![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-neurocampus.onlc.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/fioramonti-image002.png\")
<\/a>In a human cohort of male healthy volunteers, fructose malabsorption was assessed using a breath hydrogen test, while plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and anxiety traits (measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI) were analyzed. Gut microbiota composition was characterized through 16S rRNA sequencing, and dietary fructose intake was recorded. In the preclinical study, Glut5-KO male mice, which lack intestinal fructose transport, were fed a 5% fructose diet for four weeks. Behavioral assays assessed anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, while gut microbiota composition and microglia-associated gene expression were analyzed.<\/p>\nSixty percents of volunteers exhibited fructose malabsorption, along with elevated plasma LPS levels, increased anxiety traits on the STAI, and distinct gut microbiota alterations, partially linked to fructose intake patterns. The average daily fructose intake was 30 g per individual, with significant variability in dietary sources. In the preclinical model, Glut5-KO mice on a 5% fructose diet displayed increased anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, pronounced gut microbiota shifts, and altered expression of microglia-associated genes.<\/p>\n
These findings highlight the complex interplay between dietary fructose, gut microbiota, and neuroinflammation in shaping mental health. Chronic fructose malabsorption may contribute to mood disorders through gut dysbiosis and microglia-dependent neuroinflammation, warranting further investigation into dietary interventions.Article<\/p>\n