Impact Driven by Sugars on Mental Illness: Exhaustive Research on the Composition of Sugar Types and Influences on Mental Health

Shuocheng Zhu

doi:10.54097/38fd3619

Authors

Shuocheng Zhu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/38fd3619

Keywords:

Dietary, Neurotoxicity, Fructose, D-galactose, Mitochondrial

Abstract

Nowadays, dietary sugars are appearing in processed foods more often. An increase in damages that result in neurological health beyond their established metabolic effects. This review comprehensively analyzes the mechanisms by which two distinct sugars, fructose and D-galactose, lead to neurotoxicity and associated diseases. Fructose achieves this through its unique metabolism, inducing a cerebral energy crisis resulting from a lack of ATP, which promotes the formation of fructose-derived advanced glycation end-products (Fru-AGEs). To this end, it leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and synaptic impairment. In parallel, D-galactose acts as an oxidative stressor that hyperactivates the JNK signaling pathway, which, in turn, triggers neuroinflammation, apoptotic cascades, and cognitive decline. The comparative analysis presented shows that although fructose and D-galactose cause neurotoxicity via divergent primary insults, they ultimately yield similar results. This research clarifies the link between dietary sugars and brain health, and analyzes mechanisms that aim to showcase the process by which these sugars result in similar damage.

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