Could cutting out sugar backfire? ENDO 2026 data links sucrose-free diet to gut inflammation
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There is a large body of research supporting the benefits of decreased sugar intake, so overall I think the positive benefits outweigh the possible negative effects.
—Mir Ali, MD
I don’t think that this one study would change what I would recommend to my patients.
—Alyssa Lampe Dominguez, MD
Research to be presented at the ENDO 2026 conference suggests that eliminating sucrose from a low-fat diet could trigger metabolic dysfunction.[]
In a study of mice, researchers found that eliminating sugar from a low-fat diet promoted inflammation in the liver and gut, disrupted the gut microbiota, and impaired metabolic homeostasis.
“[Sucrose-free low-fat diet] feeding resulted in impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, and significant alterations in circulating metabolic hormones, including increased levels of C-peptide, incretins, ghrelin, and resistin, along with decreased fasting insulin,” the study authors write in their abstract.[]
The authors argue that the effects of eliminating sucrose from a low-fat diet are not well understood.
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But the experts who spoke with MDLinx say more research is needed in human studies.
“I was surprised to see this result, as reducing carbohydrate and sugar intake is the mainstay of a number of successful weight loss strategies,” Mir Ali, MD, bariatric medicine specialist and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, tells MDLinx.
“This study was done in an animal model, and additional research is needed to see if this would be applicable to humans. There is a large body of research supporting the benefits of decreased sugar intake, so overall, I think the positive benefits outweigh the possible negative effects,” Dr. Ali says.
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Alyssa Lampe Dominguez, MD, an endocrinologist with Keck Medicine of USC, says that studies in animal models aren’t always clinically relevant in human patients.
“I presume that they gave these mice in the study a sort of low-sucrose chow formulation, whereas with humans we eat a much more kind of varied diet,” she tells MDLinx.
“It's hard for me to … say what the clinical relevance of that is for humans, and how I would … translate that into my own practice. … There is such a large volume of data showing that refined sugars [and] ultra-processed foods have negative health consequences when consumed in excess, so I don’t think that this one study would change what I would recommend to my patients. I still think I would tell them to try to minimize refined sugars; minimize ultra-processed foods; [and] emphasize leafy greens, lean proteins, [and] whole grains—things like that,” Dr. Dominguez says.
“I don’t think that there’s enough data yet for me to … change the recommendations that I’m making to my patients," she adds.
When it comes to weight loss and metabolic health, Dr. Ali suggests that similar guidance to patients is appropriate.
“What I recommend to my patients on a weight loss journey is that they should emphasize protein and vegetables in the diet and reduce carbohydrates and sugars. There is enough evidence to support that this is better for burning fat and overall metabolic health,” he says.
“It is important for people to see that although some sugar intake may be beneficial, overall reducing carbohydrates and sugars is better in the long run,” Dr. Ali adds.