Fructose linked to higher risk of diabetes, according to study

A new study by scientists in the United States shown a link between consuming high amounts of fructose and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
The research into adult male rhesus monkeys, which was published in Clinical and Translational Science, involved 29 monkeys aged between 12 and 20 that were put on a year-long diet that had 30 per cent of their total energy coming from the fructose. The monkeys had less than 100 mg/dL of fasting blood glucose at baseline, so they were known not to have type 2 diabetes prior to the start of the study.
Between six months and a year into the study all of the monkeys had developed some symptoms of metabolic syndromen, including insulin resistance, body adiposity and dyslipidemia, while 15 per cent of the monkeys had developed type 2 diabetes.
However, although the research used monkeys with a diet derived from 30 per cent of its energy from fructose, most people do not use more than 25 per cent of energy from the monosaccharide, and also the research did not have a control group, making it difficult to identify which cases of metabolic disorder were brought on by the fructose diet.
Other research has also revealed a link between fructose consumption and a higher risk of diabetes mellitus, especially in rodents.