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How Fructose Impairs the Memory

Scientific American - Posted: July 3rd, 2009, 10:00am EDT

pAmericans consume more fructose than ever before, yet concerns remain that the sugar, used to sweeten beverages and processed foods, poses health risks. In animals, fructose-rich diets increase the production of fat and promote resistance to the energy-regulating hormone insulin. New research suggests that memory suffers as well, at least in rats./ppNeuroscientist Marise B. Parent of Georgia State University and her colshy;leagues fed 11 adolescent rats a diet in which fructose supplied 60 percent of the calories. For 10 other rats, cornstarch took the place of the sweetener. The scientists trained the rats to find a submerged platform in a pool, with the help of surrounding cues./p a href=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=forget-the-fructose[More]/a

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