A new study by researchers at UCLA reveals that genes in the brain can be damaged by fructose, leading to diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Fructose
A range of diseases — from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, and from Alzheimer’s disease to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — are linked to changes to genes in the brain. New research by UCLA life has found that hundreds of those genes can be damaged by fructose, a sugar that’s common in the Western diet, in a way that could lead to those diseases.
Brain and Metabolic Diseases
However, the researchers discovered good news as well: An omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, seems to reverse the harmful changes produced by fructose.
Omega 3 Fatty Acid, DHA
More information: Qingying Meng et al. Systems Nutrigenomics Reveals Brain Gene Networks Linking Metabolic and Brain Disorders, EBioMedicine (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.04.008