Seen the recent corn syrup commercials?

In the last few weeks I have seen several high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) commercials plaguing cable, boasting that "corn syrup is the same as cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference."

A study from Princeton in February of 2010 revealed that "Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar (sucrose), even when their overall caloric intake was the same."  Specifically, animals with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained 48% more weight than those eating a normal diet.  This means that the rats aren't fat, they are obese.  For humans, this means our body's could experience high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer, and diabetes.

[Enter science lesson here]  HFCS and sucrose have two clear differences:

1. Sucrose is 50% fructose and 50% glucose.  However, HFCS is imbalanced containing 55% fructose, 42% glucose, 3% saccharides (larger sugar molecules).
2. Because HFCS is manufactured, the fructose molecules are free and unbound.  Fructose and sucrose, that come in cane or beet sugar, are bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and go through an EXTRA metabolic step before it's utilized.  AKA your body burns more calories digesting this. 

In both the commercials an on their websites, they state that corn syrup is handled by the body the same as sugar.  What they fail to mention is that in a study published in Environmental Health, almost half of tested samples of commerical high fructose corn syrup contained mercury.  Mercury is toxic.

I'm wondering how much the corn syrup lobbyists need to pad the USDA's pockets to continue to show these commercials with false information.  I'm also wondering why the USDA isn't doing anything about revelation of mercury in our foods.