Researchers have identified fructose as a central factor in obesity, linking its function as a “survival switch” to weight gain and metabolic problems. This study shows that fructose can increase food intake, damage mitochondria, and cause diseases such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.
Recent research is taking a closer look at the exact role fructose plays in the development of obesity by looking at nature.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have officially identified fructose as a central pathway to obesity.
It is well known that fructose contributes to obesity, but recently a study philosophical trading A large body of research has been compiled to provide a thorough discussion of how fructose causes obesity and diseases such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.
“This is a thorough examination of the hypothesis that nature is central to weight gain, and how fructose interacts with other nutrients by lowering active energy,” said Richard Johnson, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. “We are investigating whether they have different functions.” And research the lead author. “We uncovered fructose’s recently discovered function in survival, storing fuel in case resources become scarce. This is known as the ‘survival switch,'” he says.
Fructose is the source of sweetness in fruit, but in Western societies it is consumed primarily as table sugar or high fructose corn syrup, a far cry from the nutrition our ancestors received prior to lean winters. Johnson and his colleagues argued that fructose works differently than other nutrients by lowering energy and damaging mitochondria.
Research results show that fructose stimulates food intake and reduces resting energy metabolism, just as animals prepare for hibernation. Furthermore, results have shown that administration of fructose can lead to weight gain. insulin Metabolic-related problems include resistance, increased blood pressure, and fatty liver.
“This study brings together in one place the complete discussion of how a particular carbohydrate, fructose, plays a central role in causing obesity and diabetes,” says Johnson. . “This is a very exciting new hypothesis that integrates other hypotheses and points to a specific role that fructose plays in the development of obesity. We can not only learn from hibernating animals, but also trace back to our ancestors, exactly what causes hibernation. ”
References: “The Fructose Survival Hypothesis for Obesity” by Richard J. Johnson, Miguel A. Lanaspa, L. Gabriela Sanchez-Lozada, Dean Tolan, Takahiko Nakagawa, Takuji Ishimoto, Ana Andres-Hernando, Bernardo Rodriguez-Iturbe, Peter Stenvinkel, July 24, 2023 Proceedings of the Royal Society Philosophy B Biological Sciences.
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0230
