Does HFCS cause obesity?

Interpreting Scientific Research Paper Assignment - Biology 101 – Fall 2013

This writing assignment is designed to provide opportunities for the student to find, evaluate, select, synthesize, organize, cite, and present information and arguments clearly and effectively for understanding scientific issues on personal, societal, and global levels.

Your Aunt contacts you – upset and concerned – and asks for your opinion. She knows that you are a CSUF student, and therefore highly scientifically literate, and hopes that you can help. She has been reading online that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is very unhealthy – worse for your health than regular sugar. One website she read included the graph below, explaining that this data show that HFCS causes obesity. She wants to know – is this true? Should she be avoiding high fructose corn syrup when purchasing foods for her family? Your Aunt is smart but has not taken a biology course in many years. Your response to her needs to be concise and clear, but understandable by a non-scientist.

Adapted from: Bray GA, Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 79: 537-543.

In a letter addressed to your aunt, include the following (1-2 paragraphs for each point):

 What is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)? Include in you explanation: how HFCS is made, and how it is different chemically from “regular” table sugar.

 What does this graph mean? (in order to explain, you need to understand the saying “correlation does not equal causation”)

 Has HFCS been proven to be less healthy than table sugar? Briefly explain the research that has been done, and explain whether the scientific community has come to a conclusion on HFCS.

 Do you think your Aunt should avoid purchasing products made with HFCS? Explain your reasoning, supporting it with the research you did for the points above.

*NOTE: Your entire paper, even parts that ask for your opinion, must be well supported by evidence. Having a good

number of quality references will help in this regard.

Assigned reading (must use in your paper):

Sweet Confusion: Does High Fructose Corn Syrup Deserve Such a Bad Rap? By Laura Beil

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/350460/description/Sweet_Confusion

Total number of references (at least 3):

You must use and reference the above article and at least two additional sources for this paper, making the minimum number of references for your paper 3. You may review relevant chapters in your textbook and use other sources to fill in missing information.

You are required to evaluate ALL sources used for their scientific merit. This topic is controversial, and not all views expressed on it have scientific value. Be very careful when you select your sources.

It is important that your response to your aunt be thoroughly researched and clearly written. You should define all your terms and be concise (1,250 words maximum). This assignment is designed to give you the experience of applying your knowledge of biology to a current controversy or topic of interest. You will use the same sort of method that you will later use as an informed citizen and consumer when making decisions that involve biology.

Other resources

Primary Sources: You will find information in the “primary literature,” which is where the research was originally published. You can find these articles by using CSUF’s on-line search engines, or by asking for the help of a CSUF librarian. Examples of the primary literature include Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy, and Genetics.

Secondary Sources: You may also find relevant articles in recent newspapers, popular magazines, or popular science journals. These are referred to as “secondary” sources, since they describe research that was published elsewhere. Examples of these include The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Time, Scientific American, Discover, New Scientist, and Science News.

Websites: If you choose to use a website, be aware that most websites are not peer-reviewed, and often present inaccurate information. Examples of excellent websites include those of the National Academy of Science, the National Institute of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and WebMD. If you are unsure of the appropriateness of a website, check with your instructor. Alternatively, the CSUF library has an excellent guide to evaluating websites at http://library.fullerton.edu/ under Guides for Undergraduates.

The structure of your paper

 Be sure to cover all four points mentioned above and define all technical terms that you use.

 Your paper must be between 800 and 1250 words (including references). Your paper should be double-spaced with one-inch margins, using 12 point Times New Roman font. No cover page is required.

 You are not allowed to include any quotes in your paper. All of your writing must be original. You must paraphrase ideas from the literature, even if you provide an in-text citation.

 Information and ideas that are paraphrased must be accompanied by proper in-text citations in the body of your paper and a corresponding reference in APA format.

 You need to review your paper for format, spelling, grammar and usage errors before you submit it, or you will lose points.

 Please also review the grading rubric before submitting your paper to make sure that you have done everything you can to receive a good grade.

Guidelines for citing references

In-Text Citations

In-text citations should be in APA format. You can find a summary of APA guidelines for your reference page at: http://www.lscc.edu/library/Documents/apacite.pdf

Remember, an in text citation should be used each time you use a fact or piece of information from a source. If you use multiple facts from the same source in the same paragraph, each must be cited individually. Except for the opinion section, each paragraph of your paper will include multiple citations.

Reference Page

Your bibliography should be formatted using APA (American Psychological Association) guidelines. You can find a summary of APA guidelines for your reference page at:

http://www.lscc.edu/library/Documents/apacite.pdf

Submitting your response

Late papers will not be accepted. You must submit an electronic copy of your paper to Turnitin.com before the deadline indicated on the course schedule.

Your paper must be submitted to Turnitin.com, which is a plagiarism detection program, in order for your paper to be graded. All submissions will be evaluated, but if you submit a paper with a similarity index greater than 10% you will probably be reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs and receive a zero for the assignment. Refer to the attached instructions on how to submit your paper to Turnitin.com.