Conversion of a dietary fructose: new clues from the gut microbiome

Fructose, a monosaccharide derived from fruits, is primarily consumed in a form combined with glucose as sugar or as a component of high-fructose corn syrup added as a sweetener to processed foods and carbonated beverages. Increased consumption of fructose has emerged as a major contributor to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and diabetes. Now Zhao et al. show that hepatic lipid synthesis is increased by fructose metabolism in both the liver and intestine.