Association between Soft-Drink Intake and Obesity, Depression, and Subjective Health Status of Male and Female Adults

The association between soft drinks consumption and risk of mental disorders among Iranian adults: The LIPOKAP study

OBJECTIVE

With rising demand for soft drinks (SDs) in low-income countries, studies examining mental disorders in relation to SDs are rather scarce. Therefore, we aimed to explore this association in a sample of Iranian adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out within the framework of the multi-centric LIPOKAP project, with 1970 Iranian healthy adults. Dietary intake and symptoms of depression and anxiety were collected using validated, Persian versions of a food frequency questionnaire and a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. Artificial juices were considered fruit-flavored carbonated sugar beverages, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) included fruit-flavored carbonated sugar beverages and carbonated colas, and soft drinks included SSB and drinks containing non-nutritive sweeteners.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 39.8 ± 13.9 years. Compared to lower intake, higher intake of SDs (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI: 1.01, 1.69; P = 0.041), SSBs (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI: 1.00, 1.67; P = 0.045) and artificial juice (OR = 1.63, 95 % CI: 1.24, 2.13; P < 0.001) was associated with higher risk of depression in adjusted model. These associations were sex-specific and more evident in males. No significant association was found between any of the drinks and anxiety risk except for artificial juice in men which was directly associated with anxiety risk (OR = 1.66, 95 % CI: 1.06, 2.61; P = 0.028).

CONCLUSION

This study found a positive association between SDs, SSBs and artificial juice and depression, but not anxiety. These associations varied between men and women. Prospective cohort studies are warranted to confirm our results and reveal the causal relationship.

Taste receptor type 1 member 3 regulates Western diet-induced male infertility

Western diet (WD), characterized by a high intake of fats and sugary drinks, is a risk factor for male reproductive impairment. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this remain unclear. Taste receptor type 1 member 3 (TAS1R3), activated by ligands of WD, is highly expressed in extra-oral tissues, particularly in the testes. Here, we investigated to determine the effects of WD intake on male reproduction and whether TAS1R3 mediates WD-induced impairment in male reproduction. Male C57BL/6 J wild-type (WT) and Tas1r3 knockout (KO) mice were fed either a normal diet and plain water (ND) or a 60 % high-fat-diet and 30 % (w/v) sucrose water (WD) for 18 weeks (n = 7-9/group). Long-term WD consumption significantly impaired sperm count, motility and testicular morphology in WT mice with marked Tas1r3 overexpression, whereas Tas1r3 KO mice were protected from WD-induced reproductive impairment. Testicular transcriptome analysis revealed downregulated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and significantly elevated AMPK-targeted nuclear receptor 4A1 (Nr4a1) expression in WD-fed Tas1r3 KO mice. In vitro studies further validated that Tas1r3 knockdown in Leydig cells prevented the suppression of Nr4a1 and downstream steroidogenic genes (Star, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, and Hsd3b1) caused by high glucose, fructose, and palmitic acid levels, and maintained the levels of testosterone. Additionally, we analyzed the public human dataset to assess the clinical implications of our findings and confirmed a significant association between TAS1R3 and male-infertility-related diseases. Our findings suggest that TAS1R3 regulates WD-induced male reproductive impairment via the AMPK/NR4A1 signaling and can be a novel therapeutic target for male infertility.

National Nutrition Surveys Applying Dietary Records or 24-h Dietary Recalls with Questionnaires: A Scoping Review

Development of an accurate and efficient dietary method is required for national nutrition surveys. Some countries conduct dietary surveys and combine 24-h dietary records or 24-h dietary recalls with dietary questionnaires. This scoping review aimed to summarize studies that used results from national surveys that combined detailed dietary surveys (dietary records or 24-h dietary recall) and dietary questionnaires and identify the purpose of combining the two methods. The PubMed database and manual searches were used for the literature review. We extracted 58 articles from 16 national nutrition surveys from 14 countries. Most studies used 24-h dietary recall for detailed dietary surveys and the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) or food propensity questionnaire (FPQ) for questionnaire surveys. Among 37 studies from eight countries, the purpose of combining the two dietary survey methods was to estimate energy and nutrient intakes from detailed dietary surveys and habitual food intake from questionnaires. These findings are useful as a reference when introducing new dietary survey methods in future national nutrition surveys.

Appropriate Macronutrients or Mineral Elements Are Beneficial to Improve Depression and Reduce the Risk of Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder that seriously affects the quality of life and leads to an increasing global suicide rate. Macro, micro, and trace elements are the main components that maintain normal physiological functions of the brain. Depression is manifested in abnormal brain functions, which are considered to be tightly related to the imbalance of elements. Elements associated with depression include glucose, fatty acids, amino acids, and mineral elements such as lithium, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and selenium. To explore the relationship between these elements and depression, the main literature in the last decade was mainly searched and summarized on PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and other electronic databases with the keywords "depression, sugar, fat, protein, lithium, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and selenium". These elements aggravate or alleviate depression by regulating a series of physiological processes, including the transmission of neural signals, inflammation, oxidative stress, neurogenesis, and synaptic plasticity, which thus affect the expression or activity of physiological components such as neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, receptors, cytokines, and ion-binding proteins in the body. For example, excessive fat intake can lead to depression, with possible mechanisms including inflammation, increased oxidative stress, reduced synaptic plasticity, and decreased expression of 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Postsynaptic density protein 95(PSD-95), etc. Supplementing mineral elements, such as selenium, zinc, magnesium, or lithium as a psychotropic medication is mostly used as an auxiliary method to improve depression with other antidepressants. In general, appropriate nutritional elements are essential to treat depression and prevent the risk of depression.

The association between healthy beverage index and quality of life among overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Although several studies have evaluated the association between patterns of beverage consumption with different components of quality of life separately, the findings are controversial. In addition, none have examined all components of quality of life together in relation to patterns of beverage consumption. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the association between healthy beverage index (HBI) and quality of life among overweight and obese women.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, 210 obese and overweight women were recruited from health centers in Tehran, Iran. Using reliable and verified standard protocols, data on beverage intake, socio-demographic, physical activity, and anthropometric variables were assessed. Based on past studies, the predetermined HBI was estimated. Serum samples were used to determine biochemical characteristics, and quality of life was assessed using SF-36 questionnaires.

RESULTS

There was a significant association between total QoL score with T2 tertile of HBI in the adjusted model (β: 13.11, 95% CI: 1.52, 24.69, p-value = 0.027). General health had a significant negative association with T2 (β: -5.83; 95% CI: - 11.48, - 0.18; p-value = 0.043) and T3 (β: -6.20; 95% CI: - 12.37, - 0.03; p-value = 0.049). Women with greater adherence to the HBI had a higher physical functioning score, and there was a significant upward trend from the second to the third tertile (7.74 vs 0.62) (-trend = 0.036). There was a significant positive association between mental health with T3 of HBI (β: 4.26; 95% CI: 1.51, 5.98; p-value = 0.015) and a significant increasing trend was observed with increasing tertiles (P-trend = 0.045).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there is a significant association between total QoL score, and its components, with HBI among overweight and obese women. However, additional well-designed studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Added Sugar Consumption in Spanish Children (7-12 y) and Nutrient Density of Foods Contributing to Such Consumption: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Diets rich in free sugars are associated with an increased risk of obesity. The aim of the present study is to estimate the intake of added sugars in the population of Spanish children and analyze the quality of the foods that contribute to this intake.

METHODS

An observational study was conducted to collect self-reported information on weekly food consumption in 1775 Spanish children (7-12 years). Nutrient contents were obtained from different databases. Two nutritional density indices were constructed taking into account all nutrients provided and compared with two previously described indices.

RESULTS

The average consumption of added sugars in Spanish children was 55.7 ± 1.0 g/day. The products that most contributed to added sugar intake were biscuits (13.3%), cocoa powder (11.1%), sweetened yogurts (9.9%), and dairy desserts (8.6%). Among these, dairy products had considerable nutritional value. Parents' perception of nutritional value was not aligned with the actual nutritional value.

CONCLUSION

The consumption of added sugars was higher than recommended. Public awareness efforts should focus on: (1) the reduction of consumption of low-nutritional quality products containing high amounts of added sugars; (2) the industrial reformulation of most consumed products to reduce sugar content and increase valuable nutrients; and (3) nutritional education.

Association between soft drink consumption types and risk of lung cancer and all-cancer: A prospective study of PLCO data

Diet/sugar-free soft drinks are considered to be healthier than regular soft drinks. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the types of soft drinks (regular and diet/sugar-free) and lung cancer (LC)/all-cancer (AC) risk. In this study, we comprehensively assessed the influence of the type of soft drink consumption on LC/AC risk based on the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and competing risks Fine-Gray regression models adjusted for relevant confounders were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and subdistribution HRs for different types of soft drink consumption. In the PLCO population, female subgroup, and the ever/current smoker subgroup, consumption of both regular and diet soft drinks was associated with a significantly reduced risk of LC compared with no soft drinks at all. For the non-lung cancer (NLC) risk, consumption of only diet soft drinks had a significant positive association for the total population and female subgroup. Based on our findings, it was suggested that partial replacement of regular soft drinks with diet soft drinks might be beneficial to LC prevention, especially for females and ever/current smokers. Additionally, completely replacing regular soft drinks with diet soft drinks might be detrimental to NLC prevention, especially for females.

The Impact of Collaborative Communication on the Physical Distribution Service Quality of Soft Drinks: A Case Study of Beverage Manufacturing Companies in Greece

This research aimed to use the collaborative communication aspects of information sharing, incentive alignment, and decision synchronization to explain physical distribution service quality in the soft drink demand chain. The research was prompted by a desire to learn more about a topic that has received little attention in Greece while also contributing information about the variables that influence the performance of soft drink distribution networks. Manufacturers in Greece provided the data. The aspects of collaborative communication were significant determinants of the physical distribution service quality. Physical distribution service quality was shown to be significantly predicted by incentive alignment and information sharing, but not by decision synchronization. This research shows that collaborative communication aspects such as information sharing, decision synchronization, and incentive alignment enhance physical distribution service quality in soft drink demand chains. The research used a primary sample of 200 study participants from different drink manufacturing plants around Greece. In our research, we focused on vertical cooperation between manufacturers and distributors and its effect on physical distribution service quality. This is a relatively unexplored topic in the developing world. According to the scholars cited in the literature review, information exchange, incentive alignment, and decision synchronization improve physical distribution service quality in demand chains.