Johnson · Diabetes 2013 · narrative review · n=?

Sugar, uric acid, and the etiology of diabetes and obesity.

Cited 760 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review and mechanistic hypothesis paper without primary experimental data or systematic synthesis.

PubMed 24065788 · doi:10.2337/db12-1814 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This narrative review synthesizes biochemical and experimental literature evaluating the hypothesis that fructose-induced uric acid generation drives metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical values, effect estimates, or statistical data. It describes a mechanistic model wherein fructose metabolism causes intracellular ATP depletion, nucleotide turnover, and uric acid generation, which subsequently causes mitochondrial oxidative stress and stimulates fat accumulation independent of excess caloric intake.

Why it matters

It proposes a causal, mechanism-based link between fructose-driven uric acid production and metabolic dysfunction, arguing that the specific metabolic pathway of a nutrient influences fat storage beyond simple caloric balance.

Limits

The abstract presents a theoretical framework and narrative review rather than primary human clinical trial data. No sample sizes, control groups, effect sizes, or systematic search methodologies are reported.

Cited by