A Common Sweetener Could Stall Your Metabolism
Most of us are aware of the link between sweeteners like sugar and weight gain. But recent research suggests that fructose (i.e., high-fructose corn syrup) may be harming more than just our waistlines.
Scientists believe fructose may encourage fat storage and metabolic disease, such as diabetes and heart disease. New data suggest that fructose acts differently in the body than glucose, impacting normal energy balance by promoting processes tied to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. The new report was published in Nature Metabolism.
Evidence was reviewed by the researchers on commonly used sweeteners, including sucrose (table sugar) and high-fructose corn syrup. While both provide glucose and fructose, the researchers note that fructose acts differently inside our bodies and may be directly responsible for obesity and other health-related conditions.
Richard Johnson, MD, professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz and study lead author notes, "Fructose is not just another calorie. It acts as a metabolic signal that promotes fat production and storage in ways that differ fundamentally from glucose."
Your Metabolism on Fructose
Fructose gets broken down through metabolic actions that skip part of the body’s normal regulatory processes, according to the report. This may lead to fat production, limit cellular energy levels (ATP), and produce substances linked with metabolic dysfunction.
These alterations over time may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease.
According to the researchers, exposure to fructose isn’t just from food and drinks. The body can internally produce fructose from glucose, suggesting its disease-promoting role may be broader and more complex than researchers once thought.
The Risks of Rising Sugar Consumption
This research is timely as obesity and diabetes rates continue to skyrocket around the world. Despite sugary drink consumption declining in some countries, consumption of "free sugars" is still higher than advised in several parts of the world and on the rise in others.
Fructose may once have offered a survival advantage by helping the body store energy more efficiently during periods of famine or food shortage. But in the modern world, where high-calorie foods and drinks are widely available, these physiologic processes are likely adding to chronic disease.
"This review highlights fructose as a central player in metabolic health," said Johnson. "Understanding its unique biological effects is critical for developing more effective strategies to prevent and treat metabolic disease."
Below are tips to free yourself of fructose:
· Read the ingredient list on food labels to spot find fructose easily.
· Skip the sugary soda, sports drinks, and sweet tea. Opt for water, unsweetened tea, or seltzer waters.
· Eat fruit versus drinking juice. Juice is a source of fructose and lacks fiber.
· Avoid candy and snacks containing high-fructose corn syrup.
· Flavor tea with lemon or a drizzle of honey.
· Add fruit to yogurt in place of yogurt with “fruit on the bottom”. Let’s face it- that’s jelly.
· Limit commercial baked goods containing fructose such as cakes and pies.
· Reduce use of BBQ sauce, ketchup, and other condiments containing fructose.
· Make your own salad dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard in place of commercial salad dressings.
· Choose more fresh or frozen fruit over dried fruit, which is naturally higher in fructose.
Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
Reference:
Richard J. Johnson, Miguel A. Lanaspa, Dean R. Tolan, Marcus D. Goncalves, Samir Softic, Kimber L. Stanhope, Laura G. Sánchez-Lozada, Mark A. Herman, Joshua D. Rabinowitz. Fructose: metabolic signal and modern hazard. Nature Metabolism, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s42255-026-01506-y