Second Nature Care Blog

Fructose on the Brain

[fa icon="calendar'] May 1, 2016 6:23:56 PM / by Winter Ninivaggi

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There is more to be concerned about then weight gain from fructose.

Fructose is a sugar found in honey and fruit. High fructose corn syrup is a liquid of high levels of fructose combined with glucose and is used as a common sweetener in sodas, snacks and many foods. It could also very well be a major key in the obesity epidemic.

A new research study from UCLA found that there is more to be concerned about then weight gain from fructose. Fructose removes or adds a biochemical group to cytosine, one of the four nucleotides that make up DNA. This plays a major role in turning "on" or "off". They also uncovered details about how exactly which mechanisms cause this effect.

So what does this mean?

Well, diseases like: diabetes, cardiovascular disease , Alzheimer's disease and ADHD are linked to gene changes in the brain. Hundreds of these specific genes can be damaged by fructose in a way that can lead to those diseases. Fructose is not just changing a few genes, it is changing hundreds of genes in the brain.

Interestingly, an omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) seems to reverse the damaging effects caused by fructose.  It has the ability to reverse the entire gene pattern back to normal.

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Topics: Healthy Living

Winter Ninivaggi

Written by Winter Ninivaggi

Isadora Guggenheim, ND, FNP, RN, MS, CNS, LMT, owner of Second Nature Naturopathic Care, LLC
For all appointments: Tel: 845 358-8385 Fax: 845 358-2963 drguggenheim@msn.com