Fructose may be key to obesity

[New Sancai Compilation First] Researchers at the University of Colorado in the United States believe that fructose is a common sweetener that is found in sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup and is used in a variety of processed foods. This is probably the leading reason why Americans gain weight.

Fructose is a natural simple sugar commonly found in fruits and honey. Ketchup, molasses, baked goods, candy, soft drinks and juices all contain sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup. Scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine speculate that fructose reduces and blocks the body's production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that provides energy to cells. This causes a decrease in metabolism, so fewer calories from food are burned.

According to the New York Post, this change will lead to weight gain. The study, published in the journal Obesity, points out that fructose converts ATP in cells to lower consumption levels and inhibits mitochondria to provide energy for cells.

"Fructose is what triggers our metabolism into an inefficient state," said Dr. Richard Johnson, a leading expert in obesity and diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine and lead author of the study, in a press release Zhong explained. Johnson said his study clarifies the link between two obesity hypotheses. First, too much food (mainly fat) can lead to obesity. Second, carbohydrates are the insulin theory, which puts carbohydrates at the forefront of weight gain.

"Essentially, these theories place a series of metabolic and dietary drivers at the heart of the obesity epidemic, yet each of their pieces is actually the final piece of the puzzle that is unified by fructose," he said. While fructose slows metabolism and causes appetite control, fatty foods become the primary source of calories leading to weight gain.

Johnson likened the process to a bear preparing for hibernation. Bears eat fruit in preparation for the long winter ahead so they can store fat. Fructose in fruits is a carbohydrate that reduces energy expenditure so they can store extra calories.

"This theory views obesity as a form of low energy expenditure," he said. "Identification of fructose as a mediator of displacing active energy toward fat storage suggests that fructose is a driver of energy imbalance and unifies these theories.

Johnson said his study provides a complete argument for the central role played by a specific carbohydrate, fructose, in promoting obesity and diabetes. "We can go back to our ancestors and learn from hibernating animals about how fructose causes this 'transformation' in our bodies," he said.

(Compiled by: Li Mengzhen)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)