News Tip

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2009

Study by WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine researchers touted by American Heart Association

Timing of sugar intake affects weight gain, blood pressure and behavior, study finds

DAYTON, Ohio—The American Heart Association (AHA) is publicizing findings by a team of Wright State University researchers led by Mariana Morris, Ph.D., vice president for graduate studies and chair and professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

On September 23, the AHA announced the findings of a study by Morris and her coauthors investigating sugar consumption habits in mice. The study found that when access to fructose, a dietary sugar, was limited to periods when mice normally sleep, the mice exhibited unusual blood pressure patterns, increased stress hormones and weight gain.

The study could have implications for human eating habits, according to Morris, who explained that “consideration must be given not only to the amount of calories consumed, but also the timing of intake.”

The study was presented at the organization’s annual High Blood Pressure Research Conference in Chicago in September. A full press release describing the study, as well as a related investigation, is available on the AHA Web site.

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Editor’s note: For more information or to schedule an interview contact: Phillip Neal, Marketing and Communications, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, (937) 775-4587 or phillip.neal@wright.edu.