Fructose May Lead To Major Diseases Due To Brain Genes Effect

Fructose, a sugar commonly found in the Western diet, can damage hundreds of genes in the brain that may lead to some diseases. The findings were based on a new study conducted by the life scientists from the UCLA, noting the type of diseases from Alzheimer's to attention hyperactivity disorder and from diabetes to cardiovascular disease.

The study, however, also found that the omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexaenoic, or DHA, appears to reverse the harmful effects that are caused by fructose. According to the senior author of the study Xia Yang, who is also an assistant professor of physiology and biology at the UCLA, the DHA changes appears to push back the whole gene pattern to normal. Also, it enhances the memory and learning as well as strengthen the brain's synapses, the University of California reported.

By nature, DHA occurs in the membranes of the human brain cells, yet its quantity is not large enough to help in fighting the diseases. As explained by a professor of neurosurgery at the UCLA and co-senior author of the study, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, the body and brain lack the machinery to produce DHA, which means it should come through diet. DHA is mostly found in wild salmon and in some other fish and fish oil, including flaxseed, walnuts and vegetables, according to Gomez-Pinilla.

The study also revealed new information regarding the mechanism that fructose uses to damage the genes. Scientists discovered that fructose eliminates or adds a biochemical group to one of the nucleotides that comprise the DNA, the cytosine. This form of modification is responsible for a serious role in turning the genes either "on" or "off".  

While DHA seems to be very beneficial, it is not a magic tool for treating diseases. As explained by Yang, more research studies are required to find out the scope of its capacity to reverse the damages brought by fructose to the human genes, BioTechin reported.