This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Sugar-sweetened beverages may compromise metabolic health, regardless of body weight
Those who habitually drink sugar-sweetened beverages are more likely to have metabolic abnormalities, regardless of body weight, according to study findings.
“These findings suggest that decreasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with healthier metabolic profiles even in obese and overweight individuals. Based on our results, those who frequently consume [sugar-sweetened beverages] are more likely to display metabolic abnormalities … irrespective of body weight,” the researchers wrote. “It is essential that these observations be explored in the future, given the potential impact of a relatively simple dietary modification on metabolic health.”
The cross-sectional study utilized data from 6,482 patients in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring and Third Generation cohorts. Eligible participants did not have diabetes, and had BMI ≥18.5 at the time of the analysis. Participants were administered a 126-item questionnaire before a scheduled physical examination. The questionnaire listed various foods, for which respondents selected frequency categories ranging from “never, or less than one serving per month” to “more than six servings per day.” Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption pertained to total consumption of cola with sugar, caffeine-free cola with sugar, other carbonated beverage with sugar, such as 7-Up or ginger ale, and non-carbonated fruit drinks, such as lemonade or fruit punch. Participants were divided into the following categories: non-consumers, those who consumed less than one serving per week, those who consumed one to 3.5 servings per week, and those who consumed more than 3.5 servings per week.
The participants also were categorized as being normal weight, overweight or obese, and their metabolic status was established based on hypertension, elevated fasting glucose, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and insulin resistance. Metabolic health was defined as the absence of metabolic abnormalities. Correlations between SSB intake and risk of metabolic health were determined using logistic regression, after stratification by BMI.
The researchers found that when comparing the highest-frequency group of SSB consumers (median of seven SSB servings per week) to the non-consumer category, the OR for metabolically abnormal phenotypes vs. metabolically healthy was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.1-3.4) among obese participants, 2 (95% CI, 1.4-2.9) among overweight participants, and 1.9 (95% CI, 1.4-2.6) among normal-weight participants.
The researchers said the correlation between SSB consumption and greater metabolic risk may involve the amount of visceral fat, instead of absolute body weight. They added that these findings suggest that overweight and obese individuals may be able to improve metabolic and overall health by cutting back on SSBs.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.