Eating and drinking foods packed with excess fructose can stimulate the level of hormones in the body that foster overeating, according to a recent study that investigated the links between obesity and fructose. Fructose is a natural form of sugar found in fruit, corn syrup and honey.

The problem lies in the number of food and drink manufacturers using corn syrup that contains concentrated amounts of fructose to sweeten their products.

After eating a meal, the women who participated in the study were given drinks flavored with either the amount of fructose one would typically consume in two carbonated soft drinks or glucose. Lower levels of insulin and leptin, hormones that regulate appetite, were found in those who consumed fructose-laced drinks.

Moreover, test subjects who had fructose also showed higher levels of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates eating. In addition, patients who took the fructose-laced drink had a jump in blood fats, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Researchers theorized drinks sweetened with glucose may not foster overeating because the release of insulin from the pancreas is triggered by glucose, which, in turn, tells people they aren’t hungry. Additionally, the liver handles glucose in a much healthier way than fructose. Although there is no way to avoid fructose, drinking large doses of it in sodas that have no other nutrients isn’t healthy, scientists said.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism June 4, 2004;89(6):2963-72