Study Finds That High-Fructose Diet Damages The Liver

A study in monkeys has found that a diet high in fructose – the main ingredient in high fructose corn syrup – prevents the intestines from keeping bacteria away from the liver, causing liver damage. For six weeks, two groups of monkeys ate either a calorie-controlled diet consisting of 24 percent fructose or the same diet with a negligible amount of fructose. At the end of the six weeks, the U.S. researchers were surprised at how quickly the liver was affected and how extensive the damage was, especially without weight gain. Something about the high fructose levels caused the intestines to be less protective than normal, allowing the bacteria to leak out at a 30 percent higher rate.