HYDERABAD: Latest research in fruit flies by MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences researchers on Sugar reveals shocking facts that, sugar may kill you irrespective of the fact if you are obese, and the early death from excess sugar is unrelated to metabolic problems.

UK researchers said that sugar-rich diets have a long term negative impact on health independent of obesity. Consuming too much sugar increases our risk of developing metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes, and can shorten our life expectancy by several years.

There is a misconception that the reduction in lifespan due to metabolic defects, this new study in fruit flies reveals that this may not be the case. Researchers added that like salt, sugar also causes dehydration. In fact, thirst is an early symptom of high blood sugar and diabetes.

Researchers have conducted a survey on flies and fed a high-sugar diet to them, which did not show a reduced lifespan if they are provided with an extra source of water to drink. But excess dietary sugar caused the flies to accumulate uric acid, which is an important building block in our DNA. The flies have faced problems due to the formation of stone sin kidneys.

Researchers found that we could prevent kidney stones, either by diluting their formation with drinking water or by blocking the production of uric acid with a drug. In turn, this protected against the shortened survival associated with a sugar-rich diet. But, this doesn't mean we can eat all the sugary treats we want, because if we can increase our life span, but there is a risk of being unhealthy, as obesity increases the risk of heart disease.

According to the survey reports, early death by sugar is not necessarily a direct consequence of obesity itself. Accumulation of uric acid is a known direct cause of kidney stones in humans, as well as gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis.

Uric acid levels also tend to increase with age and can predict the onset of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. (IANS Inputs)

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