After one consumes food or a beverage containing fructose, the gastrointestinal system, or gut, helps to shield the liver from damage by breaking down the sugar before it reaches the liver, according to a new multi-center study. However, the consumption of too much fructose — particularly in a short period of time — can overwhelm the gut, causing fructose to ‘spill over’ into the liver, where it wreaks havoc and causes fatty liver, researchers discovered.