Ditching fructose 'reduces risk of obesity and diabetes'

August 12, 2017  23:04

Cutting out fructose can fight off diabetes, fatty liver disease and obesity in just over a week, researchers have found.

In a new study conducted by Professor Jean-Marc Schwarz and his colleagues at Touro University in California, it was discovered that ditching high fructose corn syrup, mostly found in soda and cakes, can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol and liver fat, as well as boosting metabolism.

It’s hoped that by removing the sweetener, which converts sugars into fat stored rather than digesting it, from diets will mean medications aren’t needed to tackle the issues.

To reach their findings the team gathered 40 obese nine to 18-year-old Americans and cut fructose out of their diet entirely. After as little as nine days, their insulin resistance, high cholesterol and blood pressure reduced.

While glucose metabolises 20 per cent in the liver with the other 80 per cent throughout the rest of the body, a staggering 90 per cent of fructose is metabolised in the liver, which can lead to the above health problems. The process of converting sugar to fat is known as DNL, de novo lipogenesis.

“Studies have shown diets high in simple sugars increase both DNL and liver fat,” Professor Schwarz explained. “Importantly, removal of sugar from diets of children with obesity for only nine days consistently reduced DNL and liver fat and improved glucose and lipid metabolism.”

Of the results, published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, he further noted, “Importantly, these same participants had a 56 per cent decrease in DNL during feeding. Overall, liver fat concentration decreased by 22 per cent during fructose restriction.

“After as few as eight days a high fructose intake can increase both DNL and liver fat concentration.”

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