756 Consumption of sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and pregnancy outcomes

Abstract

Non-caloric artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) are proposed to be a healthier alternative to sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), but animal studies suggest an association with negative changes to gut microbiome, glucose absorption, and taste receptor sensitivity. We sought to characterize SSB and ASB consumption habits among pregnant women and whether there is an association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. We conducted a secondary analysis of a prospectively collected cohort study of singleton pregnancies among women at a large, tertiary referral center from January 2017-March 2020. Participants completed a self-administered NIH Food Frequency Questionnaire reporting frequency and amount of consumption of beverages. The primary outcome was macrosomia. Secondary outcomes included neonatal hypoglycemia and fetal growth restriction (FGR), gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, BMI at delivery. Due to distribution of intake with most women consuming some SSB and no ASB, we compared the top 75th percentile of SSB and top 90th percentile of ASB consumption. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between consumption patterns and maternal and neonatal outcomes after controlling for maternal age, race, obesity, and substance use. Of 878 patients in the original study, 226 were in the top quartile SSB consumption (High SSB), consuming 77-1141 ounces per week and 91 were in the top 90th percentile (High ASB), consuming >21 ounces per week. Sixty percent of the cohort consumed no ASB. Demographic characteristics were similar between groups. No significant differences were found for primary or secondary outcomes after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Most patients consumed some SSB, no ASB, and there were no differences in pregnancy outcomes between the highest consumers in both groups. Beverage consumption is an important aspect of maternal dietary quality and evidence-based recommendations are needed to guide consumption in pregnancy.