Healthy women who have already passed through menopause are needed for a 14-week nutrition study focused on the effects of diets high in the fruit-sugar fructose. The study is being conducted by University of California, Davis, Department of Nutrition and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Human Nutrition Research Center, based at UC Davis. Each of the 16 participants in the study will live for 14 weeks, rent free, in a Davis home with three other volunteers and eat specific foods provided by the study coordinators. Those who complete the 14-week study will each receive $4,900. "This study will help us compare diets high in the fruit-sugar fructose with diets high in the sugar glucose in terms of how they affect appetite, body weight, body fat and energy metabolism," said Peter Havel, the UC Davis nutrition researcher conducting the study. He and colleagues also will examine how fructose and glucose affect blood pressure, blood triglycerides and cholesterol, and the body's sensitivity to the hormone insulin. "We realize the study calls for a high level of commitment from the volunteers," he said. "But we hope to make it an enjoyable and rewarding experience for them." Potential volunteers will receive a physical examination with blood tests to make sure their health is suitable for the study. Women with chronic illness, anemia, diabetes or who take thyroid medication will not be eligible. During the first two weeks of the study, volunteers will be given a weight-maintaining diet of conventional foods to determine how many calories they need daily. During the following 12 weeks, they will be given a diet of conventional foods plus beverages or other foods sweetened with fructose or glucose. Participants will be required to eat all, and only, the food provided through the study. Because of the importance of closely monitoring exactly what the participants are eating and how much they are exercising, volunteers will only leave their guest homes during supervised outings, such as going to the movies or shopping. Short walks may be taken, but moderate and strenuous exercise will not be allowed. During the study, blood samples will be taken and evaluated, body fat measured and weight and blood pressure monitored. On seven different days, volunteers will record on a hand-held computer any feelings of hunger or fullness. More information about the study, call (530) 752-5177 and press 5 to leave a message.