The Study
No difference between high-fructose and high-glucose diets on liver triacylglycerol or biochemistry in healthy overweight men.
This study gave two groups of men different sugary diets and saw what happened to their livers. Because they randomly picked who got which diet, we can say the diet probably caused any changes seen — but only for these men and only for a short time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups of overweight men ate either a lot of fructose or a lot of glucose for 2 weeks, first eating just enough calories, then eating extra calories.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 567 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Fructose uniquely raises uric acid and may worsen insulin resistance even without extra calories, but both sugars cause liver fat and weight gain equally when you eat too much.
- 2When eating the same calories: fructose raised uric acid by 22 and insulin resistance by 0.8; glucose lowered uric acid by 23 and raised insulin resistance by only 0.1.
- 3When eating extra calories: both sugars made liver fat and weight go up by similar amounts.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Gastroenterology
Year
2013
Authors
R. Johnston, M. Stephenson, H. Crossland, S. Cordon, Elisa Palcidi, E. Cox, Moira A. Taylor, G. Aithal, I. Macdonald
Related Content
Claims (5)
In healthy overweight men consuming excess calories for two weeks, diets high in fructose or glucose caused the same amount of fat buildup in the liver and similar weight gain.
When healthy overweight men consume equal amounts of fructose or glucose for two weeks, their liver fat, liver enzyme levels, and muscle fat levels remain the same regardless of which sugar they consume.
In healthy overweight men, consuming a diet where 25% of calories come from fructose raises blood uric acid levels, while a diet with the same number of calories from glucose lowers blood uric acid levels, and the difference between the two diets is statistically significant.
In healthy overweight men, consuming a diet where 25% of calories came from fructose increased insulin resistance more than a diet with the same number of calories from glucose.
Consuming large amounts of fructose is linked to higher levels of fat around internal organs and reduced ability to regulate blood sugar.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.