Cutting out extra fructose for just nine days—without changing total calories—helps obese kids' bodies respond better to insulin and puts less strain on their pancreas.

Cutting back on fructose for a short time—without changing total calories—can help obese kids' bodies respond better to insulin, which is important for managing blood sugar.

Cutting out fructose — like from sugary drinks — might help overweight kids with metabolic problems feel better inside, even if they don’t lose weight, because it’s the sugar itself causing harm, not just the calories.

If obese teens eat more fructose for a week — like swapping some carbs for sugary foods — but don’t eat more calories overall, it doesn’t seem to change how their body handles sugar or fat, at least in the short term.

If obese teens eat way more fructose for a week — but don’t eat more total calories — it doesn’t seem to change their blood sugar, insulin, or cholesterol levels.

Cutting out fructose for just nine days — without changing total calories — helped reduce dangerous belly fat in obese kids who usually eat a lot of sugar.