Private MD News

Diabetics who consume too much fructose may have lower energy

Category: Liver Diseases

Exploratory research says that levels of liver adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in diabetics can be significantly lessened if they eat too many foods containing high quantities of fructose. ATP is needed for cells to exchange energy with one another.

The Mayo Clinic states that diabetic individuals have a greater likelihood of finding out that they have certain liver diseases after undergoing liver panel testing. Foods with high fructose content include bread, cereal and soda, according to the article in the journal Hepatology.

For this study, almost 250 obese and diabetic test subjects answered questions regarding their daily fructose intake before having their ATP levels tested. The results indicated that participants with higher fructose levels had correspondingly lower amounts of ATP.

"High fructose consumption and elevated levels of uric acid are associated with more severe depletion of liver ATP. Our findings suggest that increased dietary fructose intake may impair liver 'energy balance'," said Manal Abdelmalek of Duke University Medical Center, the study's lead author.

A 2008 report from the University of Bologna in Italy states that obesity has been linked to more bad results of liver panels than any other disease in Western nations.