February 24, 2012 2:10 PM
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – A local researcher picks up a $50,000 grant to continue studying the link between liver disease and trans fats.
St. Louis University liver disease specialist Brent Tetri M.D has been feeding mice a diet that includes a high level of trans fats, (which are in french fries , chicken nuggets , and many snack foods) and high fructose corn syrup, an ingredient in soda.
Tetri found the mice developed a severe illness called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) after four months, signs of cirrhosis after 12 months, and “between a year and a year in a half on the diet the mice start to develop liver cancer,” said Tetri.
Tetri says NASH is a very common illness that is seen in about 5 to 10 percent of people, including children. The condition has already been proven to put people at risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer later on in life.
Tetri also found that when the mice were given a higher amount of high fructose corn syrup the ate more than the other mice, indicating that fructose likely suppresses the feeling of being satisfied and full.
While he continues to study why this is the case. Tetri has this advice, “I think anybody who can eliminate trans fats from their diet should do so.”
Trans fats have already been found to increase our risk of heart attack and stroke.
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