High-fructose corn syrup and brain gene in young rats
What it found
In young rats, drinking a 20% high-fructose corn syrup solution for 40 days lowered levels of a brain gene called Bdnf in the hippocampus.
This did not happen in adult rats.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Bdnf gene activity
In the youngest rats, the high-fructose corn syrup group had lower Bdnf mRNA in the hippocampus than the water group. No such drop was seen in the older two groups.
Bdnf protein levels
Bdnf protein was also lower in the hippocampus of the youngest rats given high-fructose corn syrup. The older rats did not show this reduction.
DNA methylation
The youngest rats given high-fructose corn syrup had more methylation at a specific site in the Bdnf promoter. This increase was not seen in the older groups.
Body weight
Body weight gain did not differ between the high-fructose corn syrup and water groups in any age period.
What the authors conclude
“We conclude that fructose intake in childhood and adolescence is more harmful to hippocampal function than fructose intake in adulthood.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that fructose intake in childhood and adolescence is more harmful to hippocampal function than fructose intake in adulthood.
- They advise that excessive fructose intake during childhood and adolescence should be avoided.
How it was done
The authors were concerned that excess fructose from drinks like high-fructose corn syrup might harm the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory. They wanted to see if the effects differ between childhood, young adulthood and later adulthood.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were split into three age groups: childhood and adolescence (21 to 60 days old), young adulthood (60 to 100 days old) and late adulthood (100 to 140 days old). In each group, some rats drank distilled water and others drank a 20% high-fructose corn syrup solution for 40 days. The researchers then measured Bdnf gene activity, Bdnf protein and DNA methylation in the hippocampus.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a study in rats, so it cannot show what happens in people.
- The study cannot prove that the same changes in Bdnf would occur in children who consume high-fructose corn syrup.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Authors work at
- Fujita Health University School of Medical Sciences, Japan; Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Japan; Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Differential effects of excess high-fructose corn syrup on the DNA methylation of hippocampal neurotrophic factor in childhood and adolescence
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kageyama I, Yamada H, Munetsuna E, et al (2022). Differential effects of excess high-fructose corn syrup on the DNA methylation of hippocampal neurotrophic factor in childhood and adolescence. PloS one. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270144Free full textPubMed 35714129DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error