, streptomyces, arthrobacter have D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE), but bacteria Actinoplanes lack D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE). These four bacteria are involved in industrial production of HFCS. Also some fungi involved in HFCS industrial production have D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE): Phellinus. But fungi Lentinus, Flammulina, Aspergillus lack D-tagatose 3-epimerase (DTE). There is another known enzyme in some of these bacteria and fungi that can one or more chiral centers of D Fructose to produce some of the diastereomers: D-allulose 3-epimerase. D-allulose 3-epimerase is produced in Phellinus, Flammulina, and Aspergillus niger. But Lentinus does not produce D-allulose 3-epimerase. Of the bacteria many produce D-allulose 3-epimerase. Bacteria Actinoplanes species, Arthrobacter species, Streptomyces species and Bacillus species produce D-allulose 3-epimerase. Thereby I show here many of these bacteria and fungi involved with industrial production of HFCS have enzymes intrinsically that can alter chirality of at least one chiral center in D Fructose forming diastereomers that have different properties. Reginald B. Little (RBL) concludes here that the possible production of these diastereomers during HFCS leads to altered bioactivities of these diastereomers in the HFCS to cause altered effects of HFCS on humans relative to effects of cane sugars on humans. -Reginald B. Little
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