Wednesday July 2, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Researchers at University of Naples, Italy have recently published a study that suggests a high fat high fructose diet (western diet) can cause more damage to the liver and glucose homeostasis than a low fat or even a high fat diet.

The study shows that short term consumption of a high fat high fructose diet causes more damage to the liver leading to live steatosis and disturbs the glucose metabolism than a high fat diet.

For the study, adult male rats were fed a high fat diet or a high fat high fructose diet for two weeks and were then examined to see how the diets affect hepatic lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in adult physically inactive rats.

Rats fed the high fat high fructose diet had significantly higher serum triglycerides or blood fat, non-esterified fatty acids, insulin and hepatic insulin resistance, compared to rats fed on the low fat diet or high fat diet.

In rats fed the high fat high fructose diet, compared with those fed on the high fat diet, significantly higher hepatic triglycerides and ceramide as well as certain degrees of steatosis and necrosis were observed.  

Also found significantly increased were non protein respiratory quotient and hepatic FAS and SCD-1 activity in the high fat high fructose diet, compared to rats on the high fat diet.

Both the high fat diet and the high fat high fructose diet induced significantly higher oxidative stress and significantly lowered mitochondrial oxidative capability, compared to the low fat diet, but only the high fat high fructose diet caused a significant increase in mitochondrial mass.

 The study concluded "short term consumption of a western diet, rich in saturated fats and fructose, is more deleterious for liver steatosis development and glucose homeostasis system than a high fat diet."

Fructose is high found in high fructose corn syrup or now called corn sugar and cane sugar and beet sugar. (David Liu, PHD)

Crescenzo R, Bianco F, Coppola P, Mazzoli A, Tussellino M, Carotenuto R, Liverini G, Iossa S.  Fructose supplementation worsens the deleterious effects of short term high fat feeding on hepatic steatosis and lipid metabolism in adult rats.  Exp Physiol. 2014 Jun 27.