Hepatic Safety in Rats Fed on Fructose, Glucose, or Sucrose When Combine with A Moderate Fat Diet

Abstract

Consumption of sweets, primarily fructose, and high-fat diets has significantly increased in recent years. This food pattern has a high association with the widespread prevalence of obesity and its subsequent health problems, according to the extensive published literature. However, compared to actual commercial amounts, the majority of laboratory research employed higher fat and sugar contents. The current study sought to assess and test the detrimental effects of consuming animal fat plus either fructose, glucose, or sucrose in amounts that matched their realistic proportions in human meals. Sixty male albino rats were divided into four groups for the study (15 animals each). During 64 weeks, the 1st group, control group was fed a normal diet, every other group was given a moderate fat diet (MFD) mixed with different sugar as follows: the 2nd group was given fructose (F-MFD), the 3rd group was given glucose (G-MFD) and the 4th group was fed sucrose (S-MFD). Compared to normal rats, the gained results revealed a significant rise in serum TGs of F-MFD, up-regulation of expression of lipogenic genes, CHREBP and SREBP-1c and the proinflammatory gene TNF-α with minimal hepatitis lesions in the liver tissue. Other sugars groups G-MFD and S-MFD showed similar or lower changes of the same analyzed parameters. It could be concluded that sugars and fat have minimal morbid effects when consumed with regular concentrations.