Effect of High-Fructose Diet on the Renal Cortex of Adult Male Albino Rats

In 2011, a study involving 30 adult male albino rats examined the impact of a high-fructose diet on the renal cortex. The rats were divided into three groups: a control group on standard chow, a second group on a high-fructose diet for 4 weeks, and a third group on a high-fructose diet for 4 weeks followed by standard chow for another 4 weeks. The study found that the rats on the high-fructose diet had increased serum uric acid levels and showed significant kidney damage, including enlarged malpighian corpuscles, atrophied capillaries, effacement of podocyte foot processes, tubular dilatation, vacuolation, peritubular hemorrhage, inflammatory infiltration, and collagen fiber deposition. These changes persisted even after the fructose diet was stopped, indicating that the damage was irreversible. The study concluded that high-fructose diets can induce renal damage that may contribute to chronic kidney disease and that dietary fructose should be restricted in patients with CKD.