Excessive consumption of fructose-containing sugars: An emerging threat for developing nations?

Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and processed foods has increased in the last decade in developed countries. This has been associated with the prevalence of diet-induced obesity and type-2 diabetes mellitus, albeit a causal relationship has not been proven. Although sugar-sweetened beverages and foods contain both fructose and glucose, it is now clear that fructose poses the highest health risk when consumed excessively. In studies from the United States of America and Australia, hyper-caloric diets with high concentrations of fructose, have been shown to have adverse metabolic effects. At high concentrations, fructose increases plasma triglycerides, stimulates hepatic de novo lipogenesis and reduces insulin sensitivity. In developing countries, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and processed foods is on the rise, particularly in the African continent. This review discusses the adverse health effects of excessive consumption of fructose, the increase in fructose consumption in Africa, and the potential threat that increased fructose consumption might have on developing countries such as those found in the African continent. The review further provides recommendations and precautionary measures that could be applied in these countries.Keywords: Fructose, Diabetes, Obesity, Public Nutrition, Afric

Exercise training alters red blood cell fatty acid desaturase indices and adipose tissue fatty acid profile in African women with obesity.

Objective This study assessed the changes in red blood cell total phospholipid (RBC-TPL) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) fatty acid (FA) composition in response to 12 weeks of exercise training in South African women with obesity and the associations with changes in cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods Previously sedentary women were randomized into control (n = 15) or exercise (n = 20) groups. RBC-TPL and SAT FA profiles, SAT gene expression, systemic inflammatory markers, liver fat, and insulin sensitivity (S-I) were measured before and after the intervention. Results Compared with control, exercise training induced decreases in RBC-TPL dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid content and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 and increased delta-5 desaturase-estimated activity (P < 0.05). In the combined group, these changes correlated with changes in circulating leptin and TNF alpha (P < 0.05), as well as lower liver fat (P < 0.01). Exercise training decreased saturated FA (lauric and myristic acids) and increased polyunsaturated FA (eicosadienoic and adrenic acids) (P < 0.05) in abdominal SAT, whereas gamma-linolenic acid decreased (P < 0.01) in gluteal SAT. These changes in RBC-TPL and SAT FA compositions were not associated with changes in SAT gene expression and S-I. Conclusions Exercise training alters RBC-TPL desaturase activities, which correlate with lower liver fat and systemic inflammation but not with the improvement of S-I

The “Football is Medicine” platform—scientific evidence, large-scale implementation of evidence-based concepts and future perspectives

[No abstract available