Fructose

Studies in people

• Concern

  Liver insulin resistance³

  In human studies, fructose intake is tied to the liver becoming less responsive to insulin.

• Open question

  Appetite and fullness⁴

  In studies in people and animals, whether fructose affects fullness differently than glucose is unclear, and the evidence is not strong.

• Concern

  Liver fat production⁵

  In healthy men, drinks sweetened with fructose made the liver produce more fat than glucose drinks did.

• Concern

  Sugary drinks and blood pressure⁶

  Fructose from sugary drinks, not fruit, was linked to higher blood pressure in people.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Tumour growth¹⁰

  In animal studies, fructose increased tumour growth by raising certain fats in the blood, not by feeding the cancer cells directly.

• Concern

  Brain development in young animals¹¹

  In animal studies, young mice given lots of fructose grew up with anxious behaviour, and their brain's cleanup cells worked less.

Study type not stated

• Concern

  Heart and metabolic health⁷

  Eating too much fructose may play a part in obesity and heart-related disease, though scientists are still working out how.

• Concern

  Fat buildup and metabolic health⁸

  Fructose can drive fat buildup and features of metabolic syndrome when eaten in excess.

• Concern

  Belly fat around organs⁹

  Scientists think eating lots of fructose may cause inflammation that leads to fat building up around organs.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.