Fructose May Trigger Brain Changes That May Lead to Overeating.

The AP  (1/2, Marchione, Stobbe) reports, "Scientists have used imaging tests to show for the first time that fructose, a sugar that saturates the American diet, can trigger brain changes that may lead to overeating." Although "it's a small study and does not prove that fructose or its relative, high-fructose corn syrup, can cause obesity...experts say it adds evidence they may play a role." Investigators "used magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans to track blood flow in the brain in 20 young, normal-weight people before and after they had drinks containing glucose or fructose in two sessions several weeks apart."

        Bloomberg News  (1/2, Ostrow) reports, "The researchers found a 'significantly greater' reduction in blood flow after glucose ingestion, reducing activation of the hypothalamus, insula and striatum, brain areas that regulate food motivation and reward processing." The study , "published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to compare the human brain's response to both fructose and glucose, two types of simple sugars used separately and together to sweeten food."

        HealthDay  (1/2, Mann) reports, "Dr. Jonathan Purnell, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, co-authored an editorial  that accompanied the new study." Purnell "said that the findings replicate those found in prior animal studies, but 'this does not prove that fructose is the cause of the obesity epidemic, only that it is a possible contributor along with many other environmental and genetic factors.'"

        The Daily Mail (UK)  (1/2) points out that "pure fructose is found in fresh fruit, fruit juice and jam. However, it also sneaks into our diet through the high-fructose corn syrup used in food manufacturing."