Effects of Dietary Fructose on Gut Microbiota and Fecal Metabolites in Obese Men and Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Study

Detailed Summary

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of abnormal liver function tests in the U.S. (Browning, et al., 2004), ranging from steatosis to end-stage liver disease. Fructose ingestion by the American public has steadily increased since the 1980's, and with it increases in NAFLD, fatty liver hepatitis (NASH), diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Foods and beverage in the U.S. are typically sweetened with sucrose (50% glucose and 50% fructose) or high fructose corn syrup (45-58% glucose and 42-55% fructose) (Stanhope, et al., 2009). Research into the role that added fructose plays in the emerging chronic health issues is necessary to affect public policy and provide the connection between fructose and the increasing incidence of these co-morbidities. There is evidence that gut bacteria contribute to a range of human diseases including those of the liver and gastrointestinal tract. Dietary fructose has been suggested to play a role in the development of these diseases and has been shown to alter gut microbes in animals. If the investigators find that dietary fructose alters bacteria in the human gut, this would suggest a potential targetable link between high fructose diet and disease.

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