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A team of researchers from Umeå University has dubbed this hormonal interplay a “tug-of-war” between sugar and fat.
Now, individuals who consume a lot of sugar should be particularly cautious with sweet products. When sugar levels in the body are sufficiently high, the craving for sweets naturally diminishes. However, this is often replaced by a sudden desire for fatty foods, which can harm metabolic functions and contribute to weight gain.
Sugar and Fat – A Dangerous Duo
The hormonal mechanism triggered by excessive sugar consumption, which leads to cravings for high-fat foods, creates a vicious cycle. “An excess of sugar reduces the desire for sweets but increases the urge to eat fats, and vice versa,” explained study co-author Mattias Alenius, a professor in the Department of Molecular Biology.
The team confirmed this rule through experiments on fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). When they indulged in sugar, their endocrine system quickly received signals indicating a lack of fats. Without a serving of fatty food, the flies did not feel satiated, as reported by New Atlas.
Researchers found that sugar consumption triggers the secretion of the hormone Hh, which suppresses the perception of sweetness and enhances fatty acid receptors. Meanwhile, a high amount of fat is responsible for the secretion of the hormone Upd2, which dampens the craving for fat and provokes a desire for sweets.
This mutual regulation suggests that excessive intake of either sugar or fat signals the necessary hormones about a deficiency that needs urgent balancing.
According to Professor Alenius, this is a tug-of-war between sugar and fat, rather than merely limiting overall calorie intake, as one might hope.
It’s worth mentioning that fruit flies are often used as model organisms in genetic experiments. This is no coincidence, as over 60 percent of genetic diseases in humans and fruit flies share similarities in their genetic code. Drosophila are also utilized in modeling diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Additionally, mechanisms underlying immune diseases, cancer, diabetes, and more are frequently studied using Drosophila melanogaster.
The team plans to conduct a similar study on humans. The findings of this research were published in the journal Cell Reports.
