Sugars and adiposity: the long-term effects of consuming added and naturally occurring sugars in foods and in beverages.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: A.K. Lee, Wellness Department Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta; Ritam Chowdhury, Emory University; Jean A. Welsh, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-10-09
• Publisher: Wiley Open Access: Various Creative Commons Licenses
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 The Authors. Obesity Science & Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, World Obesity and The Obesity Society.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/osp4.7
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Obesity Science and Practice
• ISSN: 2055-2238
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 41
• End Page: 49
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was funded in part by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
• Keywords: sugar; Beverages; waist circumference; obesity
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if the association with adiposity varies by the type (added vs. naturally occurring) and form (liquid vs. solid) of dietary sugars consumed. METHODS: Data from the 10-year National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Growth and Health Study (n = 2,021 girls aged 9-10 years at baseline; n = 5,156 paired observations) were used. Using mixed linear models, 1-year changes in sugar intake, body mass index z-score (BMIz) and waist circumference (WC) were assessed. RESULTS: The results showed mean daily added sugar (AS) intake: 10.3 tsp (41 g) liquid; 11.6 tsp (46 g) solid and naturally occurring sugar intake: 2.6 tsp (10 g) liquid; 2.2 tsp (9 g) solid. Before total energy adjustment, each additional teaspoon of liquid AS was associated with a 0.222-mm increase in WC (p = 0.0003) and a 0.002 increase in BMIz (p = 0.003). Each teaspoon of solid AS was associated with a 0.126-mm increase in WC (p = 0.03) and a 0.001 increase in BMIz (p = 0.03). Adjusting for total energy, this association was maintained only between liquid AS and WC among all and between solid AS and WC among those overweight/obese only. There was no significant association with naturally occurring sugar. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate to suggest a positive association between AS intake (liquid and solid) and BMI that is mediated by total energy intake and an association with WC that is independent of it.