New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine has revealed an important connection between the metabolism of alcohol and sugar.

The article in Nature Metabolism speculates that alcohol preference is mediated through fructose metabolism. In an article reviewing the paper, News Medical Life Sciences explained further:

[A]lcohol triggers a metabolic pathway in the body that leads to the internal production of fructose, the same type of sugar commonly found in sweetened foods and beverages.

Corresponding author Miguel A. Lanaspa, DVM, Ph.D., tells NewsMedical Life Sciences, “[Alcohol] hijacks the body’s sugar metabolism in a way that enhances drinking behavior and worsens liver injury.”

The research centers around the enzyme ketohexokinase, which initiates the metabolism of fructose. Mice lacking ketohexokinase had “reduced ethanol preference across multiple paradigms,” according to researchers. NewsMedical Life Sciences summarized the research:

These mice drank less alcohol across multiple tests […] and exhibited reduced activity in brain regions associated with addiction.

Reporting on the breakthrough, SciTechDaily noted, “drinking alcohol activates a metabolic pathway that causes the body to generate its own fructose.” However, when ketohexokinase production was blocked in mice, either through genetic breeding or medication, alcoholism and alcohol-related liver disease were “virtually eliminated.”

Researchers are hopeful that by developing interventions to target the production of ketohexokinase, they can reduce both alcoholism and alcohol-related liver damage. I’m sure it could lead to greater research on the relationship between eating addiction and alcohol use disorder.

This study adds further weight to the role of the gut microbiome in addiction, and a possible connection with GLP-1 drugs, which also impact the production of ketohexokinase. We will explore that connection in a future piece here at AddictionNews.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published November 13, 2025.

Sources:

“Identification of a common ketohexokinase-dependent link driving alcohol intake and alcohol-associated liver disease in mice,” Nature Metabolism, November 10, 2025.

“The Sugar Pathway That Links Alcohol Addiction and Liver Damage,” SciTechDaily, November 10, 2025.

“Study uncovers a surprising connection between sugar metabolism and alcohol addiction,” NewsMedical Life Sciences, November 10, 2025.

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