Fruit drink consumption is associated with overweight and obesity in Canadian women

Sugar Consumption Pattern among Cardiometabolic Risk Individuals: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

The global prevalence of noncommunicable diseases has risen rapidly over the past decade. Research has focused on dietary management, particularly dietary sugar, to prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases.

OBJECTIVE

This study undertakes a scoping review of research on the impacts of dietary sugar on cardiometabolic related health outcomes.

METHODS

Ovid Medline, Scopus and Web of Science Core collection databases were used to identify papers published from January 1, 2010 onwards. The included studies had to be cross-sectional or cohort studies, peered review, published in English and in adults, aged 18 years old and above. Articles had to determine the impacts of sugar intake on cardiometabolic related health outcomes. Study quality was measured using the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-sectional Studies. In addition, a narrative synthesis of extracted information was conducted.

RESULTS

Thirty-one articles were included in this review. All studies had a large sample size, and the exposure measure was clearly defined, valid and applied consistently across all study participants. Exposure was measured using validated questionnaires. All data were statistically analysed and adjusted for critical potential confounding variables. Results showed that dietary sugar intake was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipids, and body weight.

CONCLUSION

Dietary sugar intake significantly increased cardiometabolic risks through mechanisms dependent and independent of weight gain. It is essential to create public awareness on the topics of cardiometabolic risk management and dietary sugars intake.

Investigating the Association between Unhealthy Dietary Habits and Obesity among Libyan Adults

BACKGROUND

Although an increasing number of studies have reported on nutrition transition and unhealthy eating habits (UEHs) worldwide, there is a paucity of studies on UEHs in the Arab region, particularly in Libya. Aim: This study investigated the associations between obesity among Libyan adults and UEHs. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the five major districts in Benghazi, Libya. A multistage cluster sampling strategy was implemented to choose and recruit Libyan adults. Anthropometric measurements were gathered by highly qualified nurses, using the Segmental Body Composition Monitor and a portable Stadiometer. The study used and adapted the two Self-administered questionnaires: the WHO STEPS Instrument and eating behaviors linked with obesity questionnaire. Results: Among a total of 401 participants who were successfully recruited in this study, 253 (63%) were female (aged 20-65 years), the response rate achieved was 78%. The prevalence of obesity amongst Libyan adults was estimated to be 42.4%. The results revealed the presence of a significant association between obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and five UEHs for Libyan men and six UEHs for Libyan women. For Libyan men, an association was found between obesity and the following five explanatory factors: fast food intake in a day and a week, which were (OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 4.04-12.32) and (OR: 4.65, 95% CI: 1.04-9.46), respectively; large food portion sizes consumed at one sitting (OR: 19.54, 95% CI: 1.41-27.74); a high frequency of skipping breakfast either in a typical day or a week, which were (OR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.01-0.77) and (OR: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01-0.24), respectively. For Libyan women, a significant association was found between obesity and the following six explanatory factors: fast food intake in a day and a week, which were (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 3.32-11.12) and (OR: 5.5, 95% CI: 1.88-16.11), respectively; intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in a typical week (OR: 4.02, 95% CI: 1.35-11.99); and large food portion sizes consumed at one sitting at one sitting (OR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.18-9.84); and a high frequency of skipping breakfast either in a typical day or a week, which were (OR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.03-0.43) and (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.08-0.63), respectively. Conclusions: The findings of the study reveal areas of action for Libyan researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and government officials about UEHs in the Libyan context. This could inform establishing and developing new interventions for preventing and controlling the obesity epidemic through food system improvements.

Unhealthy Dietary Patterns Increased Risks of Incident Obesity: A Prospective Cohort Study in Southwest China

PURPOSE

Few studies have explored the associations between diet patterns and incident obesity in China. This study aimed to explore associations between dietary patterns and incident obesity in a prospective community-population cohort in Southwest China.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Totally, 5742 adult residents from Guizhou province were eligible for this analysis. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle, history of chronic diseases, and dietary patterns measured by hundred-item food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) were collected at the baseline study. Four dietary patterns were identified using factor analysis. Cox proportional hazard models stratified by physical activity were used to explore the association and estimate adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Among 5742 subjects, the average age was 45.06 ± 15.21 years old and more than half were women. During the follow-up of 40,524.15 person years (PYs), the overall incidence rate of obesity was 10.54/1000PYs. After the adjustment for possible confounding factors, subjects with the third (aHR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.14-2.00) and the fourth quartile (aHR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.10-1.94) of junk food patterns had statistically increased risk of incident obesity compared to those with the first quartile. Also, subjects with the third quartile of the western pattern had significantly higher risk of incident obesity (aHR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.01-1.75) than those with the first quartile.

CONCLUSION

There was a high risk in incident obesity among Chinese community population of Southwest China and unhealthy diet significantly increased risk of developing obesity. The findings indicated that effective and targeted measures to improve dietary patterns need to be undertaken urgently in Southwest China.

Optimization of Porphyran Extraction from Pyropia yezoensis by Response Surface Methodology and Its Lipid-Lowering Effects

Macroalgae polysaccharides are phytochemicals that are beneficial to human health. In this study, response surface methodology was applied to optimize the extraction procedure of Pyropia yezoensis porphyran (PYP). The optimum extraction parameters were: 100 °C (temperature), 120 min (time), and 29.32 mL/g (liquid-solid ratio), and the maximum yield of PYP was 22.15 ± 0.55%. The physicochemical characteristics of PPYP, purified from PYP, were analyzed, along with its lipid-lowering effect, using HepG2 cells and Drosophila melanogaster larvae. PPYP was a β-type sulfated hetero-rhamno-galactan-pyranose with a molecular weight of 151.6 kDa and a rhamnose-to-galactose molar ratio of 1:5.3. The results demonstrated that PPYP significantly reduced the triglyceride content in palmitic acid (PA)-induced HepG2 cells and high-sucrose-fed D. melanogaster larvae by regulating the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes, reducing lipogenesis and increasing fatty acid β-oxidation. To summarize, PPYP can lower lipid levels in HepG2 cells and larval fat body (the functional homolog tissue of the human liver), suggesting that PPYP may be administered as a potential marine lipid-lowering drug.

Beverage consumption and energy intake among Canadians: analyses of 2004 and 2015 national dietary intake data

Background

Among adults and children consuming Western diets, beverages are significant sources of free sugars, saturated fats, excess calories, and alcohol, with relevance to chronic disease risk. The impact of recent healthy eating policies and beverage market evolutions on population-level consumption patterns in Canada is unknown. The current study examined trends in intake of a range of beverage types among a nationally-representative sample of Canadians, with stratification by socio-demographic characteristics.

Methods

The 2004 (n = 34,775) and 2015 (n = 20,176) nutrition-focused cycles of the Canadian Community Health Surveys are cross-sectional surveys representative of the population of the 10 Canadian provinces. Based on a single multiple-pass 24-h dietary recall for each participant, fluids consumed as beverages were grouped into seven categories. Using linear regression, reported intake (volume, ml and energy, kcal) of each category was characterized over time and in relation to sex, age, ethnicity, income, body mass index (BMI), and province of residence.

Results

In 2015, Canadians reported consuming an average of 1806 ml (275 kcal) fluids as beverages per day, including: plain water 867 ml (0 kcal); other unsweetened beverages, e.g. coffee, 364 ml (6 kcal); sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) 204 ml (99 kcal); plain milk 132 ml (64 kcal); alcoholic drinks 120 ml (71 kcal); 100% juice 74 ml (34 kcal); and diet or low calorie beverages 44 ml (2 kcal). Differential consumption was observed across socio-demographic groups, with high consumption of sugary drinks (i.e., SSBs and 100% juice) and alcohol across groups. From 2004 to 2015, the reported volumes of beverages consumed decreased by 10% (energy: − 24%). With adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics, there were significant changes (p < 0.001) over time in intake of: 100% juice − 40% (− 38%); plain milk − 37% (− 35%); SSBs − 26% (− 20%); diet or low calorie beverages (− 46%); and other unsweetened beverages − 11% (− 42%). The volume of plain water consumed increased by 10% (p < 0.0001). Intake of alcoholic (volume and energy) and diet or light beverages did not change significantly.

Conclusions

Lower intake of beverages was reported by Canadians in 2015 versus 2004, with a shift towards plain water. Consumption of sugary drinks decreased, but these beverages continue to contribute substantially to Canadians' overall energy intake. The findings underscore the need for policies to further reduce the consumption of sugary and alcoholic beverages, as well as calories from beverages.

Factors influencing basal metabolism of Czechs of working age from South Moravia

OBJECTIVE

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the main part of the total body energy expenditure. The value of BMR is individual and depends on a lot of factors. The goal of the research was to discover the influence of anthropometric parameters, age and gender, on changes of the BMR values.

METHODS

A total of 177 individuals of Czech Caucasian origin from South Moravia (BMI 27.3 ± 7.88 kg/m²) aged 18-55 (117 women, 60 men) were included in the study. Selected anthropometric characteristics were measured using a stadiometer (SECA 213) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (Inbody 230). BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry (Cortex Metalyzer 3B). The measured values were statistically evaluated by the regression analysis and least square method (LSM).

RESULTS

From the following results that the factors that influence the BMR value statistically significantly (p &lt; 0.05) are: age, gender, body mass index, total body water, and percent of body fat.

CONCLUSION

Body fat and age have both an indirect impact on the basal metabolic rate of the Czech population in working age. However, BMI and the total body water were discovered to have a direct influence on the BMR.

Ces1d deficiency protects against high-sucrose diet-induced hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease. Triacylglycerol accumulation in the liver is a hallmark of NAFLD. Metabolic studies have confirmed that increased hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) in humans contributes to fat accumulation in the liver and to NAFLD progression. Mice deficient in carboxylesterase (Ces)1d expression are protected from high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis. To investigate whether loss of Ces1d can also mitigate steatosis induced by over-activated DNL, WT and Ces1d-deficient mice were fed a lipogenic high-sucrose diet (HSD). We found that Ces1d-deficient mice were protected from HSD-induced hepatic lipid accumulation. Mechanistically, Ces1d deficiency leads to activation of AMP-activated protein kinase and inhibitory phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Together with our previous demonstration that Ces1d deficiency attenuated high-fat diet-induced steatosis, this study suggests that inhibition of CES1 (the human ortholog of Ces1d) might represent a novel pharmacological target for prevention and treatment of NAFLD.

Generation of Maternal Obesity Models in Studies of Developmental Programming in Rodents

Mother-child cohort studies have established that both pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) are independently associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors in juvenile and adult offspring, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In rodent studies maternal obesity confers many facets of the metabolic syndrome including a persistent sympathy-excitatory hyperresponsiveness and hypertension acquired in the early stages of development. Insight from these animal models raises the possibility that early life exposure to the nutritional and hormonal environment of obesity in pregnancy in humans may lead to early onset of metabolic syndrome and/or essential hypertension. This chapter will address the development of rodent models of maternal overnutrition and obesity, which have proved invaluable in generating testable hypotheses for clinical translation and the development of intervention strategies to stem the swelling tide of obesity and its comorbidities predicted for future generations.

Estimated Global, Regional, and National Disease Burdens Related to Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in 2010

BACKGROUND

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are consumed globally and contribute to adiposity. However, the worldwide impact of SSBs on burdens of adiposity-related cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, and diabetes mellitus has not been assessed by nation, age, and sex.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We modeled global, regional, and national burdens of disease associated with SSB consumption by age/sex in 2010. Data on SSB consumption levels were pooled from national dietary surveys worldwide. The effects of SSB intake on body mass index and diabetes mellitus, and of elevated body mass index on CVD, diabetes mellitus, and cancers were derived from large prospective cohort pooling studies. Disease-specific mortality/morbidity data were obtained from Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2010 Study. We computed cause-specific population-attributable fractions for SSB consumption, which were multiplied by cause-specific mortality/morbidity to compute estimates of SSB-attributable death/disability. Analyses were done by country/age/sex; uncertainties of all input data were propagated into final estimates. Worldwide, the model estimated 184 000 (95% uncertainty interval, 161 000-208 000) deaths/y attributable to SSB consumption: 133 000 (126 000-139 000) from diabetes mellitus, 45 000 (26 000-61 000) from CVD, and 6450 (4300-8600) from cancers. Five percent of SSB-related deaths occurred in low-income, 70.9% in middle-income, and 24.1% in high-income countries. Proportional mortality attributable to SSBs ranged from <1% in Japanese >65 years if age to 30% in Mexicans <45 years of age. Among the 20 most populous countries, Mexico had largest absolute (405 deaths/million adults) and proportional (12.1%) deaths from SSBs. A total of 8.5 (2.8, 19.2) million disability-adjusted life years were related to SSB intake (4.5% of diabetes mellitus-related disability-adjusted life years).

CONCLUSIONS

SSBs are a single, modifiable component of diet that can impact preventable death/disability in adults in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, indicating an urgent need for strong global prevention programs.

Systematic review of the evidence for an association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and risk of obesity

A systematic review of the evidence for an association between sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of obesity was conducted. This review focused specifically on the role of sugar-sweetened beverages in obesity risk, taking into account energy balance. For the purpose of this review, scientific conclusions could not be drawn from the intervention studies that evaluated the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and obesity risk. Results of observational studies that examined the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and obesity risk that were adjusted for energy intake and physical activity were inconsistent for each of the three age groups evaluated (children, adolescents, and adults). From this review, evidence for an association between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and obesity risk is inconsistent when adjustment for energy balance is made.

The inflammatory profile and liver damage of a sucrose-rich diet in mice

It is still unclear if an isoenergetic, sucrose-rich diet leads to health consequences.

AIMS

To investigate the effects of excessive sucrose within an isoenergetic diet on metabolic parameters in male C57BL/6 mice.

METHODS

Animals were fed a control diet (10% fat, 8% sucrose - SC group), a high-sucrose diet (10% fat, 32% sucrose - HSu group), a high-fat diet (42% fat, 8% sucrose - HF group) or a high-fat/high-sucrose diet (42% fat, 32% sucrose - HF/HSu group) for 8 weeks.

RESULTS

Mice fed HF and HF/HSu diets gained more body mass (BM) and more body adiposity than SC- or Hsu-fed mice. Despite the unchanged BM and adiposity indices, HSu mice presented adipocyte hypertrophy, which was also observed in the HF and HF/HSu groups (P<.0001). The HF, HSu and HF/HSu mice were glucose intolerant and had elevated serum insulin levels (P<.05). The levels of leptin, resistin and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 increased, while the serum adiponectin decreased in the HF, HSu and HF/HSu groups (P<.05). In the adipose tissue, the HF, HSu and HF/HSu groups showed higher levels of leptin expression and lower levels of adiponectin expression in comparison with the SC group (P<.05). Liver steatosis was higher in the HF, HSu and HF/HSu groups than in the SC group (P<.0001). Hepatic cholesterol was higher in the HF and HF/HSu groups, while hepatic TG was higher in the HSu and HF/HSu groups (P<.05). In hepatic tissue, the sterol receptor element-binding protein-1c expression was increased in the HF, HSu and HF/HSu groups, unlike the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha expression that decreased in the HF, HSu and HF/HSu groups in comparison with the SC group (P<.05).

CONCLUSION

A sucrose-rich diet does not lead to a state of obesity but has the potential to cause changes in the adipocytes (hypertrophy) as well as glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, hepatic steatosis and increases in the number of inflammatory cytokines. The deleterious effects of a sucrose-rich diet in an animal model, even when the sucrose replaces starch isocalorically in the feed, can have far-reaching consequences for health.