Effects of fructose consumption during pregnancy in murine models (Review)

After standardizing methods for industrial fructose production, this sugar has been intensively used as a food additive. The growing use of this sugar in food has coincided with increased metabolic disorders in recent decades, and it remains a widely used sweetener. The high ingestion of fructose has contributed to the increasing prevalence of numerous chronic health conditions. Fructose intake and its impact during pregnancy and lactation have drawn the attention of researchers. In the present review, the latest information on the effects of maternal diets rich in fructose on rat or mouse offspring was compiled. The findings suggest a generalized negative response to excess fructose, such as alterations in mitochondrial function, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, reproductive health, placental and intrauterine effects, epigenetics, transcriptomics modifications and cognitive function impairment. This demonstrates that chronic maternal fructose consumption could deteriorate the offspring's health.