title: Relevance of liver fat to the impact of dietary extrinsic sugars on lipid metabolism.
abstract: In contrast to the decline in mortality from many non-infectious, chronic diseases in the UK, death from liver disease has increased exponentially in men and women over the past 40 years. This is primarily because of the over consumption of alcohol, but also the increased prevalence of obesity, which is linked to early pathology through the accumulation of liver fat. Supra-physiological intakes of fructose-containing sugar can produce acute, adverse effects on lipid metabolism, and deliver excess energy that increases bodyweight and the deposition of fat in sites other than adipose tissue, including the liver. This review addresses the variable metabolic origins of liver fat, and the key importance of postprandial lipid metabolism in this respect. The effects of supra-physiological intakes of sugar are also considered in context of the real world and established threshold for the adverse effects of sugar on cardio-metabolic risk factors. The review concludes that while the average intake of sugar in the UK falls well below this critical threshold, intakes in subgroups of adults, and especially adolescents, may be cause for concern. There is also evidence to suggest that raised liver fat, acquired, in part, through an impaired removal of postprandial lipaemia, can increase sensitivity to the adverse effects of sugar at all ages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences,University of Surrey,Guildford GU2 7WG,UK.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005632:Fructose
keywords: DNL 
                    de novo lipogenesis; Fructose; LPL lipoprotein lipase; Liver fat; NAFLD non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Plasma TAG; Sucrose; Sugar