When liver cells store too much fat it causes fatty liver disease. It’s a very common type of chronic liver disease in people who drinks too much of alcohol. However, people who drink little or no alcohol at all may also get this disease, in which case we call it a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). According to national institute of health (NIH), 24% of US adults are estimated to have NAFLD.
Besides liver complications, people who has NAFLD also develop cardiovascular disease. In fact, majority of deaths in patients with NAFLD are caused by cardiovascular diseases.
It’s a major health concern worldwide. The reason behind so many people are affected by this disease is because of increase of fructose intake, mainly as added sugars from soft drinks. It is well established that fructose promotes triglyceride synthesis and fat accumulation.
Unlike glucose, fructose is metabolized in the liver and during metabolism it produces uric acid inside the liver cells. Elevated uric acid levels cause mitochondrial oxidative stress which then promotes new fat synthesis.
Animal studies showed that, high uric acid level is the cause of NAFLD and lowering uric acid level prevented fatty liver disease.
So how sweet fruits contribute to a fatty liver disease?
Like soda or soft drinks, sweet fruits contain mostly water and sugar. This sugar in fruits comes in two forms: glucose, which goes into the bloodstream after ingestion, and the other one is fructose which goes into the liver. A regular can of soft drinks have approximately 37 grams of sugar which is roughly 9 teaspoons of sugar, and equivalent to the sugar content of two apples, or pears. On the other hand, one ripe mango contains 46 grams of sugar, far more than a regular can of soda.
Fruit sugar is promoted as natural sugar. However, natural sugar and added sugar contains the same components. Natural sugar metabolizes in the liver exactly the same way as added sugar and produces uric acid as a waste product. Thus ‘natural sugar’ from fruits does not provide any added benefits.
Sugar is bad whatever the source is. The riper the fruit the more sugar it contains. Sugar from fruits may promote fatty liver disease and ultimately insulin resistance. Thus, sweet fruits should be taken as occasional treat.
References
1. Lanaspa, M. A., Sanchez-Lozada, L. G., Choi, Y. J., Cicerchi, C., Kanbay, M., Roncal-Jimenez, C. A., ... & Johnson, R. J. (2012). Uric acid induces hepatic steatosis by generation of mitochondrial oxidative stress: potential role in fructose-dependent and-independent fatty liver. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 287(48), 40732-40744.
Comentarios