Men and women may metabolize fructose differently

According to a study at Lausanne University School of Biology and Medicine in Switzerland, men and women appear to differ in how they metabolize high levels of fructose, a simple sugar commonly used to sweeten drinks and foods.

Short-term high fructose intake among young men resulted in increased blood triglycerides (fats) and decreased insulin resistance, factors associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

In the men, fructose supplementation caused significant increases in 11 of the 12 factors, including a 5 percent increase in fasting glucose and 71 percent increase in triglyceride levels.
By contrast, women showed a 4 percent increase in glucose and a “markedly blunted,” 16 percent increase in triglycerides after the high fructose diet, the investigators said. Overall, the women showed significant increases in only 4 of the 12 factors tested.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, June 2008.