Does fructose cause insulin resistance syndrome?
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces. The body compensates by producing greater amounts of insulin in order to maintain normal blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance—along with obesity, hypertension, and blood lipid disorders—is part of metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance sometimes leads to type II diabetes and heart disease. Although experimental animals fed very large quantities of fructose have developed insulin resistance, feeding studies in humans have never demonstrated this effect. Excess body fat, lack of physical activity and a genetic predisposition are thought to be the primary drivers for developing insulin resistance, not fructose consumption.
