Too much sugar makes the cellular powerhouses, called mitochondria, less efficient and reduces their energy production.
- Excess glucose upsets the lipid composition of the membrane and puts stress on the mitochondria, damaging them and affecting their performance.
- If the lipid balance is disrupted long enough, we may begin to experience subtle changes, such as faster fatigue.
- This process is reversible by reducing its sugar intake.
When you start consuming sugary foods, it is often difficult to stop. Recently, American researchers discovered a neurological pathway that explains why we always want more. But we must be careful because excess promotes the appearance of many diseases such as type 2 diabetes or cancer. In a new study, published on August 3 in the journal Cell ReportsAmerican researchers from the Van Andel Institute suggest that a surplus makes the cellular powerhouses, called mitochondria, less efficient and reduces their energy production.
Optimal loss of function
On average, an American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, more than three times the recommended amount for women and more than double the recommended amount for men. How this excess opens the way to metabolic diseases at the cellular level remains poorly understood. The new research highlights the cellular implications of excessive sugar consumption and provides a new model for understanding how it may contribute to the development of diabetes.
“The body needs sugar, or glucose, to survive, but as the saying goes ‘in moderation’says Ning Wu, author of the study. We found that too much glucose in cells, which is directly related to the amount of sugar consumed in the diet, affects lipid composition throughout the body, which in turn affects the integrity of mitochondria. . The overall effect is a loss of optimal function.”
A process that can be reversed
In detail, the researchers discovered that excess glucose reduces the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the mitochondrial membrane and makes the mitochondria less efficient. PUFAs are essential players in supporting mitochondrial function and mediating a multitude of other biological processes such as inflammation, blood pressure and cellular communication. Too much glucose is synthesized into a different form of fatty acid that is not as efficient or as flexible as PUFA. This upsets the lipid composition of the membrane and puts stress on the mitochondria, damaging them and affecting their performance.
The good news is that this process is not irreversible. The researchers successfully reversed this detrimental effect by feeding their mouse models a low-sugar ketogenic diet, suggesting that lowering glucose and restoring normal membrane lipid composition promotes healthy membrane integrity and function. healthy mitochondria.
Subtle changes
“Although we don’t always notice the difference in mitochondrial performance right away, our bodies do.concluded Ning Wu. If the lipid balance is disrupted long enough, we may begin to experience subtle changes, such as faster fatigue. Although our study does not offer medical recommendations, it sheds light on the early stages of metabolic disease and provides information that can shape future prevention and treatment efforts..”
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