Our laboratory has investigated 2 hypotheses regarding the effects of
fructose consumption: 1) the endocrine effects of fructose consump-
tion favor a positive energy balance, and 2) fructose consumption
promotes the development of an atherogenic lipid profile. In previ-
ous short- and long-term studies, we showed that consumption of
fructose-sweetened beverages with 3 meals results in lower 24-h
plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and leptin in humans than
does consumption of glucose-sweetened beverages. We have also
tested whether prolonged consumption of high-fructose diets leads
to increased caloric intake or decreased energy expenditure, thereby
contributing to weight gain and obesity. Results from a study con-
ducted in rhesus monkeys produced equivocal results. Carefully
controlled and adequately powered long-term studies are needed to
address these hypotheses. In both short- and long-term studies, we
showed that consumption of fructose-sweetened beverages substan-
tially increases postprandial triacylglycerol concentrations com-
pared with glucose-sweetened beverages. In the long-term studies,
apolipoprotein B concentrations were also increased in subjects con-
suming fructose, but not in those consuming glucose. Data from a
short-term study comparing consumption of beverages sweetened
with fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, and sucrose suggest
that high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose increase postprandial tri-
acylglycerol to an extent comparable with that induced by 100%
fructose alone. Increased consumption of fructose-sweetened bever-
ages along with increased prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome,
and type 2 diabetes underscore the importance of investigating the
metabolic consequences of fructose consumption in carefully con-
trolled experiments.