High-fructose diets, gut bacteria, and blood sugar
Official title: The effects of a high fructose diet on the gut microbiome and metabolic health: A controlled clinical intervention study
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11243472 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares short periods of high-fructose versus high-glucose diets in adults to see how the gut microbiome and blood sugar-related measures change.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $729,507 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK137968-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11243472 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (age 21+) who can follow controlled diets, attend in-person visits at Mount Sinai, and provide stool and blood samples—especially those with overweight or risk factors for type 2 diabetes—are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children, people with advanced diabetes on complex medication regimens, or anyone unable to follow strict controlled diets or attend visits are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You would be randomly assigned to follow two different controlled diets for 12 days each (one with added fructose, one with added glucose), separated by a 10-day washout, while researchers collect stool and blood samples. The team will sequence your gut bacteria and measure fecal metabolites, inflammatory markers, body measurements, and insulin resistance. They will also transfer human-derived gut microbes into germ-free mice to see whether the microbes can cause metabolic changes. The goal is to link what happens in your gut to measurable changes in metabolic health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how added sugars affect gut bacteria and diabetes risk and guide better dietary advice or microbiome-targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior human and animal studies link high fructose intake to insulin resistance, but combining a controlled human feeding crossover with microbiome transfer to germ-free mice is a relatively novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Walker, Ryan — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Walker, Ryan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how the gut microbiome influences energy use and metabolic health
A study from Harvard will explore how our gut microbes affect how we get and use energy from food and how lifestyle factors like diet and exercise change this in ways that could impact metabolic health.
-
Gut microbiome and intestinal development after fetal growth restriction
A researcher is studying how gut microbes and intestinal growth interact after fetal growth restriction to influence obesity and type 2 diabetes risk.
-
How a high fructose diet affects gut health and metabolism
This study is looking at how eating a lot of fructose affects your gut health and metabolism, and it's for people interested in understanding the connection between their diet and conditions like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
-
Multi-agent AI to annotate enzymes in the human gut microbiome
A team at a major university will build an AI system that automatically curates and labels the functions of enzymes in the human gut microbiome to speed up understanding their health effects.
-
Mapping how gut bacteria transform drugs
Scientists will study how the gut microbiome changes thousands of drugs into new forms, which could affect how well a medicine works or whether it causes side effects.
-
Metabolic Health and Lifestyle in Down Syndrome and Risk of Related Health Conditions
A nationwide study aims to understand how metabolic health and daily habits affect health conditions like Alzheimer’s-related changes in people with Down syndrome.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.