Metabolic Effects of Replacing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages with Artificially-Sweetened Beverages in Overweight Subjects with or without Hepatic Steatosis: A Randomized Control Clinical Trial

The idea of using 'fat taxes’ to curb obesity rates has been raised by many. In particular, the idea of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has received considerable attention in the United States and has recently been discussed by President Obama. Rather less attention has been given to the alternative of 'thin subsidies’, that is, subsidies for the consumption of foods or beverages likely to be associated with reduced incidence of obesity. This commentary examines the case for a subsidy for artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) or 'diet soft drinks’. In this commentary, we outline the evidence on the relationship between health outcomes, most notably obesity, and the consumption of SSBs and ASBs. In the light of the evidence we consider the economic effects of taxing SSBs, and the way in which those effects would be modified by the adoption of the alternative 'thin subsidy’ based on subsidising ASBs.

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Sugary drinks, artificially sweetened beverages and cardiovascular disease in NutriNet-Santé cohort

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.573 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

E Chazelas ◽

C Debras ◽

L Fezeu ◽

C Julia ◽

S Hercberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Metabolic Effects ◽

Current Debate ◽

National Health Insurance System ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Sugary Drinks ◽

Incident Cases ◽

Artificially Sweetened Beverages

Abstract Introduction Sugary drinks consumption has increased worldwide in recent years and evidence demonstrating their detrimental impact on cardio-metabolic health is accumulating. Artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) are marketed as a healthier alternative, but their cardio-metabolic impact is being debated in the scientific community. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the consumption of ASB, sugary drinks and the risk of first incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a large prospective cohort. Methods The French NutriNet-Santé cohort was launched in 2009. Every 6 months participants are asked to fill 3 validated web-based 24-hour dietary records. All major health events reported by participants were validated based on their medical records by a committee of physicians. Data were also linked to national health insurance system and to the French national cause of specific mortality registry. For each type of beverage, 3 categories were defined as follows: non-consumers, low consumers and high consumers (separated by sex-specific median among consumers). Multi-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models with age as the primary time scale were performed. Results A total of 104,761 participants were included. During follow-up (2009-2019), 1,379 first incident cases of CVD occurred. Compared to non-consumers, higher consumers of sugary drinks had a higher risk of overall CVD (HR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.40, Ptrend=0.009). Higher consumers of ASB had also a significantly higher risk of CVD (HR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.71, Ptrend =0.04). Conclusions Both sugary drinks and ASB were similarly associated with CVD risk. The health effects of non-nutritive sweeteners is currently being debated based on contrasted epidemiological results. Mechanistic data suggests metabolic effects through gut microbiota perturbation and body weight gain. To imply a causal link, they need replication in other large-scale prospective cohort as well as further mechanistic investigations. Key messages Higher consumption of sugary drinks and ASB was associated with higher risk of CVD, suggesting that ASB might not be a healthy substitute for sugary drinks when considering cardiovascular health. These data provide additional arguments to feed the current debate on taxes, labeling and regulation of sugary and artificially sweetened beverages.

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Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Artificially Sweetened Beverages with Mortality: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and a Meta-Analysis

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa049_069 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 676-676

Author(s):

Yan-Bo Zhang ◽

Yi-Wen Jiang ◽

An Pan

Keyword(s):

National Health ◽

Cardiovascular Mortality ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Nutrition Examination Survey ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Health And Nutrition ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Artificially Sweetened Beverages

Abstract Objectives We aimed to investigate the associations of dietary intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) with mortality. Methods Adults without cancer aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2014 were followed up to December 31, 2015. Beverage intake was assessed by 24-hour dietary recall interviews (a single recall in 5109 participants and an average of two recalls in 19,914 participants). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the associations of SSB and ASB intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, ClinicalTrials.gov, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched for related cohort studies. Random-effects models were used to pool the estimates, and dose-response analyses were conducted using the 2-stage generalized least-squares trend program. Results After a median follow-up of 6.8 years, 2365 deaths were identified in 25,023 participants. Each additional serving of daily SSB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 1.06 (1.02–1.11), 1.13 (1.03–1.24), and 1.06 (1.00–1.11) for mortality from all-cause, heart diseases, and other causes. Each additional serving of daily ASB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 0.96 (0.92–1.00), 0.90 (0.82–0.98), and 0.97 (0.92–1.02) for mortality from all-cause, heart diseases, and other causes. No significant associations were found with cancer mortality. We identified 23,631 citations and included 12 studies (including 13 cohorts) in meta-analyses. It was shown that each additional serving of daily SSB intake was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 1.08 (1.05–1.11, ten cohorts with 388,548 participants) for all-cause mortality and 1.10 (1.06–1.14, five cohorts with 255,584 participants) for cardiovascular mortality. No significant association was found between ASB intake and mortality in the meta-analysis. Conclusions Higher SSB intake was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, while the association between ASB intake and mortality needed further investigation. Funding Sources National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Nature Science Foundation of China, and Hubei Province Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.

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Gut microbiota composition in relation to intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages in the Malmö Offspring Study

European Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1007/s00394-020-02392-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Stina Ramne ◽

Louise Brunkwall ◽

Ulrika Ericson ◽

Nicola Gray ◽

Gunter G. C. Kuhnle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Metagenomic Sequencing ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Multiple Testing Correction ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Added Sugar ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Gut Microbiota Composition ◽

Artificially Sweetened Beverages

Abstract Purpose It has been suggested that a high intake of sugar or sweeteners may result in an unfavorable microbiota composition; however, evidence is lacking. Hence, in this exploratory epidemiological study, we aim to examine if intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) associate with the gut microbiota composition. Methods Participants (18–70 years) in the Malmö Offspring Study have provided blood, urine, and fecal samples and completed both web-based 4 day food records and short food frequency questionnaires. The gut microbiota was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, processed in QIIME and matched to Greengenes (v.13.8), giving 64 included genera after filtering. Intake of added sugar (n = 1371) (also supported by the overnight urinary sugar biomarker in a subgroup n = 577), SSBs (n = 1086) and ASBs (n = 1085) were examined as exposures in negative binomial regressions. Results Various genera nominally associated with intake of added sugar, SSBs, and ASBs. Only the negative association between SSB intake and Lachnobacterium remained significant after multiple testing correction. A positive association between SSB intake and the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio was also observed. Conclusion In this wide population, the cross-sectional associations between added sugar and sweet beverage intake and the gut microbiota are modest, but the results suggest that SSB intake is associated negatively with the genus Lachnobacterium and positively with the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Larger studies, preferably using metagenomic sequencing, are needed to further evaluate if a link exists between intake of sugars and sweeteners and the human gut microbiota.

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