Query: sugar

title: The Gut Brain Axis Mediates Sugar Preference
abstract: The taste of sugar is one of the most basic sensory percepts for humans and other animals. Animals can develop a strong preference for sugar even if they lack sweet taste receptors, indicating a mechanism independent of taste 1 3 Here we examined the neural basis for sugar preference and demonstrate that a population of neurons in the vagal ganglia and brainstem are activated via the gut brain axis to create preference for sugar. These neurons are stimulated in response to sugar but not artificial sweeteners, and are activated by direct delivery of sugar to the gut. Using functional imaging we monitored activity of the gut brain axis, and identified the vagal neurons activated by intestinal delivery of glucose. Next, we engineered mice in which synaptic activity in this gut to brain circuit was genetically silenced, and prevented the development of behavioural preference for sugar. Moreover, we show that co opting this circuit by chemogenetic activation can create preferences to otherwise less preferred stimuli. Together, these findings reveal a gut to brain post ingestive sugar sensing pathway critical for the development of sugar preference. In addition, they explain the neural basis for differences in the behavioural effects of sweeteners versus sugar, and uncover an essential circuit underlying the highly appetitive effects of sugar. Experiments in mice show that a population of neurons in the vagal ganglia respond to the presence of glucose in the gut and connect to neurons in the brainstem, revealing the circuit that underlies the neural basis for the behavioural preference for sugar.

title: Free and Added Sugar Consumption and Adherence to Guidelines: The UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2014/15 2015/16)
abstract: Monitoring dietary intake of sugars in the population's diet has great importance in evaluating the efficiency of national sugar reduction programmes. The study objective was to provide a comprehensive assessment of dietary sources of added and free sugars to assess adherence to public health recommendations in the UK population and to consider the impact of different sugar definitions on monitoring. The terms "added sugar" and "free sugar" are different sugar definitions which include different sugar components and may result in different sugar intakes depending on the definition. Dietary intake of added sugars, free sugars and seven individual sugar components (sugar from table sugar; other sugars; honey; fruit juice; fruit puree; dried fruit; and stewed fruit) of 2138 males and females (1.5 64 years) from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) 2014 2016, collected using a 4 day estimated food diary, were studied. Added and free sugar intake accounted for 7% to 13% of total energy intake respectively. Major sources of free sugar intake were "cereals and cereal products" "non alcoholic beverages" and "sugars, preserves, confectionery" Differences between added and free sugar intake were significantly large, and thus use of free sugar versus added sugar definitions need careful consideration for standardised monitoring of sugar intake in relation to public health.

title: High Dietary Sugar Reshapes Sweet Taste to Promote Feeding Behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Recent studies find that sugar tastes less intense to humans with obesity, but whether this sensory change is a cause or a consequence of obesity is unclear. To tackle this question, we study the effects of a high sugar diet on sweet taste sensation and feeding behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. On this diet, fruit flies have lower taste responses to sweet stimuli, overconsume food, and develop obesity. Excess dietary sugar, but not obesity or dietary sweetness alone, caused taste deficits and overeating via the cell autonomous action of the sugar sensor O linked N Acetylglucosamine (O GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) in the sweet sensing neurons. Correcting taste deficits by manipulating the excitability of the sweet gustatory neurons or the levels of OGT protected animals from diet induced obesity. Our work demonstrates that the reshaping of sweet taste sensation by excess dietary sugar drives obesity and highlights the role of glucose metabolism in neural activity and behavior.

title: The impact of sugar consumption on stress driven, emotional and addictive behaviors
abstract: In 2016 the World Health Organization reported 39% of the world's adult population (over 18 y) was overweight, with western countries such as Australia and the United States of America at 64.5% and 67.9% respectively. Overconsumption of high fat/sugar containing food and beverages contribute to the development of obesity. Neural plasticity that occurs as a result of long term sugar consumption has been shown to reduce impulse control and therefore lower the ability to resist the high fat/sugar foods contributing to the obesity epidemic. There is significant overlap between the neural pathways involved in emotions that guide behavioural responses to survival situations with those regulating overconsumption of highly palatable food. This suggests that having a clearer understanding of the role of stress and emotions in the development of obesity will lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Sucrose consumption activates the mesocorticolimbic system in a manner synonymous with substances of abuse. There is overwhelming evidence to support the hypothesis that sucrose consumption results in pathophysiological consequences such as morphological neuronal changes, altered emotional processing and modified behaviour in rodent and human models. In this comprehensive review, we examined >300 studies investigating the interaction between sugar consumption, stress and emotions. Preclinical and clinical trials investigating highly palatable foods and stress, anxiety, depression and fear are reviewed. Importantly, the synergy between sugar consumption and neurobiology is addressed. This review summarizes the neurochemical changes and neural adaptations including changes in the dopaminergic system that influence emotion and behaviour following sugar consumption.

title: Sucrose metabolism: gateway to diverse carbon use and sugar signaling.
abstract: Sucrose metabolism plays pivotal roles in development, stress response, and yield formation, mainly by generating a range of sugars as metabolites to fuel growth and synthesize essential compounds (including protein, cellulose, and starch) and as signals to regulate expression of microRNAs, transcription factors, and other genes and for crosstalk with hormonal, oxidative, and defense signaling. This review aims to capture the most exciting developments in this area by evaluating (a) the roles of key sucrose metabolic enzymes in development, abiotic stress responses, and plant microbe interactions; (b) the coupling between sucrose metabolism and sugar signaling from extra to intracellular spaces; (c) the different mechanisms by which sucrose metabolic enzymes could perform their signaling roles; and (d) progress on engineering sugar metabolism and transport for high yield and disease resistance. Finally, the review outlines future directions for research on sugar metabolism and signaling to better understand and improve plant performance.

title: Sugar Sweetened Beverage Health Warnings and Purchases: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: Five U.S. states have proposed policies to require health warnings on sugar sweetened beverages, but warnings' effects on actual purchase behavior remain uncertain. This study evaluated the impact of sugar sweetened beverage health warnings on sugar sweetened beverage purchases.  Participants completed one study visit to a life sized replica of a convenience store in North Carolina. Participants chose six items (two beverages, two foods, and two household products) One item was randomly selected for them to purchase and take home. Participants also completed a questionnaire. Researchers collected data in 2018 and conducted analyses in 2019.  Participants were a demographically diverse convenience sample of 400 adult sugar sweetened beverage consumers (usual consumption =12 ounces/week) INTERVENTION Research staff randomly assigned participants to a health warning arm (sugar sweetened beverages in the store displayed a front of package health warning) or a control arm (sugar sweetened beverages displayed a control label) MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary trial outcome was sugar sweetened beverage calories purchased. Secondary outcomes included reactions to trial labels (e.g. negative emotions) and sugar sweetened beverage perceptions and attitudes (e.g. healthfulness) RESULTS All 400 participants completed the trial and were included in analyses. Health warning arm participants were less likely to be Hispanic and to have overweight/obesity than control arm participants. In intent to treat analyses adjusting for Hispanic ethnicity and overweight/obesity, health warnings led to lower sugar sweetened beverage purchases (adjusted difference, 31.4 calories; 95% CI= 57.9, 5.0) Unadjusted analyses yielded similar results (difference, 32.9 calories; 95% CI= 58.9, 7.0) Compared with the control label, sugar sweetened beverage health warnings also led to higher intentions to limit sugar sweetened beverage consumption and elicited more attention, negative emotions, thinking about the harms of sugar sweetened beverage consumption, and anticipated social interactions. Trial arms did not differ on perceptions of sugar sweetened beverages' added sugar content, healthfulness, appeal/coolness, or disease risk.  Brief exposure to health warnings reduced sugar sweetened beverage purchases in this naturalistic RCT. Sugar sweetened beverage health warning policies could discourage sugar sweetened beverage consumption.

title: Association between added sugar intake and mortality is nonlinear and dependent on sugar source in 2 Swedish population based prospective cohorts.
abstract: Although sugar consumption has been associated with several risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, evidence for harmful long term effects is lacking. In addition, most studies have focused on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) not sugar per se.  The aim of this study was to examine the associations between added and free sugar intake, intake of different sugar sources, and mortality risk.  Two prospective population based cohorts were examined: the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS; n 24,272) which collected dietary data by combining a food diary, interview, and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and the Northern Swedish Health and Disease Study (NSHDS; n 24,475) which assessed diet with an FFQ. Sugar intakes defined as both added and free sugar and different sugar sources were examined. The associations with mortality were examined using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.  Higher sugar consumption was associated with a less favorable lifestyle in general. The lowest mortality risk was found with added sugar intakes between 7.5% and 10% of energy (E% intake in both cohorts. Intakes >20E% were associated with a 30% increased mortality risk, but increased risks were also found at intakes <5E% [23% in the MDCS and 9% (nonsignificant) in the NSHDS] Similar U shaped associations were found for both cardiovascular and cancer mortality in the MDCS. By separately analyzing the different sugar sources, the intake of SSBs was positively associated with mortality, whereas the intake of treats was inversely associated.  Our findings indicate that a high sugar intake is associated with an increased mortality risk. However, the risk is also increased among low sugar consumers, although they have a more favorable lifestyle in general. In addition, the associations are dependent on the type of sugar source.

title: Human milk oligosaccharides: every baby needs a sugar mama.
abstract: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are a family of structurally diverse unconjugated glycans that are highly abundant in and unique to human milk. Originally, HMOs were discovered as a prebiotic "bifidus factor" that serves as a metabolic substrate for desired bacteria and shapes an intestinal microbiota composition with health benefits for the breast fed neonate. Today, HMOs are known to be more than just "food for bugs" An accumulating body of evidence suggests that HMOs are antiadhesive antimicrobials that serve as soluble decoy receptors, prevent pathogen attachment to infant mucosal surfaces and lower the risk for viral, bacterial and protozoan parasite infections. In addition, HMOs may modulate epithelial and immune cell responses, reduce excessive mucosal leukocyte infiltration and activation, lower the risk for necrotizing enterocolitis and provide the infant with sialic acid as a potentially essential nutrient for brain development and cognition. Most data, however, stem from in vitro, ex vivo or animal studies and occasionally from association studies in mother infant cohorts. Powered, randomized and controlled intervention studies will be needed to confirm relevance for human neonates. The first part of this review introduces the pioneers in HMO research, outlines HMO structural diversity and describes what is known about HMO biosynthesis in the mother's mammary gland and their metabolism in the breast fed infant. The second part highlights the postulated beneficial effects of HMO for the breast fed neonate, compares HMOs with oligosaccharides in the milk of other mammals and in infant formula and summarizes the current roadblocks and future opportunities for HMO research.

title: Sugar flux and signaling in plant microbe interactions.
abstract: Plant breeders have developed crop plants that are resistant to pests, but the continual evolution of pathogens creates the need to iteratively develop new control strategies. Molecular tools have allowed us to gain deep insights into disease responses, allowing for more efficient, rational engineering of crops that are more robust or resistant to a greater number of pathogen variants. Here we describe the roles of SWEET and STP transporters, membrane proteins that mediate transport of sugars across the plasma membrane. We discuss how these transporters may enhance or restrict disease through controlling the level of nutrients provided to pathogens and whether the transporters play a role in sugar signaling for disease resistance. This review indicates open questions that require further research and proposes the use of genome editing technologies for engineering disease resistance.

title: The Sugar Signaling Hub: Overview of Regulators and Interaction with the Hormonal and Metabolic Network
abstract: Plant growth and development has to be continuously adjusted to the available resources. Their optimization requires the integration of signals conveying the plant metabolic status, its hormonal balance, and its developmental stage. Many investigations have recently been conducted to provide insights into sugar signaling and its interplay with hormones and nitrogen in the fine tuning of plant growth, development, and survival. The present review emphasizes the diversity of sugar signaling integrators, the main molecular and biochemical mechanisms related to the sugar signaling dependent regulations, and to the regulatory hubs acting in the interplay of the sugar hormone and sugar nitrogen networks. It also contributes to compiling evidence likely to fill a few knowledge gaps, and raises new questions for the future.