Abstract
Overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is known to be a key contributor to the obesity epidemic; however, its effects on behavioral changes are yet to be fully studied. In the present study, we examined the long-term effects of SSB on social aggression in mice. Three-week-old weaned mice started to drink either a 30 w/v% sucrose solution (S30), plain water (CT), or an aspartame solution with sweetness equivalent to the sucrose solution (A30) and continued to drink until they were 11-week-old adults. Aggressive behaviors were assessed by the resident-intruder test. We found that SSB significantly promoted social aggression, accompanied by heightened serum corticosterone and reduced body weight. To understand the underlying mechanism, we performed transcriptome analyses of brain. The profiles of mice on S30 were dramatically different from those on CT or A30. Transcriptional networks related to immunological function were significantly dysregulated by SSB. FACS analysis of mice on S30 revealed increased numbers of inflammatory cells in peripheral blood. Interestingly, the artificial sweetener failed to mimic the effects of sugar on social aggression and inflammatory responses. These results demonstrate that SSB promotes aggressive behaviors and provide evidence that sugar reduction strategies may be useful in efforts to prevent social aggression.
Highlights
To increase male-male aggression in birds and mammals[7,8]
Since corticosterone secretion was previously reported to be related to aggressive behavior[10], we first asked if serum corticosterone levels could be affected by sucrose consumption over a short-term period
Sucrose consumption increased the levels of corticosterone, but the hormone failed to suppress inflammatory responses. This is the first study investigating the effects of sucrose consumption on aggressive behavior in a controlled setting using animal models
Summary
To increase male-male aggression in birds and mammals[7,8]. In addition, a glucocorticoid hormone, cortisol in human and corticosterone in rodents, is widely studied as a stress hormone and a well-established target in the search for hormonal modulators of social aggression[9,10]. One study reported that a high level of sugar consumption was positively related with destructive-aggressive behaviors in hyperactive children[33]. In adolescents, a relationship between levels of consumption of sugar-containing soft drinks and behavioral problems was found in a cross-sectional population-based survey[37]. No such correlation was found in a study, in which oppositional or aggressive behaviors were assessed in the school-aged children provided with a sugar-sweetened diet[38]. A lack of systematic animal studies to examine the causal relationship of sugar consumption with behavior problems is partly attributable to the as yet incomplete understanding of the effects of sugar intake on aggression. Our findings provide insights into understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which sugar plays roles in promoting aggressive behaviors
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