The Relationship between Daily Fructose Consumption and Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein and Low-Density Lipoprotein Particle Size in Children with Obesity

PURPOSE: Obesity has become a very significant health problem in childhood. Fructose taken in an uncontrolled manner and consumed in excessive amounts is rapidly metabolized in the body and gets converted into fatty acids. This single center prospective case-control study aims to investigate the relationship between fructose consumption and obesity and the role of fructose consumption in development of atherosclerotic diseases. METHODS: A total of 40 obese and 40 healthy children who were of similar ages (between 8 and 18 years) and sexes were included in the study. In the patient and control groups, the urine fructose levels, as well as the levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), small dense LDL, Apolipoprotein A and Apolipoprotein B values, which have been shown to play a role in development of atherosclerotic diseases, were measured. RESULTS: The levels of oxidized LDL and small dense LDL and the ratio of Apolipoprotein A/Apolipoprotein B were found to be significantly higher in the patient group. CONCLUSION: We found that urinary fructose levels were higher in the obese children than the healthy children. Our results suggest that overconsumption of fructose in children triggers atherogenic diseases by increasing the levels of small dense LDL and oxidized LDL and the ratio of Apolipoprotein B/Apolipoprotein A.