Maternal smoking, consumption of alcohol, and caffeinated beverages during pregnancy and the risk of childhood brain tumors: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate the potential association between maternal smoking, alcohol and caffeinated beverages consumption during pregnancy and the risk of childhood brain tumors (CBTs). METHODS: A thorough search was carried out on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Internet to identify pertinent articles. Fixed or random effects model was applied to meta-analyze the data. RESULTS: The results suggested a borderline statistically significant increased risk of CBTs associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.09). We found that passive smoking (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.20), rather than active smoking (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.93-1.07), led to an increased risk of CBTs. The results suggested a higher risk in 0-1 year old children (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.94-1.56), followed by 0-4 years old children (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.97-1.28) and 5-9 years old children (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.95-1.29). This meta-analysis found no significant association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and CBTs risk (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.80-1.24). An increased risk of CBTs was found to be associated with maternal consumption of caffeinated beverages (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.07-1.26) during pregnancy, especially coffee (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.00-1.38). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal passive smoking, consumption of caffeinated beverages during pregnancy should be considered as risk factors for CBTs, especially glioma. More prospective cohort studies are warranted to provide a higher level of evidence.

National taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages and its association with overweight, obesity, and diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been linked to several adverse health outcomes, thus many countries introduced taxation to reduce it. OBJECTIVES: To summarize national SSB taxation laws and to assess their association with obesity, overweight and diabetes. METHODS: We conducted a systematic scoping review up to January 2022 on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Search to identify taxes on SSBs. An interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) was conducted on 17 countries with taxation implemented in 2013 or before to evaluate the level and slope modifications in the rate of change of standardized prevalence rates of overweight, obesity, and diabetes. Random-effects meta-regression was used to assess whether year of entry into force of the law, national income, and tax design affected observed results. RESULTS: We included 76 tax laws issued between 1940 and 2020 by 43 countries, which were heterogeneous in terms of tax design, amount, and taxed products. Among children and adolescents, ITSA showed level or slope reduction for prevalence of overweight and obesity in 5 (Brazil, Samoa, Palau, Panama, Tonga) and 6 (El Salvador, Uruguay, Nauru, Norway, Palau, Tonga) countries out of 17, respectively. No clear pattern of modification of results according to investigated factors emerged from the meta-regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Taxation is highly heterogeneous across countries in terms of products and design, which might influence its effectiveness. Our findings provide some evidence regarding a deceleration of the increasing prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among children occurring in some countries following introduction of taxation. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021233309.

Probiotics-containing beverages and dental caries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim was to evaluate the effect of probiotics-containing beverages on dental caries development by a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD42021258010). PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were assessed (up to October 2023) for randomized placebo-controlled trials that evaluated the consumption of probiotics-containing beverages having dental caries as endpoint. Risk of bias assessment (Cochrane Handbook) was performed for all studies. Risk ratio (RR), standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated for caries prevalence and caries increment, respectively. Meta-analysis was performed. Qualitative analysis of more than 2000 individuals aged from 1 to 84 years (9 studies) showed inconsistent effects of these probiotics-containing beverages. Synthesis of more than 1000 children and adolescents did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the proportion of individuals with cavitated lesions (RR 0.60 [95 % CI 0.34 to 1.08]; n = 2), but a significantly smaller increment of both cavitated and non-cavitated carious lesions (SMD -0.23 [95 % CI -0.39 to -0.08]; n = 4) was related to the consumption of probiotics-containing beverages. Certainty of evidence for caries prevalence and caries increment were moderate and low, respectively. Current evidence is not substantial to strengthen the impact of these beverages on caries development.

Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and long-term mortality in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a longitudinal analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database.

BACKGROUND: Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has been linked to the development of various adverse health conditions, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study evaluated associations between SSB intake and long-term mortality among individuals with MASLD using a nationally representative database. METHODS: This population-based, longitudinal study extracted data of adults aged 20-79 years with MASLD from the USA (US) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database 2003-2014. Associations between the amount of SSB intake and all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality until the end of 2019 were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 12 965 individuals aged 20-79 years who had MASLD were identified in the database. After exclusion, 5630 participants remained for the analyses. This cohort can be extrapolated to 43 420 321 individuals in the entire US after proper weighting. The mean age of the study cohort was 44.1 years. After adjusting for confounders, no significant association was observed between SSB intake (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) and all-cause [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60-1.76) or cancer mortality (aHR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.15-1.16). However, higher SSB intake (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) was significantly associated with elevated cardiovascular disease mortality risk (aHR = 2.83; 95% CI, 1.01-7.91). CONCLUSION: In US adults with MASLD, high SSB intake is associated with nearly three-fold increased cardiovascular disease mortality risk. The findings underscore the critical need for concerted action on the part of healthcare providers and policymakers.

Sweetened Beverages, Genetic Susceptibility, and Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: An association between sweetened beverages and several cardiometabolic diseases has been reported, but their association with atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), artificially sweetened beverages (ASB), and pure fruit juice (PJ) and risk of consumption with AF risk and further evaluate whether genetic susceptibility modifies these associations. METHODS: A total of 201 856 participants who were free of baseline AF, had genetic data available, and completed a 24-hour diet questionnaire were included. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 9362 incident AF cases were documented. Compared with nonconsumers, individuals who consumed >2 L/wk of SSB or ASB had an increased risk of AF (HR, 1.10 [95% CI, 1.01-1.20] and HR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.10-1.31]) in the multivariable-adjusted model. A negative association was observed between the consumption of ≤1 L/wk of PJ and the risk of AF (HR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.87-0.97]). The highest HRs (95% CIs) of AF were observed for participants at high genetic risk who consumed >2 L/wk of ASB (HR, 3.51 [95% CI, 2.94-4.19]), and the lowest HR were observed for those at low genetic risk who consumed ≤1 L/wk of PJ (HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.65-0.92]). No significant interactions were observed between the consumption of SSB, ASB, or PJ and genetic predisposition to AF. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of SSB and ASB at >2 L/wk was associated with an increased risk for AF. PJ consumption ≤1 L/wk was associated with a modestly lower risk for AF. The association between sweetened beverages and AF risk persisted after adjustment for genetic susceptibility to AF. This study does not demonstrate that consumption of SSB and ASB alters AF risk but rather that the consumption of SSB and ASB may predict AF risk beyond traditional risk factors.

Habitual caffeinated beverage consumption and headaches among adults with episodic migraine: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between habitual caffeinated beverage consumption and headache frequency, duration, and intensity in a prospective cohort of adults with episodic migraine. BACKGROUND: Caffeine is a commonly ascribed headache trigger in adults with migraine and clinicians may counsel patients to avoid caffeinated beverages; however, few studies have examined this association. METHODS: From March 2016 to August 2017, 101 adults with physician-confirmed episodic migraine completed baseline questionnaires, including information about caffeinated beverage consumption. For 6 weeks, they reported headache onset, duration, and pain intensity (scale 0-100) on twice-daily electronic diaries. Ninety-seven participants completed data collection. We examined associations between self-reported habitual caffeinated beverage consumption at baseline and headache outcomes prospectively captured over the following 6 weeks, adjusting for age, sex, and oral contraceptive use. RESULTS: The adjusted mean headache days per month was similar among the 20 participants reporting no habitual intake (7.1 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1-9.2), the 65 participants reporting 1-2 servings/day (7.4 days, 95% CI 6.1-8.7), and the 12 participants reporting 3-4 servings/day (5.9 days, 95% CI 3.3-8.4). Similarly, mean headache duration (no servings/day: 8.6 h, 95% CI 3.8-13.3; 1-2 servings/day: 8.5 h, 95% CI 5.5-11.5; 3-4 servings/day: 8.8 h, 95% CI 2.3-14.9) and intensity (no servings/day: 43.8, 95% CI 37.0-50.5; 1-2 servings/day: 43.1, 95% CI 38.9-47.4; 3-4 servings/day: 46.5, 95% CI 37.8-55.3) did not differ across levels of caffeinated beverage intake, though estimates were imprecise. CONCLUSIONS: We found no association between habitual caffeinated beverage intake and headache frequency, duration, or intensity. These data do not support a recommendation that patients with episodic migraine should avoid consuming caffeine. Further research is needed to understand whether deviating from usual caffeine intake may trigger migraine attacks.

Beverage consumption and facial skin aging: Evidence from Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: Observational studies have linked coffee, alcohol, tea, and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption to facial skin aging. However, confounding factors may influence these studies. The present two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) investigated the potential causal association between beverage consumption and facial skin aging. METHODS: The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with coffee, alcohol, and tea intake were derived from the IEU project. The SSB-associated SNPs were selected from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Data on facial skin aging were derived from the largest GWAS involving 16 677 European individuals. The inverse variance-weighted (IVW) was the main MR analysis method, supplemented by other methods (MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode). The MR-Egger intercept analysis was used for sensitivity analysis. Moreover, we conducted a replication analysis using data from another GWAS dataset on coffee consumption to validate our findings. RESULTS: Four instrumental variables (IVs) sets were used to examine the causal association between beverage consumption (coffee, alcohol, tea, SSB) and facial skin aging. Our results revealed that genetically predicted higher coffee consumption reduced the risk of facial skin aging (OR: 0.852; 95% CI: 0.753-0.964; p = 0.011, IVW method). The sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the findings, with no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity. The results of replicated MR analysis on coffee consumption were consistent with the initial analysis (OR = 0.997; 95% CI = 0.996-0.999; p = 0.003, IVW method). CONCLUSIONS: This study manifests that higher coffee consumption is significantly associated with a reduced risk of facial skin aging. These findings can offer novel strategies for identifying the underlying etiology of facial skin aging.

Association between sugar-free beverage intake and childhood obesity among Chinese children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between sugar-free beverage (SFB) intake and childhood obesity among Chinese children is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To describe the status of SFB consumption among children and adolescents in China and assess the association between SFB intake and different types of obesity. METHODS: The study was based on the baseline data of an ongoing cohort project named Evaluation and Monitoring on School-based Nutrition and Growth in Shenzhen (EMSNGS). Food frequency questionnaires were used to collect information on SFB consumption in 3227 students aged 9-17. Physical and clinical examinations were conducted by trained investigators and clinicians. Multivariable binary logistic regression models were performed to assess the association between SFB intake and general obesity, overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity, metabolically unhealthy overweight (MUOW)/metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 13.28 years. Among the participants, 55.2% were boys, and 66.1% were adolescents. The median SFB consumption was 16.67 mL/d. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, each 100 mL increase in daily SFB intake was associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity (OR = 1.14; 95%CI: 1.06-1.23), abdominal obesity (OR = 1.12; 95%CI: 1.03-1.23), and MUOW/MUO (OR = 1.12; 95%CI: 1.02-1.21), respectively. Stratified analyses showed that family income may have an impact on the association between SFB intake and overweight/obesity (P for interaction = 0.021) and abdominal obesity (P for interaction = 0.031). CONCLUSION: SFB intake was positively associated with childhood obesity in Chinese children, particularly among individuals with high-income families.

The impact of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages on diabetes: a critical review.

The global burden of type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, fuelled by the obesity epidemic, with significant associated health and economic consequences and apparent inequalities. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of added sugars in diets worldwide and have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes through a variety of mechanisms, including excess weight. Taxing SSBs has become a promising public health strategy to reduce consumption and mitigate the burden of type 2 diabetes. A substantial body of evidence suggests that SSB taxes lead to increased prices and subsequent reduced consumption, with a potentially greater effect among lower socioeconomic groups. This highlights the potential for tax policies to have an impact on type 2 diabetes and address health inequalities. Evidence from several ongoing SSB tax schemes, including sales and excise taxes, indicates positive effects on improving consumption patterns, and modelling studies point to health gains by averting type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. In contrast, evidence from empirical evaluation of the impact of SSB tax is scarce. Continued monitoring and the strengthening of evaluation research to develop context-tailored policies are required. In addition, there is a need to implement complementary efforts to amplify the impact of SSB taxation and effectively address the global burden of type 2 diabetes.

Caffeinated Soda Intake in Children Is Associated with Neurobehavioral Risk Factors for Substance Misuse.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Use of psychotropic substances in childhood has been associated with both impulsivity and other manifestations of poor executive function as well as escalation over time to use of progressively stronger substances. However, how this relationship may start in earlier childhood has not been well explored. Here, we investigated the neurobehavioral correlates of daily caffeinated soda consumption in preadolescent children and examined whether caffeinated soda intake is associated with a higher risk of subsequent alcohol initiation. METHODS: Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study data (N = 2,092), we first investigated cross-sectional relationships between frequent caffeinated soda intake and well-known risk factors of substance misuse: impaired working memory, high impulsivity, and aberrant reward processing. We then examined whether caffeinated soda intake at baseline predicts more alcohol sipping at 12 months follow-up using a machine learning algorithm. RESULTS: Daily consumption of caffeinated soda was cross-sectionally associated with neurobehavioral risk factors for substance misuse such as higher impulsivity scores and lower working memory performance. Furthermore, caffeinated soda intake predicted a 2.04 times greater likelihood of alcohol sipping after 12 months, even after controlling for rates of baseline alcohol sipping rates. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that previous linkages between caffeine and substance use in adolescence also extend to younger initiation, and may stem from core neurocognitive features thought conducive to substance initiation.

Maternal-child consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in informal settlements in Mumbai, India.

BACKGROUND: The global nutrition transition is associated with increased consumption of ultra-processed snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (UPF/SSB), contributing to the double burden of child obesity and undernutrition. METHODS: This cross-sectional study describes the prevalence of maternal and child UPF/SSB consumption and the factors associated with frequent consumption in a convenience sample of 749 children ages 6 months through 6 years and their mothers participating in a community-based child oral health program in five informal settlement communities in Mumbai, India. Mothers were interviewed regarding maternal and child oral health and nutrition characteristics, including consumption of beverages and foods associated with tooth decay-milk, soda, tea with sugar, sweets, and chips/biscuits-using standardized questionnaires. Spearman correlations were used to assess for associations between various social factors and the frequency of maternal and child consumption of the five food categories. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in child consumption patterns by age groups. RESULTS: Though reported soda consumption was low among both mothers and children, nearly 60% of children consumed sweets and chips/biscuits daily, four to five times the rate of mothers. Factors associated with children's frequent consumption of UPF/SSB included lower maternal education level, frequent maternal consumption of UPF/SSB, greater number of household members, greater amount of money given to the child, and closer proximity to a store. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate social factors that may promote UPF/SSB consumption. The nutritional dangers of sugary drinks and non-nutritious snacks for mothers and young children should be addressed across maternal-child health, education, and social service programs. Early childhood nutrition interventions should involve the entire family and community and emphasize the need to limit children's consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages from an early age.

Projected health and economic impacts of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation in Germany: A cross-validation modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been implemented globally to reduce the burden of cardiometabolic diseases by disincentivizing consumption through increased prices (e.g., 1 peso/litre tax in Mexico) or incentivizing industry reformulation to reduce SSB sugar content (e.g., tiered structure of the United Kingdom [UK] Soft Drinks Industry Levy [SDIL]). In Germany, where no tax on SSBs is enacted, the health and economic impact of SSB taxation using the experience from internationally implemented tax designs has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to estimate the health and economic impact of national SSBs taxation scenarios in Germany. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this modelling study, we evaluated a 20% ad valorem SSB tax with/without taxation of fruit juice (based on implemented SSB taxes and recommendations) and a tiered tax (based on the UK SDIL) in the German adult population aged 30 to 90 years from 2023 to 2043. We developed a microsimulation model (IMPACTNCD Germany) that captures the demographics, risk factor profile and epidemiology of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in the German population using the best available evidence and national data. For each scenario, we estimated changes in sugar consumption and associated weight change. Resulting cases of cardiometabolic disease prevented/postponed and related quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and economic impacts from healthcare (medical costs) and societal (medical, patient time, and productivity costs) perspectives were estimated using national cost and health utility data. Additionally, we assessed structural uncertainty regarding direct, body mass index (BMI)-independent cardiometabolic effects of SSBs and cross-validated results with an independently developed cohort model (PRIMEtime). We found that SSB taxation could reduce sugar intake in the German adult population by 1 g/day (95%-uncertainty interval [0.05, 1.65]) for a 20% ad valorem tax on SSBs leading to reduced consumption through increased prices (pass-through of 82%) and 2.34 g/day (95%-UI [2.32, 2.36]) for a tiered tax on SSBs leading to 30% reduction in SSB sugar content via reformulation. Through reductions in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), 106,000 (95%-UI [57,200, 153,200]) QALYs could be gained with a 20% ad valorem tax and 192,300 (95%-UI [130,100, 254,200]) QALYs with a tiered tax. Respectively, €9.6 billion (95%-UI [4.7, 15.3]) and €16.0 billion (95%-UI [8.1, 25.5]) costs could be saved from a societal perspective over 20 years. Impacts of the 20% ad valorem tax were larger when additionally taxing fruit juice (252,400 QALYs gained, 95%-UI [176,700, 325,800]; €11.8 billion costs saved, 95%-UI [€6.7, €17.9]), but impacts of all scenarios were reduced when excluding direct health effects of SSBs. Cross-validation with PRIMEtime showed similar results. Limitations include remaining uncertainties in the economic and epidemiological evidence and a lack of product-level data. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that SSB taxation in Germany could help to reduce the national burden of noncommunicable diseases and save a substantial amount of societal costs. A tiered tax designed to incentivize reformulation of SSBs towards less sugar might have a larger population-level health and economic impact than an ad valorem tax that incentivizes consumer behaviour change only through increased prices.

A systematic scoping review evaluating sugar-sweetened beverage taxation from a systems perspective.

Systems thinking can reveal surprising, counterintuitive or unintended reactions to population health interventions (PHIs), yet this lens has rarely been applied to sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation. Using a systematic scoping review approach, we identified 329 papers concerning SSB taxation, of which 45 considered influences and impacts of SSB taxation jointly, involving methodological approaches that may prove promising for operationalizing a systems informed approach to PHI evaluation. Influences and impacts concerning SSB taxation may be cyclically linked, and studies that consider both enable us to identify implications beyond a predicted linear effect. Only three studies explicitly used systems thinking informed methods. Finally, we developed an illustrative, feedback-oriented conceptual framework, emphasizing the processes that could result in an SSB tax being increased, maintained, eroded or repealed over time. Such a framework could be used to synthesize evidence from non-systems informed evaluations, leading to novel research questions and further policy development.

Association of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity with Childhood and Adolescent Overweight/Obesity: Findings from a Surveillance Project in Jiangsu Province of China.

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and inadequate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) have been suggested as potential contributors to overweight/obesity during childhood or adolescence; however, the results of previous studies are inconsistent. It was crucial to estimate the independent and joint association of SSB consumption and inadequate MVPA for childhood and adolescent overweight/obesity. The "Surveillance for Common Disease and Health Risk Factors Among Students in Jiangsu Province 2021-2022" initiative provided us with representative population-based data that we studied. SSB consumption and inadequate MVPA were determined by self-reported SSB habit and MVPA frequency (days/week). The body mass index for each gender and age subgroup was used to identify those who were overweight or obese. With stratified analyses to ascertain differences in age or gender, we employed the logistic regression model to assess the association of SSB and MVPA with overweight/obesity and applied the likelihood ratio test to explore the interactions. Approximately 38.2% of the study population (119,467 students aged 8-17) were overweight/obese. After adjusting covariates, SSB consumption or inadequate MVPA was associated with overweight/obesity (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.07; and OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03-1.10). In comparison to students with "no SSB consumption and adequate MVPA", those with "SSB consumption and inadequate MVPA" had a higher risk of being overweight/obese (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08-1.18). Regardless of age and gender subgroups, the correlation of SSB and MVPA alone and together with being overweight/obese was generally similar, with the adolescent group aged 13-17 years (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.09-1.22) and females (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.02-1.17) being more susceptible. Moreover, there was a significant interaction between SSB consumption and gender (p < 0.001), as well as between SSB consumption and inadequate MVPA (p = 0.008). Hence, SSB consumption in students is significantly associated with overweight/obesity, especially when MVPA is inadequate. In light of the rapidly expanding childhood and adolescent obesity epidemic, proper attention should be given to these modifiable behaviors, particularly SSB and MVPA.

Evaluation of Non-Alcoholic Beverages and the Risk Related to Consumer Health among the Romanian Population.

The range of non-alcoholic drinks is very varied both from a compositional point of view and from a caloric and nutritional point of view. The excessive consumption of sweetened non-alcoholic beverages represents an important risk factor for health, especially when it is accompanied by an unbalanced diet and a disordered lifestyle. In order to evaluate the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages correlated with the evaluation of the main lifestyle factors that can affect the state of health among Romanians, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out based on a questionnaire. The results of the study indicate that among the most consumed non-alcoholic drinks are coffee and sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, which are indicated as being responsible for the development of consumption addictions: 44% for coffee, 16.5% for sweetened or tonic carbonated drinks and 12% for sweetened non-carbonated drinks. Considering that the consumption of coffee is usually associated with sweeteners, there is a risk of excessive caffeine and caloric intake in a context where a lack of exercise predominates (59.98%) among respondents declaring that they do sports rarely or not at all, which can lead, in the long term, to the appearance of imbalances either of a psycho-emotional nature or of a metabolic nature. A significant link was found between sports activity and the environment in which they work (χ2 = 51.33, p = 0.05). Respondents with a daily activity that involves movement (working outdoors, working on a construction site) are also those who usually do sports, while 60.67% of the respondents who work a lot in front of the computer declared that they do sports very rarely or not at all. Reducing the excessive consumption of sweetened drinks can be achieved through an appropriate consumption of water and fruits and by intensifying physical activity as a way of counterbalancing the excess caloric intake.

Decreasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and Raising tap water consumption through Interventions based on Nutrition and sustainability for Kids: study protocol of the "DRINK" cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Effectiveness of actions to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SB) consumption in children still needs to be improved. Furthermore, the growing concern about sustainable food systems encourages to develop sustainability-based interventions. The objective of this cluster randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of nutrition- and environmental sustainability-based interventions on the reduction in SB intake and on the increase in tap water consumption in 3rd to 6th grade primary school children (8 to 11 years of age). METHODS: Forty-eight French-speaking Belgian primary schools (equivalent to around 3500 pupils involved in the evaluation) are randomised using a factorial plan: (i) control, (ii) nutrition-based intervention, (iii) sustainability-based intervention, and (iv) both. The interventions (encouragement of water breaks; provision of posters, leaflets, reusable cups, and glass bottles; website; meetings at school) were undertaken from February 2022 to June 2023. Evaluation includes questionnaires for the children and their parents on various determinants of dietary behaviour, a 4-day diary to collect information on the child's beverage consumption, and audits at schools. The first evaluation was conducted in Spring 2021 before any intervention, with the two post-intervention evaluations being held in 2022 and 2023. The main quantitative judgement criterion will be the change over time in the mean SB consumption (in ml/day) in the intervention groups compared with the control group. Given the context of the research (school), the safety of the intervention, and the content of data collection, a consent was acknowledged as unnecessary by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Psychology (ULB; n°073/2021), but children and parents are explicitly informed of their right to refuse to fill in the questionnaires. DISCUSSION: Multicomponent interventions based on nutrition and on environmental sustainability, alone or mixed, will provide an original and topical insight into health promotion at school around dietary behaviours. The dissemination plan will enable to widely inform stakeholders, school staff, and families, in addition to the scientific community through the usual medium (articles, conferences), about the research findings in 2024-2025. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN99843102. Retrospectively registered on 25 May 2021.

Mediating effect of physical sub-health in the association of sugar-sweetened beverages consumption with depressive symptoms in Chinese college students: A structural equation model.

BACKGROUND: Although previous findings with small samples indicated that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption was associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents, the mediating effect of physical sub-health in the association is unknown. METHODS: A survey was conducted among freshmen from 11 provinces in China. A food frequency questionnaire was used to collect dietary behavior, and patient health questionnaire-9 items was used to assess depressive symptoms. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the association between SSB consumption, physical sub-health and depressive symptoms. The structural equation model was used to analyze the mediating effect of physical sub-health. RESULTS: Of the 31,856 participants, 36.5 % had positive depressive symptoms. After adjusting for variables, carbonate beverages (ß = 0.11; 95%CI: 0.07-0.15; P = 0.000) and milk tea (ß = 0.07; 95%CI: 0.01-0.13; P = 0.021) consumption was associated with depressive symptoms in boys. Carbonate beverages (ß = 0.09; 95%CI: 0.05-0.13; P = 0.000), tea beverages (ß = 0.09; 95%CI: 0.04-0.13; P = 0.000), and milk tea (ß = 0.08; 95%CI: 0.04-0.11; P = 0.000) consumption was associated with depressive symptoms in girls. The mediating effect of physical sub-health accounted for 81.3 % of the total effect in the mediating model of SSB associated with depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective survey has certain information bias. Association observed in the cross-sectional study is uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that the consumption of SSB associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese college students, and physical sub-health plays a complete mediating role in the association.

Associations of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Artificially Sweetened Beverages, and Pure Fruit Juice With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to test the associations of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), artificially sweetened beverages (ASB), and pure fruit juice (PJ) consumption with the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Data for 136 277 UK Biobank participants who completed the dietary questionnaire and did not have a history of liver disease were included. Logistic regression was used for the cross-sectional setting where NAFLD was defined by a fatty liver index (FLI) ≥60. Cox proportional hazard regression was used for the longitudinal setting where hospitalized NAFLD was defined as hospital admission with Internationl Classification of Diseases-10 codes K76.0 and K75.8. RESULTS: Compared with 0 L/wk for corresponding beverages, multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD in consumption ≤1, 1 to 2, and >2 L/wk were 1.06 (1.02-1.10), 1.24 (1.19-1.29), and 1.42 (1.35-1.49) for SSB; 1.43 (1.37-1.50), 1.73 (1.65-1.82), and 2.37 (2.25-2.50) for ASB, and 0.87 (0.84-0.89), 0.91 (0.88-0.94), and 1.07 (1.02-1.13) for PJ, respectively. Consumption of SSB and ASB were both positively correlated with FLI (P for line < .001). During a median follow-up of 10.2 years, 1043 cases of hospitalized NAFLD were recorded. ASB consumption of 1 to 2 and >2 L/wk was associated with a 22% (0.99-1.50) and 35% (1.11-1.65) increased risk of hospitalized NAFLD, respectively (P for trend = .002). However, the associations of SSB and PJ with the risk of hospitalized NAFLD were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of SSB, ASB, and PJ were all related to the risk of NAFLD. Excessive consumption of ASBs was associated with an increased risk of incident hospitalized NAFLD.