Nutrition & DietFructose Is Rewiring Your Metabolism Far Beyond Empty Calories
A major review published in Nature Metabolism finds that fructose — found in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup — does far more than add calories. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz show that fructose bypasses normal energy regulation, actively triggering fat production and reducing cellular energy levels. Unlike glucose, fructose behaves as a metabolic signal that promotes fat storage and drives conditions like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Surprisingly, the body can also produce fructose internally from glucose, widening its potential impact. While fructose may have once helped humans survive food scarcity, in today's calorie-abundant environment, those same biological mechanisms appear to be fueling the global obesity and diabetes epidemic.
