Sugar intake and body weight
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Impacts of Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) consumption on Body Weight Regulation
IRAS ID
287552
Contact name
Catherine Hambly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Of Aberdeen
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Overweight and obesity is a major public health problem. Weight gain is strongly associated with an increase in many health conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancers. Behaviours linked to food and beverage consumption can greatly affect body weight. Drinking lots of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) for example, such as carbonated soft-drinks, energy and sport drinks, fruit juices from concentrate, soda and flavoured milk and water, is considered to be an unhealthy dietary behaviour.
We all have different genes which are our bodies blueprint. Some of these genes may make us like sugar more than other people This project will investigate how variations in our genes may impact on our consumption of sugary drinks which may in turn affect our body fatness. Specifically, the project will aim to investigate whether genetic variation in our taste receptors (TAS1R2 and TAS1R3) can influence our intake of SSBs in the UK.This study will be an experimental study that evaluates human body composition by different measurements. Additionally, we will collect blood and urine samples. Blood samples will be used to determine variation in the taste receptor genes in each volunteer by extracting the DNA. Urine samples will be used to look at the typical sugar level in the volunteers body.
Around 128 adult volunteers will be recruited from Aberdeen, UK to participate in the study, which will take approximately 4 hours to complete for each individual with a follow-up phone call to determine SSB intake the following week.
Summary of Results
Abstract Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of added sugars in a person’s diet, which are associated with weight gain and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Simultaneously, taste has been viewed as a major factor in determining food choices and dietary patterns in humans. Correspondingly, this study explores whether consuming SSBs may have an association with body weight or percentage of body fat, and whether an individual’s intake of sugar is influenced by their preference for sweet tastes. The current study used three different methods to determine whether there is a significant difference in the accuracy of estimating body fat percentage in the study population. It investigates the association between the ability to detect sweetness from different sugar concentrations, with body composition, and sociodemographic factors.
Methods: This observational study involved a total of 128 healthy adults (non-diabetic and non-pregnant) living in Aberdeenshire, UK The participants’ body composition was measured using three methods: air displacement plethysmography (ADP), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and deuterium dilution (DD). Two questionnaires were administrated to obtain data on SSB consumption, and a sweetness sensitivity test was additionally performed.
Results: The volunteers had a mean age of 29 years, with 48.4% male. Various ethnic groups participated, and 89.9% were non-smokers. There was no significant difference in BMI between males and females (p value > 0.05), whereas there was a greater body fat percentage (BF%) in females (p value<0.0001). BMI and BF% were not associated with smoking. However, there was a strong positive significant relationship between the BF% values measured by all three-body composition measurements (BIA, ADP and DD) with the correlation between DD and ADP being the stronger (R2=98%), than that between DD and 259 BIA or ADP and BIA. Moreover, no difference was observed between males and females (p value=0.62) in terms of their ability to detect sweet tastes and no significant difference was found between the smokers and the non-smokers (p value=0.14). Nevertheless, the ability to detect sweetness at lower-level concentrations did not lead to lower BMI, BF% or less total sugar consumed from SSBs (p value >0.05).
Conclusion: The consumption of sugar from SSBs differed and adiposity methods were not strongly associated with individuals sociodemographic in the study sample of adults in the UK. No association was found between the consumption of sugar from SSBs or the ability to detect sweet taste and either BMI or BF%. Further investigation into how genetic variation may affect sweet preference could provide deeper insights into sugar consumption preferences among the current population.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
21/NS/0107
Date of REC Opinion
10 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion