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Study · Nutrients · 2023Conflicts declared

Maternal high fructose corn syrup and stress hormone levels in rat offspring

Nouchi Y, Munetsuna E, Yamada H, et al · Free full text

What it found

In rats, mothers fed high fructose corn syrup during pregnancy and nursing had male pups with higher levels of the stress hormone corticosterone at 60 days of age.

The rise was linked to lower activity of an enzyme in the kidney that normally clears this hormone.

What they found

Animal and lab studies

Stress hormone levels

Male rat pups born to mothers fed high fructose corn syrup had higher levels of the stress hormone corticosterone in their blood at 60 days of age compared to pups from mothers given plain water.

Kidney enzyme activity

In the kidneys of these pups, the activity of an enzyme called 11β-Hsd2 was lower. This enzyme normally converts active stress hormones into inactive forms. No changes were seen in other tissues like liver, muscle, or fat.

Enzyme gene and protein

The amount of mRNA and protein for this enzyme was also lower in the kidney. This suggests the drop in enzyme activity comes from reduced production of the enzyme.

A tiny piece of RNA

A small RNA molecule called miR-27a was found at higher levels in the kidneys of the pups. In lab tests on rat kidney cells, adding miR-27a reduced the production of the enzyme.

Not due to sugar alone

When mothers were fed a 20% glucose solution instead, the pups did not show the same drop in kidney enzyme activity. This suggests the effect is specific to fructose, not just any sugar.

No change in DNA methylation

The researchers checked for a common epigenetic change called DNA methylation in the gene for the enzyme, but found no differences between the two groups of pups.

What the authors conclude

“In summary, we suggest that maternal HFCS intake decreases renal 11β-Hsd2 activity and increases miR-27a expression in the kidney, resulting in increased GC levels.”
Nouchi Y, Munetsuna E, Yamada H, et al, 2023

Also in their conclusions

  • They suggest that maternal high fructose corn syrup intake lowers the activity of a kidney enzyme called 11β-Hsd2 and raises levels of miR-27a, leading to higher stress hormone levels in the offspring.
  • They advise that reducing high fructose corn syrup consumption during pregnancy could help prevent these effects, and that targeting miR-27a might be a future treatment strategy.
  • They call for more research, including studies in female offspring and over longer periods, to confirm and extend these findings.

How it was done

The authors wanted to understand how a mother's high fructose corn syrup intake during pregnancy and nursing leads to higher stress hormone levels in her offspring. Earlier studies had shown this happens, but the reason was not known.

Female rats were given either distilled water or a 20% high fructose corn syrup solution during pregnancy and nursing. Their male pups were then given plain water and standard food until 60 days of age, when blood and tissues were checked.

What it can’t tell you

  • This study was done in rats, so it cannot show whether the same changes happen in people.
  • Only male offspring were studied, so the results may not apply to females.
  • The epigenetic analysis was only done at one age (60 days), so it cannot show when the changes begin or how they develop over time.

The paper

Title
Maternal High-Fructose Corn Syrup Intake Impairs Corticosterone Clearance by Reducing Renal 11β-Hsd2 Activity via miR-27a-Mediated Mechanism in Rat Offspring
Type
Study
Evidence
Animals and lab studies
Summarised from
Full text
Cite
Nouchi Y, Munetsuna E, Yamada H, et al (2023). Maternal High-Fructose Corn Syrup Intake Impairs Corticosterone Clearance by Reducing Renal 11β-Hsd2 Activity via miR-27a-Mediated Mechanism in Rat Offspring. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15092122Free full textPubMed 37432276DOI

Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error