My priority research focus is on clinical studies to determine the effects of diet on the development of metabolic disease. Specifically, I have been investigating the effects of sugar consumption on body composition, lipid regulation and insulin sensitivity, utilizing well-controlled diet intervention studies in human subjects. These investigations have definitely demonstrated that there are significant biologic and metabolic differences between fructose and glucose, with fructose consumption promoting the development of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and visceral adiposity in older, overweight/obese subjects. We have recently completed our follow-up NIH-funded study comparing the effects of consuming fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sucrose and aspartame in young, healthy subjects. The early results from this study (JCEM, Stanhope, 2011) demonstrate that consumption of HFCS-sweetened beverages at 25% of energy requirement increases risk factors for cardiovascular disease in young adults comparably to fructose and significantly more than glucose. The new results from this study, either in review or in preparation, demonstrate that:

• Consumption of beverages providing 0, 10, 17.5 or 25% energy requirement from HFCS results in dose-dependent increases of established risk factors for cardiovascular disease within 2 weeks in young men and women.
• Sugar consumption may provide relief from stress by turning down activity in the HPA axis.
• The negative effects induced by consumption of beverages containing 25% of energy requirement as sucrose are comparable to those induced by consumption of beverages containing 25% of energy requirement as HFCS

I am also currently conducting a pilot study to test the hypothesis that consumption of naturally-sweetened orange juice will not increase risk factor for cardiovascular disease compared to consumption of sucrose-sweetened beverage. Finally, as an awardee of an NIH Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health career support grant, I am expanding my research focus to issues in women's health. Therefore the pilot study comparing orange juice to sucrose-sweetened beverage will be conducted in women and will also investigate the role of stress in mediating the adverse effects of sugar consumption. Additionally under my BIRCWH award I am investigating the role of estrogen in the development of diabetes in females of a novel rat model of type 2 diabetes.