Sugary Soda May Cause Insulin Resistance — a Key Feature of Metabolic Syndrome

Insulin is a hormone that transports glucose from your bloodstream to your cells. But when you consume sugar-sweetened beverages, your cells may lose their sensitivity to or sensitivity to the insulin's actions.

In order to eliminate the glucose from your bloodstream when this occurs, your pancreas must produce more insulin, which causes your blood insulin levels to rise. Insulin resistance is the term for this problem. A prelude to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, metabolic syndrome is likely the result of insulin resistance. Studies on animals show that excessive fructose leads to insulin resistance and persistently high insulin levels. A study in healthy, young men demonstrated that moderate fructose consumption enhanced liver insulin resistance.