Most systematic review s and meta-analyses from controlled feeding trials have shown that fructose-containing sugars in isocaloric exchange for other carbohydrates do not show evidence of harm and , in the case of fructose , may even have advantages for glycaemic control , especially at small doses .
Nevertheless , trials in which fructose-containing sugars supplement diets with excess energy have shown adverse effects , effects that appear more attributable to the excess energy than the sugar .
There is no unequivocal evidence that fructose intake at moderate doses is directly related with adverse metabolic effects , although there is potentially cause for concern where fructose is provided at high doses or contributes excess energy to diets .
Concerns are growing regarding the role of dietary sugars in the development of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases , including diabetes .
High-fructose corn syrup ( HFCS ) and sucrose are the most important dietary sweeteners .
Both HFCS and sucrose have overlapping metabolic actions with adverse effects attributed to their fructose moiety .
Ecological studies have linked the rise in fructose availability with the increases in obesity and diabetes worldwide .
This link has been largely underpinned by animal models and select human trials of fructose overfeeding at high levels of exposure .
Sucrose-sweetened beverages increase fat storage in the liver, muscle, and visceral fat depot: a 6-mo randomized intervention study.
BACKGROUND The consumption of sucrose-sweetened soft drinks ( SSSDs ) has been associated with obesity , the metabolic syndrome , and cardiovascular disorders in observational and short-term intervention studies . Too few long-term intervention studies in humans have examined the effects of soft drinks . OBJECTIVE We compared the effects of SSSDs with those of isocaloric milk and a noncaloric soft drink on changes in total fat mass and ectopic fat deposition ( in liver and muscle tissue ) . DESIGN Overweight subjects ( n = 47 ) were r and omly assigned to 4 different test drinks ( 1 L/d for 6 mo ) : SSSD ( regular cola ) , isocaloric semiskim milk , aspartame-sweetened diet cola , and water . The amount of intrahepatic fat and intramyocellular fat was measured with (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy . Other endpoints were fat mass , fat distribution ( dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging ) , and metabolic risk factors . RESULTS The relative changes between baseline and the end of 6-mo intervention were significantly higher in the regular cola group than in the 3 other groups for liver fat ( 132 - 143 % , sex-adjusted mean ; P < 0.01 ) , skeletal muscle fat ( 117 - 221 % ; P < 0.05 ) , visceral fat ( 24 - 31 % ; P < 0.05 ) , blood triglycerides ( 32 % ; P < 0.01 ) , and total cholesterol ( 11 % ; P < 0.01 ) . Total fat mass was not significantly different between the 4 beverage groups . Milk and diet cola reduced systolic blood pressure by 10 - 15 % compared with regular cola ( P < 0.05 ) . Otherwise , diet cola had effects similar to those of water . CONCLUSION Daily intake of SSSDs for 6 mo increases ectopic fat accumulation and lipids compared with milk , diet cola , and water . Thus , daily intake of SSSDs is likely to enhance the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases . This trial is registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00777647
Most systematic review s and meta-analyses from controlled feeding trials have shown that fructose-containing sugars in isocaloric exchange for other carbohydrates do not show evidence of harm and , in the case of fructose , may even have advantages for glycaemic control , especially at small doses .
Nevertheless , trials in which fructose-containing sugars supplement diets with excess energy have shown adverse effects , effects that appear more attributable to the excess energy than the sugar .
There is no unequivocal evidence that fructose intake at moderate doses is directly related with adverse metabolic effects , although there is potentially cause for concern where fructose is provided at high doses or contributes excess energy to diets .
Concerns are growing regarding the role of dietary sugars in the development of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases , including diabetes .
High-fructose corn syrup ( HFCS ) and sucrose are the most important dietary sweeteners .
Both HFCS and sucrose have overlapping metabolic actions with adverse effects attributed to their fructose moiety .
Ecological studies have linked the rise in fructose availability with the increases in obesity and diabetes worldwide .
This link has been largely underpinned by animal models and select human trials of fructose overfeeding at high levels of exposure .