Consumption of low-calorie sweetened beverages and water is associated with lower intake of carbohydrates and sugars and not associated with glycemic response in U.S. non-diabetic adolescents: Results from the 2001-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Joseph C Ratliff; Claudia S Riedt; Victor L Fulgoni 3rd

doi:10.1016/j.nutx.2019.100003

Consumption of low-calorie sweetened beverages and water is associated with lower intake of carbohydrates and sugars and not associated with glycemic response in U.S. non-diabetic adolescents: Results from the 2001-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Nutrition. 2019:67-68S:100003. doi: 10.1016/j.nutx.2019.100003. Epub 2019 Jul 5.

Authors

Joseph C Ratliff¹, Claudia S Riedt², Victor L Fulgoni 3rd³

Affiliations

¹ Keurig Dr Pepper, Plano, Texas, USA.
² Keurig Dr Pepper, Plano, Texas, USA. Electronic address: Claudia.riedt@kdrp.com.
³ Nutrition Impact, LLC, Battle Creek, Michigan, USA.

PMID: 34332713
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutx.2019.100003

Abstract

Objectives: Consumption of no- and low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSBs) in the United States appears to be on the rise. To our knowledge, the relationships between LCSB consumption and dietary intake and metabolic outcomes in adolescents have not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible associations between LCSB and water consumption with nutrient intake and prediabetes criteria among adolescents who were free of diabetes.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated possible associations between LCSB consumption and water consumption using a 24-h diet recall from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2014 in 8868 adolescents 12 to 18 y of age who were free of diabetes.

Results: Compared with consuming <1 serving/d, consuming ≥1 serving/d of either LCSB or water was significantly associated with lower consumption of carbohydrates (LCSB: -22 g; water: -15 g), total sugars (LCSB: -29 g; water: -20 g), and added sugars (LCSB: -5.7 tsp eq; water: -6 tsp eq). Neither LCSB nor water intake were associated with any measures of glycemic response.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that consuming ≥1 serving/d of either LCSB or water is not associated with an increased risk for prediabetes. Confirmation of these findings with a larger sample within the context of a randomized clinical trial would further suggest that LCSBs may represent an additional beverage option other than water for adolescents to help moderate overall dietary sugar intake.

Keywords: Beverages; Diet drinks; Low-calorie sweeteners; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Prediabetes.