Department of Medicine

“Recent studies have shown that the reason fructose intake is strongly associated with development of metabolic syndrome is that fructose intake activates an evolutionary-based survival pathway that stimulates foraging behavior and the storage of energy as fat,” said lead author Richard Johnson, professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

“She is the poster child for what she’s been doing,” said Radhika Acharya-Leon, a medical oncologist at UCHealth [and assistant professor of medicine at CU School of Medicine]. Acharya-Leon is McCumber’s doctor. She said McCumber should serve as an example for others who find themselves timid to return for exams, check-ups or even appointments.