Natural Sugar Defends Against Metabolic Syndrome, in Mice (IMAGE)

WashU Medicine

Natural Sugar Defends Against Metabolic Syndrome, in Mice

Caption

Mice fed a diet high in trans fats and cholesterol for 12 weeks show fatty deposits in the liver (red staining). A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the natural sugar trehalose blocks glucose from getting into the liver and turns on a gene, Aloxe3, that improves insulin sensitivity and other measures of metabolic syndrome, including reducing such fatty liver deposits.

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Brian DeBosch

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