HAMILTON, Ontario - Fructose doesn??t deserve its bad rap, CBS News reports. A new review of scientific literature in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that weight gain is attributable to too many calories, not fructose only.

"Is fructose really the source of all metabolic evil?" asked researcher John Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, of McMaster University. "From our standpoint, it does not look like it is."

However, the authors said that their conclusions are inconclusive given the studies reviewed. "Overall, the evidence from our analysis is too preliminary to guide food choices in the context of real-world intake patterns," the authors wrote.

But the studies examined do seem to point to other factors besides fructose consumption in obesity. Fructose has come under attack recently because of its inclusion in soft drinks and other foods as high fructose corn syrup. "We feel the controversy has directed the issue away from over-consumption. Our data suggests that fructose plays the same role as any energy-dense substance," said Sievenpiper.

Sievenpiper recommended long-term and larger trials to better study fructose itself. "The studies need to be done in real-world formats," he said.

The authors received funding from the Coca-Cola Company and the Calorie Control Council. Sievenpiper said that those groups had not access to the data or any other influence on the results of the review.