Managing Metabolic Health Impact of Fructose-Containing Beverages

Abstract

Fructose has been a part of human diet for centuries, but in the last 50 years the consumption of fructose-sweetened soft drinks has risen significantly and it was associated with prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Fructose overconsumption leads to enhanced de novo lipogenesis and triglyceride synthesis in the liver, resulting ultimately in the ectopic lipid deposition and hepatosteatosis. However, apart from liver, dietary fructose may also contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome through deregulation of metabolic pathways in the hypothalamus-adipose tissue axis. In this chapter we summarize the findings on the rat animal model fed with different concentrations of fructose (10% and 60% solutions). The results showed that lower concentration of liquid fructose aggravates hepatic lipid metabolism, while higher fructose load leads to dyslipidemia, visceral adiposity, and leptin resistance, which could be a critical component of the obesity-promoting vicious cycle that results in extreme forms of untreatable obesity.