Is cardiorespiratory fitness a moderator of the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and insulin resistance in schoolchildren?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) decreases the association between insulin resistance and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in a population-based sample of Spanish schoolchildren. This is a cross-sectional study including 430 schoolchildren (51.4% girls), aged 8-12years, from 10 schools in Cuenca (Spain). Blood samples were drawn to measure fasting insulin levels. Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was also assessed. Data on SSB consumption were gathered using the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire, which was completed by parents. The CRF level was determined by the 20m Shuttle Run test and a curvilinear allometric model. Our conditional regression estimates showed that CRF moderated the association of SSB consumption on insulin levels or HOMA-IR. In children who had levels of CRF < 34.4ml/kg/min ml/kg/min (for insulin levels) or < 33.6ml/kg/min (for HOMA-IR), the association betweenSSB consumption andfasting insulin levels or HOMA-IRraised. Among children with CRF levels between 34.4 and 52.1ml/kg/min (for insulin levels) or 33.6-55.4ml/kg/min (for HOMA-IR), the association of SSB consumption on insulin level or HOMA-IR neither increased nor decreased. Among children with CRF levels > 52.1ml/kg/min (for insulin levels) or > 55.4ml/kg/min (for HOMA-IR), the association of SSB consumption on fasting insulin levels or HOMA-IR decreased. Our results showed that certain levels of CRF moderate the association between SSB consumption and insulin resistance in a population-based sample of Spanish schoolchildren.