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- A new study suggests that a diet high in fructose sugar can cause inflammation in the immune system.
- This process produces more reactive molecules, which are also associated with inflammation.
- Inflammation can damage cells and tissues and lead to disease.
A new study suggests that a diet high in fructose sugar may prevent the immune system from functioning properly.
Fructose is a natural sugar found in fruits, honey, and some vegetables, such as asparagus and squash. These types of fructose sugars can contribute to a healthy diet, because fruits and vegetables generally contain less sugar than processed and sugary foods.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), on the other hand, is a sweetener made from cornstarch. In the latter part of the last century, many manufacturers of processed foods and soft drinks, especially in the United States, quickly began to choose SHTF for sweetening their products due to its low cost.
Health experts disagree on whether HFCS is more harmful than other sugars.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has seen no evidence that foods containing SHTF are less safe than foods containing other sweeteners. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans also do not differentiate SHTF, recommending people limit their intake of all added sugars.
Even so, research has consistently shown links between consuming large amounts of SHTF and various conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and non-alcohol related fatty liver disease.
One problem with SHTF is that it’s found in many processed foods, including some that people might not expect, like frozen pizza and salad dressing.
A 2019 study found that growing human dendritic cells – which play a role in the immune system – in fructose resulted in increased inflammation. However, the researchers did not study the metabolic mechanism behind this event.
For the new study, which appears in the journal Nature communications, researchers at Swansea University School of Medicine, the University of Bristol and the Francis Crick Institute in London, all located in the UK, examined the response of human and mouse cells to exposure with fructose.
Their work indicates that a diet high in fructose can impair the functioning of the immune system.
Researchers have found that fructose causes inflammation of the immune system. This process, in turn, produces more reactive molecules, which are associated with inflammation.
Specifically, this sugar adjusts cellular metabolic pathways to promote the production of more reactive inflammatory cytokines.
As the authors note in their article, “fructose reprograms cellular metabolic pathways to promote glutaminolysis and oxidative metabolism, which are necessary to support increased production of inflammatory cytokines.”
This type of inflammation can damage cells and tissues, contribute to the dysfunction of organs and systems, and lead to disease.
“Our study is exciting because it takes us one step further in understanding why certain diets can lead to poor health,” says Dr Emma Vincent, study author and Bristol Medical School researcher.
Research also sheds light on the link between fructose and obesity, as inflammation is often associated with this disease.
What’s more, the researchers found that fructose leaves cells vulnerable to an “additional metabolic challenge.” This finding suggests that people with diets high in fructose may be at greater risk for poor outcomes when fighting infections or facing other “metabolically challenging environments.”
In the study, the researchers stressed that understanding the effects of fructose on cell function is particularly important, as humans have increased their consumption of HFCS around the world.
The researchers hope their findings will lead to further studies that could help scientists develop treatments for a range of conditions, including cancer and infectious diseases.
“Researching the different components of our diet can help us understand what could contribute to inflammation and disease and what could be best harnessed to improve health and well-being,” says Dr Nick Jones , one of the study authors and immunologist at the university’s Swansea School of Medicine.
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