Author: Victoria Aly
Time for reading: ~2
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Regular consumption of fructose and trans fats causes not only obesity but also serious liver disease ...
American scientists have found that regular consumption of products high in fructose and trans fats causes not only obesity but also serious liver disease.
Undoubtedly, large amounts of refined sugar are harmful to health and for this reason are often replaced by fructose or synthetic sweeteners. Many experts, however, warn that fructose is not only unsafe, but can even be significantly more harmful.
Consumption of foods and beverages sweetened with fructose and sweeteners, rather than glucose, ingest carbohydrates in excess of the recommended daily allowance.
A number of studies have shown that fructose lowers insulin sensitivity in the body and affects fat metabolism. All these changes increase the cardiovascular risk.
It has been found that when consuming fructose, fats are deposited mainly around the internal organs and less in the subcutaneous layers - the so-called. visceral obesity. The reason for this type of obesity is the change in the lipid profile and the body's resistance to insulin.
According to experts, the intake of large amounts of fructose in combination with high-calorie and high-fat foods can lead to leptin resistance.
Leptin is a hormone that plays a key role in maintaining the balance between food intake and energy needs of the body.
Studies have shown that the loss of its function can lead to the accumulation of extra pounds with excessive intake of fats and carbohydrates.
Fructose is normally found in fruits. According to experts, fructose in plants can not cause leptin resistance in healthy people, regardless of the amount of fruit we eat.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Rohit Collie and colleagues at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital conducted an experimental study on rodents. Laboratory mice were divided into two groups and fed two types of food - with and without fructose.
After six months of follow-up, the team found no differences in body weight or amount of fat, nor in leptin, blood sugar or cholesterol levels. There was only one difference - the high content of fructose increases the level of triglycerides.
This leads doctors to believe that leptin resistance develops slowly, unnoticed, and for this reason is often overlooked. Hormone resistance has been linked to obesity, and the lack of overweight has surprised scientists.
Dr. Collie hopes the findings will help develop appropriate therapies for treatments for liver disease caused by excessive fructose consumption.
Detailed results of the study are published in the scientific journal Hepatology.