Even when supplied in similar quantities, fructose out-matches glucose in its ability to pack on the pounds, encourage inactivity, and deposit fat in all the wrong places. Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois studied two groups of mice. One group was fed a diet where 18% of calories came from fructose, mimicking the intake of sugar of adolescents in the United States. The second group was fed 18% glucose diets. Calories were similar to usual intakes. Results showed that the fructose-fed rodents showed significantly greater weight gain, liver mass, and fat mass in comparison to the glucose-fed mice. The fructose-fed mice also were less active. The researchers conclude that, “Given the dramatic increase in obesity among young people and the severe negative effects that this can have on health throughout one’s life, it is important to consider what foods are providing our calories.”
Rendeiro C, Masnik A, Mun J, et al: Fructose deceases physical activity and increases body fat without affecting hippocampal neurogenesis and learning relative to an isocaloric glucose diet. Scientific Reports 2015;5:9589.