Close Up Of Child Drinking Soda (© Daisy Daisy – stock.adobe.com)
In a nutshell
- Regular consumption of sugary drinks can cause your intestines to physically adapt to absorb more sugar, creating a “molecular addiction” that makes quitting difficult.
- Sugar in liquid form is particularly problematic because it’s rapidly absorbed and triggers intestinal changes that reduce the body’s ability to properly absorb proteins and fats.
- These adaptations occur at sugar concentrations common in everyday beverages like sodas and sweetened teas, suggesting even moderate consumption could lead to metabolic problems.
MUMBAI, India — A new discovery about soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages reveals a troubling truth that goes beyond simple calorie counting. Your body might literally be rewiring itself at the cellular level to crave more sugar.
Scientists from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India have found that regular consumption of sugary drinks—at concentrations common in everyday sodas and sweetened teas—causes physical changes in the intestines that prioritize sugar absorption over other nutrients. They’ve dubbed this phenomenon “molecular addiction,” which helps explain why breaking the soda habit can be so surprisingly difficult.
Unlike previous research that used unrealistically high sugar concentrations or combined sugar with high-fat diets, this study specifically looked at moderate sucrose consumption more representative of what people typically drink, making these findings particularly relevant to everyday habits. Its findings are published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
The Science Behind Sugar’s Powerful Effects
The research team gave mice either regular water or water containing 10% sucrose (table sugar) for three months—roughly equivalent to the sugar concentration in most commercial sodas. They then analyzed metabolic changes throughout the animals’ bodies. The results were eye-opening: mice drinking sucrose water developed significant glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, with noticeable changes in their intestinal structures that enhanced sugar absorption.
When examining the small intestine, researchers discovered that animals consuming sucrose water had developed longer intestinal villi (finger-like projections that absorb nutrients) in the upper portions of their digestive tract. More importantly, the expression of several sugar transporters—proteins that move sugar from the intestine into the bloodstream—increased dramatically. This adaptation essentially created a system designed to extract maximum sugar from whatever was consumed.
These changes weren’t limited to the intestines. The liver and muscles of sucrose-consuming mice also showed altered mitochondrial function, indicating disrupted energy metabolism throughout the body. However, what surprised the researchers was that intestinal changes appeared to be initiating the cascade of metabolic disruption, rather than liver dysfunction as previously assumed.
According to the paper, the researchers concluded that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages “causes intestinal ‘molecular addiction’ for deregulated absorption of hexose-sugars, and drives diseases such as diabetes and obesity.”
Why Your Daily Soda Habit Is Hard to Break
Consumption of sugary drinks has skyrocketed worldwide. The World Health Organization reports dramatic increases in sucrose intake across all socioeconomic groups. In the United States alone, nearly half of adults drink at least one sugary beverage daily, with some demographic groups consuming significantly more.
Of particular concern is how the intestinal tissue is specifically adapted. Normally, the intestine processes various nutrients, including proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. But the research revealed that chronic sucrose consumption fundamentally altered this balance, increasing sugar transporters while decreasing transporters for proteins and fats. This pattern suggests that excessive sugar consumption not only adds empty calories but potentially impairs proper nutrition by changing how effectively the body can use other nutrients.
The mice drinking the sucrose water showed decreased activity in key cellular signaling pathways in their intestines, liver, and muscle tissues. These pathways normally coordinate the body’s response to nutrients and energy status. Their impairment points to a fundamental disruption in how the body senses and processes nutrients, which might explain why excessive sugar consumption can lead to continued cravings despite adequate calorie intake.
One fascinating aspect of the research was how sucrose consumption affected mitochondria—the cellular components responsible for energy production. In both the liver and muscles of sucrose-consuming mice, mitochondrial function was altered, with increased production of damaging reactive oxygen species in the liver. This mitochondrial dysfunction likely contributes to insulin resistance and metabolic disruption, creating a vicious cycle that worsens metabolic disease.
The intestinal changes observed might explain what many people experience—feeling like they can’t give up their daily soda. If the intestines physically change to become better at absorbing sugar, it makes physiological sense why breaking the sugary drink habit is so difficult for many people. The body has literally reconfigured itself to process these beverages more efficiently.
Beyond Calories: Why Liquid Sugar Is Uniquely Harmful
The researchers took a thorough approach, examining multiple organ systems and the interactions between them to develop a more complete picture of how sucrose consumption affects overall metabolism. Their investigation revealed that intestinal changes appear to drive subsequent alterations in the liver and muscles.
Interestingly, male and female mice responded somewhat differently to sucrose consumption. Both sexes showed impaired glucose regulation, but males gained more weight than females. Females, however, showed more pronounced changes in tissue-specific fat metabolism. This indicates that sugar’s harmful effects may manifest differently based on biological sex, potentially explaining some differences in obesity and diabetes patterns between men and women.
The findings help explain why liquid sugar seems worse than sugar in solid foods. When consumed in beverage form, sugar doesn’t require the same digestion process as sugar embedded in whole foods, which contain fiber and other components that slow absorption. The rapid spike in blood sugar from beverages appears to trigger specific intestinal adaptations that further enhance this problematic pattern of absorption.
Can Molecular Addiction Be Stopped?
For those worried about their sugar consumption, the research offers compelling reasons to cut back on sugary drinks specifically. While all added sugars should be limited, sugar in liquid form may be especially problematic due to how quickly it’s absorbed and the specific adaptations it triggers in the intestines.
The concept of “molecular addiction” suggests that chronic dietary habits don’t just affect body weight through simple calorie math—they actually rewire metabolism in ways that can persist and be difficult to reverse.
This adaptation to prioritize sugar absorption provides a fresh perspective on why dietary changes can be so challenging. If the intestines have physically remodeled themselves to more efficiently absorb sugar, switching to healthier eating patterns may involve overcoming not just psychological habits but actual physiological adaptations.
While many health organizations already recommend limiting added sugar intake, these findings suggest that sugar-sweetened beverages specifically may warrant stronger warnings or policy measures.
Next time you reach for that can of your favorite soda, consider that you’re not just consuming empty calories—you might be programming your intestines to want more sugar, starting a chain reaction of metabolic changes that go far beyond the momentary pleasure of that sweet taste. Our bodies don’t just process what we eat and drink—they adapt to it, sometimes in ways that fundamentally change how our metabolism works.
Points of Contention
Readers should consider these important limitations when evaluating the findings of this study:
From Mice to Humans: While mice are widely used in metabolic research because their digestive systems function similarly to humans, we should be cautious about directly applying these findings to people. Human metabolism and dietary patterns are more complex, and our response to sucrose might differ in important ways.
Study Duration: The three-month period represents a relatively short timeframe in human terms. We don’t yet know if these intestinal adaptations are permanent or if they reverse when sugar consumption stops.
Single Concentration Testing: The study only examined one concentration (10% sucrose), so we don’t know if there’s a lower threshold at which these changes don’t occur. Consuming occasional sugary drinks at lower concentrations might have different effects.
Psychological Factors: The term “molecular addiction” refers to physical adaptations, not psychological dependence. In humans, sugary drink consumption involves complex psychological, social, and cultural factors not captured in animal studies.
Individual Variability: The study noted differences between male and female mice, highlighting that not all bodies respond identically to sugar consumption. Genetic backgrounds, activity levels, and overall diet likely influence how these adaptations manifest in people.
Whole Diet Context: The mice in this study ate standard chow alongside sucrose water. Human diets vary greatly, and the effects of sugary beverages might differ depending on the overall dietary pattern they’re part of.
Funding Considerations: While the researchers disclosed no conflicts of interest with their funding sources, nutrition research is often subject to industry influence. Independent replication of these findings would strengthen confidence in the conclusions.
Paper Summary
Methodology
Researchers used a straightforward but thorough approach to study how sugary drinks affect metabolism. They split mice into two groups—one getting regular water and the other getting water with 10% sucrose, similar to the sugar content in many sodas. The mice could drink freely for three months while eating standard food. This setup closely mirrors how people consume sugary drinks alongside regular meals. Throughout the study, researchers monitored the mice’s weight, food and water intake, and blood sugar levels. After three months, they ran several tests to check metabolic health, including how well the mice processed sugar, responded to insulin, and regulated liver glucose production. They also examined tissue samples from the intestines, liver, and muscles to look for changes at the cellular and molecular levels—analyzing tissue structure, measuring gene expression, assessing protein levels of key metabolic regulators, and testing how well mitochondria (cellular energy producers) were functioning. This comprehensive approach helped them understand how sugar consumption affects multiple organ systems and how these systems interact.
Results
The study revealed several important findings. Mice drinking sugary water developed significant metabolic problems despite eating less solid food, as they got more calories from the sweetened water instead. They showed consistently high blood sugar levels and struggled to regulate blood sugar when tested—indicating both insulin resistance and increased liver glucose production. Physically, the intestines of sugar-consuming mice changed, developing longer absorption structures in the upper portions and showing increased cell growth. Most notably, the expression of sugar transporters significantly increased in the intestines, while transporters for amino acids and fats decreased—suggesting the intestine had adapted to favor sugar absorption over other nutrients. The liver showed reduced insulin sensitivity and altered mitochondrial function, with increased production of harmful reactive oxygen species. Muscles also showed changes in mitochondrial function, though in different ways than the liver. Interestingly, these metabolic disruptions occurred without major changes in the expression of key regulatory genes in the liver, suggesting that the intestinal adaptations were driving subsequent problems in other tissues. Both male and female mice developed these metabolic problems, though males gained more weight while females showed more pronounced changes in fat metabolism.
Funding Information
The study was supported by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Biotechnology. The researchers disclosed that while the Advanced Research Unit on Metabolism, Aging (ARUMDA) has received corporate social responsibility funding from Hindustan Unilever Ltd, this funding had no conflicting interests related to the findings reported in the study.
Publication Details
This research was published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, volume 139, in 2025, with the title “Consumption of sucrose-water rewires macronutrient uptake and utilization mechanisms in a tissue specific manner.” The lead authors were Saptarnab Ganguly and Tandrika Chattopadhyay, with corresponding authors Mahendra S. Sonawane and Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India. The article is identified by DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2025.109850.
