Fructose destroys hundreds of brain genes, which can lead to a wide range of diseases, according to new research from the University of California – Los Angeles.
Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and so much are linked to changes in brain genes.
Fructose is a sugar that is very common in the Western diet. It has caused much controversy, especially because of high fructose corn syrup, which has shown detrimental health effects.
The UCLA researchers also found some good news through the study. They learned that a type of omega-3 fatty acid called DHA may reverse the harmful effects of fructose.
“DHA changes not just one or two genes; it seems to push the entire gene pattern back to normal, which is remarkable,” said Xia Yang, a senior author of the study and a UCLA assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology. “And we can see why it has such a powerful effect.”
Although DHA is made in the body, not enough is made to truly fight diseases. It must be supplemented through the diet.
“The brain and the body are deficient in the machinery to make DHA; it has to come through our diet,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and of integrative biology and physiology, and co-senior author of the paper.
To test the effects of fructose and DHA, the researchers trained rats to escape a maze. Then they divided the animals into 3 groups. One group of rats were fed fructose. The second group received fructose and DHA. The third group just received plain water.
After six weeks, the rats were sent back through the maze again. Those that were fed fructose finished the maze just half as fast as the rats that were fed just water. However, the rats that consumed fructose and DHA showed similar results to the plain water group. The results suggest that DHA may reverse the harmful effects of fructose.
The study showing that fructose destroys hundreds of brain genes was published in the journal EBioMedicine.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Fructose Alters Hundreds of Brain Genes, Which Can Lead to a Wide Range of Diseases.” UCLA Newsroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2016.
2. “Systems Nutrigenomics Reveals Brain Gene Networks Linking Metabolic and Brain Disorders.” EBioMedicine. Cell Press / The Lancet, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
