Abstract
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) increases total caloric intake, is linked to cardiometabolic outcomes as well as dental caries, and sugar in SSBs is associated with mortality and frailty among adults. We describe energy and total sugar intake trends among the United States (US) population from SSBs, soft drinks, other beverage groups, and the total diet based on the first 24-h recall data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles (2003–2004 through 2015–2016). SSBs included soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, but excluded sports beverages with protein and sweetened teas/coffees. Among the total population (age ≥2 years: 57,026), energy intake from SSBs declined significantly from 183.9 ± 6.9 mean kcal/d (±SE) in 2003–2004 to 95.0 ± 3.5 in 2015–2016, while total sugar intake declined from 43.6 ± 1.7 mean g/d to 22.3 ± 0.8 (p-trend < 0.0001). Decreases were found for energy and total sugar intake, as well as percentage of energy and total sugar intake from SSBs, soft drinks, and all beverages for all age groups examined (≥2, 2–19, ≥20 years) (p-trend < 0.0001). From 2003 to 2016, energy and sugar intake from all beverages, SSBs, soft drinks, and the total diet decreased among the total population, children, and adults.
Highlights
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contribute approximately 39% of the added sugars consumed in the United States (US) [1] and account for the largest source of added sugars in most Western countries.Consumption of SSBs increases total caloric intake and has been linked to cardiometabolic outcomes, including metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes, as well as dental caries in the US and globally [2,3,4,5,6]
Because SSBs account for a large proportion of total sugar intake, we examined trends in total sugar intake from SSBs, soft drinks, all beverages, and from the total diet, as well as the proportion of total sugars in the diet that came from SSBs, soft drinks, and all beverages
While this energy intake decrease is in part due to a significant increase in the percentage of non-consumers of SSBs across all age groups during the 14-year period, by addressing the tiers of consumption of beverages, we found that a significant reduction in intake of larger portion sizes among all age groups appears to have accounted in part for this decrease in beverage-based energy intake
Summary
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contribute approximately 39% of the added sugars consumed in the United States (US) [1] and account for the largest source of added sugars in most Western countries.Consumption of SSBs increases total caloric intake and has been linked to cardiometabolic outcomes, including metabolic syndrome, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes, as well as dental caries in the US and globally [2,3,4,5,6]. Consumption of SSBs has been associated with preventable death/disability among adults [7]. US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 1999–2006 indicated that SSB intake during pregnancy was associated with significantly higher total energy intake and lower diet quality [8]. Recent analyses of SSB consumption by 37,716 men from the Health. Professional’s Follow-up Study and 80,647 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, after adjustments for diet and lifestyle factors, found that SSB consumption was positively associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a graded dose-response manner [9]. Using cross-sectional data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), Park et al reported statistically significant regional geographic differences in SSB intake among US adults, with the highest intake among adults
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