USC study shows sugary drinks interfere with hormones that tell your body its full

The University of Southern California conducted a study which shows sugary drinks can potentially contribute to obesity by interfering with natural hormones that tell your body when you feel full. 

The study, which is published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, showed that sugary drinks are a "significant driver of obesity," according to a USC press release. 

“Our study found that when young adults consumed drinks containing sucrose, they produced lower levels of appetite-regulating hormones than when they consumed drinks containing glucose — the main type of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream,” Kathleen Page, an associate professor of medicine specializing in diabetes and childhood obesity at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said in the press release. 

Sugary impacts impact the hormone even more if a man or woman is already obese. 

In the study, 69 young adults between the ages of 18 to 35 consumed sugary with either sucrose or glucose drinks. They then gave blood samples 10, 35 and 120 minutes after finishing their drinks. Those who drank the drinks with sucrose saw a lower amount of hormones to suppress hunger, whereas those who had drinks with glucose saw higher amounts. 

Other factors impacted the hormone response, such as body weight and the sex of the individual. 

"For example, people with obesity and those with lower insulin sensitivity had a smaller rise in hunger-suppressing hormones after consuming drinks sweetened with sucrose compared to glucose," USC wrote in the press release. 

Page said the takeaway from the study is to reduce the sugar in drinks people consume. 

“The majority of sucrose that people consume in the American diet comes from sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, whereas glucose is found naturally in most carbohydrate containing foods, including fruits and whole grain breads,” she said in the press release. “I would advise reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages and instead trying to eat more whole foods, like fruits.”