Limiting intake to 5 percent of calories would improve glucose tolerance, reduce diabetes prevalence
FRIDAY, Jan. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Reducing consumption of added sugars, particularly added fructose, could reduce diabetes-related morbidity, according to an article published online Jan. 29 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
James J. DiNicolantonio, Pharm.D., from Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues discuss added fructose as a driver of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The authors note that added fructose has been suggested to pose the greatest problem for incident diabetes, diabetes-related metabolic abnormalities, and cardiovascular risk. In contrast, whole foods containing fructose do not pose problems for health and may be protective against diabetes and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Although dietary guidelines recommend consumption of whole foods over foods with added sugars, some do not limit fructose-containing added sugars to any specific level. Other guidelines (such as from the Institute of Medicine) permit 25 percent of calories as fructose-containing added sugars. Reducing intake to 5 percent of calories (level recommended by the World Health Organization) can improve glucose tolerance in humans and reduce the prevalence of diabetes and associated complications, according to the authors.
“Reducing the intake of added sugars could translate to reduced diabetes-related morbidity and premature mortality for populations,” the authors write.
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