Epigenetics and fructose metabolism: A new mechanism of fructose effects

The worldwide increase in fructose consumption may be associated with the incidence of several diseases such as insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. It is becoming clear that the adverse effect of fructose is mediated by epigenetic modifications. This chapter describes the effects of fructose consumption from the viewpoint of epigenetics. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that maternal nutrition can strongly influence the susceptibility of adult offspring to metabolic disease. Excess maternal fructose consumption may induce DNA methylation, which may, in turn, cause metabolic disease. Fructose-induced epigenetic changes appear to be a novel mechanism of disease pathology and may induce epigenetic alterations in stem cells/fetal cells, resulting in adverse effects during fetal development and child health later in life.