This “simple carbohydrate” would decrease active energy in the body, which would trigger the desire to consume fatty foods and in larger quantities.
- Fructose is a “simple carbohydrate” found in fruits and vegetables, but it is also present, in the form of syrup, in ultra-processed products.
- Its excessive consumption reduces the levels of available energy in the body, which increases the feeling of hunger and the consumption of fatty foods.
- This sugar also prevents you from burning calories or getting into fat.
Weight gain, type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease… We know: excessive consumption of sugar has many harmful effects on health. Among carbohydrates, we distinguish starches or “complex carbohydrates”, which are essential for their energy contribution, and sugars or “simple carbohydrates”, which often have a sweet flavor. The main sugars found in foods consumed daily are glucose, fructose, sucrose and lactose.
In a recent study, scientists from the University of Colorado (United States) revealed that fructose was the major cause of obesity. As a reminder, this sugar is “very widespread in nature, in fruits in particular and in many vegetables. It is present in the inulin of roots or tubers of certain plants (artichoke, onion, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke)”noted the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES). However, this “simple carbohydrate” is also very present, in the form of syrup, in ultra-processed industrial products, such as sodas.
Obesity: fructose increases the feeling of hunger and prevents burning calories
To carry out their work, published in the journal Obesity, American researchers examined the different potential factors of obesity. Through their analysis, they discovered a mechanism they called the “fructose survival hypothesis.” According to the team, when this sugar is consumed in large quantities, it reduces the levels of a molecule in the blood called “adenosine triphosphate (ATP)”, which causes a reduction in the energy available to cells. .
“Low intracellular ATP levels lead to carbohydrate-dependent hunger, impaired satiety (leptin resistance), and metabolic effects that lead to increased fat consumption,” the authors clarified. They also said fructose would prevent burning calories or tapping into fat, leading the body to think it needs to store in anticipation of a future period of food shortage.
Obesity considered “as a state of low energy”
“This theory views obesity as a state of low energy. The identification of fructose as a channel that redirects active energy replacement toward fat storage shows that fructose is the driver of energy imbalance,” said Richard Johnson, author of the research, in a statement. Although further studies need to be conducted to confirm this hypothesis, this is a promising first step toward identifying more targeted preventative measures for obesity and the management of related metabolic imbalances.
