How fructose turns us into fat, hibernating bears: study

Sugar, oh, honey, honey!

A study published last week in the journal Philosophical Transactions found that fructose intake fuels obesity and conditions such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.

The World Health Organization defines being overweight as having a body mass index over 25, while obesity is a BMI over 30 — which more people across the globe are reaching.

The international team of researchers determined that fructose activates a “survival switch” to store fuel in anticipation of scarce resources — a move often seen in hibernating animals.

Fructose is a ketonic simple sugar that naturally sweetens plants and fruits. Americans typically consume fructose via table sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to have detrimental health consequences.

The link between fructose and obesity and metabolic-related health conditions has been extensively studied, but these new findings are said to present a fuller picture of the connection.

“This is an in-depth review on a hypothesis that puts nature at the center of weight gain, examining how fructose works differently than other nutrients by lowering active energy,” said lead study author Dr. Richard Johnson, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

“This work puts together in one place the full argument for how a particular carbohydrate, fructose, might have a central role in driving obesity and diabetes.”

Researchers from the University of Colorado, the National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez, Boston University, the Karolinska Institute, Aichi Medical University and the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition aggregated a large amount of previously conducted work to pinpoint the precise function fructose plays in the development of obesity.

Results show fructose prompts an increased food intake and lowers one’s resting energy metabolism — just like an animal getting ready to go into hibernation.

Researchers also found that fructose can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure, fatty liver and a host of other metabolic-related issues.

The study notes that fructose intake may increase risk of cancer, pregnancy-related disease and neurological disorders.

“We can trace it back to our ancestors, as well as learn from hibernating animals, exactly how fructose causes this ‘switch’ within us,” Johnson said.

Understanding the causes of obesity is growing increasingly important, as worrying reports continue to warn of dangerous trends, including that half of the world is on track to be overweight or obese by 2035 and that diabetes cases are set to double to 1.3 billion adults by 2050.