Results of a new study published in the journal Diabetes Care suggests consuming high levels of fructose can affect hepatic insulin sensitivity, and moderate consumption of fructose and sucrose can significantly alter lipid profiles in healthy men.
Researchers at the University Hospital Zurich assessed the effect of moderate amounts of fructose and sucrose compared with glucose on glucose and lipid metabolism. Nine healthy, normal-weight male volunteers aged 21 to 25 years were studied in the double-blind, randomized, cross-over trial. All subjects consumed four different beverages (600 mL/day) sweetened with medium or high fructose, high glucose, or high sucrose for three weeks each.
Hepatic suppression of glucose production during the clamp was significantly lower after high fructose (59.4 ± 11.0%) than high glucose (70.3 ± 10.5%, P < 0.05), whereas fasting glucose, insulin, and C-peptide did not differ between the interventions. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol were significantly higher after medium fructose, high fructose and high sucrose, compared with high glucose. Free fatty acids were significantly higher after medium fructose, but not after high fructose or high sucrose, compared with high glucose.
The researchers concluded the study clearly shows that moderate amounts of fructose and sucrose significantly alter hepatic insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism compared with similar amounts of glucose.
