High fructose diets could cause immune system damage

New research deepens understanding of how fructose effects health.

2021-02-22

(Press-News.org) New research by Swansea scientists in collaboration with scientists at the University of Bristol and the Francis Crick institute in London has indicated that consuming a diet high in the sugar fructose might prevent the proper functioning of peoples' immune systems in ways that has, until now, largely been unknown. Fructose is commonly found in sugary drinks, sweets and processed foods and is used widely in food production. It is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its intake has increased substantially throughout the developed world in recent years. However, understanding the impact of fructose on the immune system of people who consume it in high levels, has been limited until now. The new study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that fructose causes the immune system to become inflamed and that process produces more reactive molecules which are associated with inflammation. Inflammation of this kind can go on to damage cells and tissues and contribute to organs and body systems not working as they should and could lead to disease. The research also brings a deeper understanding about how fructose could be linked to diabetes and obesity - as low- level inflammation is often associated with obesity. It also builds on the growing body of evidence available to public health policy makers about the damaging effects of consuming high levels of fructose. Dr Nick Jones, of Swansea University's Medical School, said: 'Research into different components of our diet can help us understand what might contribute to inflammation and disease and what could be best harnessed to improve health and wellbeing." Dr Emma Vincent in the Bristol Medical School: Populational Health Sciences (PHS), said: 'Our study is exciting because it takes us a step further towards understanding why some diets can lead to ill health.'

INFORMATION:

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Lonely adolescents are susceptible to internet addiction

2021-02-22

Loneliness is a risk factor associated with adolescents being drawn into compulsive internet use. The risk of compulsive use has grown in the coronavirus pandemic: loneliness has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents, who spend longer and longer periods of time online. A study investigating detrimental internet use by adolescents involved a total of 1,750 Finnish study subjects, who were studied at three points in time: at 16, 17 and 18 years of age. The results have been published in the Child Development journal. Adolescents' net use is a two-edged sword: while the consequences of moderate use are positive, the effects of compulsive use can be detrimental. Compulsive ...

Improved vectors for ocular gene therapy

2021-02-22

Strategies based on the use of gene therapy to mitigate the effects of mutations that cause blindness are undergoing rapid development. Novel gene vectors now achieve widespread gene delivery and reduce the risks associated with these approaches. The incidence of genetic mutations that result in rapid deterioration of the ability to see is larger than is generally supposed. For example, on the order of five million people around the world suffer from congenital retinal dystrophies, which often lead to blindness at an early age. These diseases are caused by defects in specific genes, which direct the production of proteins that play an essential role ...

Immune-compromised people with HIV, APOE4 gene may have a compounded risk for Alzheimer's

2021-02-22

WASHINGTON (Feb. 22, 2021) --- People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who have a history of severe immunosuppression and at least one copy of the Alzheimer's disease-related gene variant APOE4, might see a compounded adverse effect on the circuitry that impacts memory. This could eventually lead to an increased risk for dementia after age 65, according to Georgetown University Medical Center investigators and colleagues. The researchers used MRI scans to examine the brain, with a focus on two regions - the hippocampus, which is critical for memory and is often affected in Alzheimer's disease, and the caudate ...

Cancer control: Non-DNA changes induce metabolism variations in hepatocellular carcinomas

2021-02-22

Cancer cells acquire growth advantages over normal cells in myriad ways. Changes in cell programming allow these cells to grow in an uncontrolled fashion, thereby forming the cancer mass. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), being highly malignant and invasive with a high recurrence rate and drug resistant phenotype, is one of the most dreadful cancers. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms is crucial to design therapeutic interventions and to predict patient prognosis. Cancer cells use metabolic, immunogenic, or growth-related strategies, which can be controlled by a number of alterations in the cell process. Of these, "post-transcriptional RNA modification" has recently sparked interest among cancer biologists. ...

Material hardship taking a mental and physical toll on young adults during pandemic

2021-02-22

Syracuse, N.Y. - As the United States approaches the one-year anniversary of the start of COVID-19 lockdowns, a new study by researchers from Syracuse University and the University of Texas at San Antonio shows that material hardship - difficulty paying for food, bills and healthcare - is taking a toll on the mental and physical health of young adults. In the study, " END ...

UConn researcher offers lessons learned from a pre-pandemic study of telemedicine use

2021-02-22

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has become a new norm for many routine and non-emergency medical needs. But there are lessons to be learned from telemedicine's use - or lack thereof - prior to the pandemic, and a new study from a UConn School of Social Work researcher offers insight for policymakers, administrators, and public health officials when considering the implementation of new services. A qualitative researcher, lead author and licensed clinical social worker Kelsi Carolan was brought into the study - which was conducted in 2017 and 2018 and was recently published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research - to examine the adoption of a telemedicine program in a California independent senior ...

Study suggests teacher-student bonds may be especially important for homeless kids

2021-02-22

A recent study of homeless preschoolers found a strong correlation between the bonds those children formed with teachers and the children's risk of behavioral and emotional problems. "It's well established that children who are homeless are at higher risk of a wide variety of negative outcomes," says Mary Haskett, corresponding author of the study and a professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. "However, there's a lot of variability within this group. We wanted to learn more about what makes some of these children more resilient than others." For ...

Discovery of a mechanism by which epithelial tumours cause developmental delays

2021-02-22

The systemic balance that coordinates the growth of an organism and its progress through the different stages of development occurs across the animal world and is regulated by internal and external signals. Examples of this balance are puberty in humans and metamorphosis in flies. These are transitions characterised by the production of steroid hormones and they mark the turning point that will determine the halting of growth and entry into the adult state. Certain human diseases, such as cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), cause a delay in this transition. Led by Dr. Marco Milán, scientists at IRB Barcelona ...

How a gene called HAND2 may impact the timing of labor

2021-02-22

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A new study illuminates how a gene called HAND2 may have a hand in the timing of human labor. "We don't know why humans go into labor. It's a basic aspect of human biology that we just don't know the answer to, and it's kind of embarrassing that we don't," says senior author Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary biologist at the University at Buffalo. "What happens in many other animals is that as gestation goes on, the level of progesterone keeps going up, and then a few hours before birth, progesterone levels drop to pre-pregnancy levels. Progesterone inhibits contractions, so once you lose it, the uterus starts contracting and the baby is born. "But in ...

Unique study of isolated bobcat population confirms accuracy of extinction model

2021-02-22

The reintroduction of 32 bobcats to an island off the coast of Georgia more than three decades ago created an ideal experiment to examine the accuracy of a genetic-modeling technique that predicts extinction of isolated wildlife populations. That's the conclusion of Penn State researchers who continue to monitor the bobcat population on Cumberland Island National Seashore, and who conducted a study comparing and contrasting the Cumberland Island bobcats to a population of bobcats on Kiawah Island off the coast of South Carolina. The research was led by Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, associate professor of biology at Penn State Beaver, and Duane Diefenbach, Penn State adjunct professor of wildlife ecology who, as a doctoral ...

High fructose diets could cause immune system damage

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: