Modeling the Effect of Replacing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption with Water on Energy Intake, HBI Score, and Obesity Prevalence

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) contribute to excessive weight gain through added energy intake. Replacing SSB with water is one strategy that has shown promise in helping lower excessive energy intake. Using nationally representative data from US adults (n = 19,718) from NHANES 2007–2012 we examine the impact of replacing SSB with water on Healthy Beverage Index (HBI) scores and obesity prevalence. Replacing an 8-ounce serving of SSB with water lowered the percent of energy from beverages from 17% to 11% (among those consuming 1 serving SSB/day). Reductions in the percent energy from beverages were observed across all SSB consumption groups (1–2 servings/day and >2 servings/day). Among adults there was a 9% to 21% improvement in HBI score when one serving of water replaced one serving of SSB. Using previously published randomized controlled trials (RCT) and meta-analyses of measured weight loss we also predicted a reduction in the prevalence of obesity (observed: 35.2%; predicted 33.5%–34.9%, p < 0.05) and increase in the prevalence of normal weight (observed: 29.7%; high weight loss: 31.3%, p < 0.05). Our findings provide further epidemiologic evidence that water in the place of SSB can be used as a strategy to limit energy intake and help individuals meet beverage intake recommendations

Determinants of Dietary Intake and Consequences of Away-from-home Food Consumption

Dietary intake is a complex and multidimential behavior which has clear associations with many adverse health outcomes, including obesity. Away-from-home foods have received considerable attention as modifiable determinant of weight gain and a target for obesity prevention efforts. However, epidemiologic evidence of a link between away-from-home eating and weight gain is mixed, which may result from differences in the definition of away-from-home food or discrepancies in analytic methods. Furthermore, although a variety of individual-level determinants of away-from-home eating specifically, and dietary intake in general, have been explored, direct associations between intake and food price are understudied. Our research addresses these substantive gaps in the literature, providing both methodological and substantive contributions to the field, by investigating the direct effect of change in food price on consumption, refining the definition of and differentiating between sources of away-from-home food (i.e. sit-down style restaurants versus fast food outlets), and examining the long-term health consequences of frequent away-from-home eating. These analyses were conducted using data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, a 20-year prospective longitudinal cohort of 5,115 young adults. Community food prices were linked to detailed diet and health data by residential location over the full 20-year period. We report that food and beverage price seems to be an important determinant of dietary behavior: price changes were significantly associated with changes in consumption, total energy intake, body weight, and measures of insulin resistance over a 20-year period. In addition, we show important independent consequences of frequent restaurant versus fast food consumption on subsequent body weight, cholesterol levels, and measures of insulin resistance. In summary, this research makes significant contributions to the field by advancing our understanding of the influence of food price on consumption behavior and identifying the differential effects of restaurant versus fast food consumption on health. Combined, these results have important implications for the creation of effective educational campaigns, obesity interventions or prevention efforts, and state and national nutrition policies

High-fructose corn syrup: is this what's for dinner?

Research on trends in consumption of added sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the U.S. has largely focused on calorically-sweetened beverages, ignoring other sources

Causes of Increased Energy Intake Among Children in the U.S., 1977–2010

Changes in total energy (TE) intake have been reported among children and adolescents, but the extent to which the components of total energy—energy density (ED); portion size (PS); and the number of eating/drinking occasions (EO)—drive these changes is unknown

Snacking Is Prevalent in Mexico

Background: Snacking has increased globally, but little is known about how Mexicans consume foods outside meals

South Korea’s entry to the global food economy: Shifts in consumption of food between 1998 and 2009

Korea has undergone a major opening of its food markets and economy in the past decade. Little is understood about the impact of these shifts on the diet of Koreans. This analysis studies the shifts in consumption of foods between 1998 and 2009 to provide a thorough understanding of the transition and insights into directions in the next decades in Korea. Data are from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a nationally representative sample of individuals age ≥2 in 1998 and 2009 (n=10,267 and 9,264, respectively). The data are corrected for seasonality, and the original raw food data are regrouped into 53 food groups. SAS is used to adjust for design effects and weight the results. Despite a decade of efforts to increase whole grains intake and fruit and vegetable intake, the mean intake of whole grains increased only a small amount (+16 kcal/person/d); however, the proportion consuming any whole grains doubled from 24% to 46.3%. Rice declined significantly, and several important less healthful food trends emerged: total Alcohol intake increased from 39 kcal/person/d to 82 kcal/person/d. Also, energy from Sugar-Sweetened Beverages increased among teens and energy from Tea & Coffee increased among adults. Remarkably, compared to other Asian countries and a general worldwide trend, vegetable intake remained very high in South Korea during this last decade while fat energy increased modestly from very low levels. Dynamic causes of these trends and the government’s response are discussed

The association of fast food consumption with poor dietary outcomes and obesity among children: is it the fast food or the remainder of the diet?

Background: Although fast food consumption has been linked to adverse health outcomes, the relative contribution of fast food itself compared with the rest of the diet to these associations remains unclear

Regulations to Promote Healthy Sleep Practices in Child Care

The purpose of this study was to assess state licensing and administrative regulations promoting healthy sleep practices in child care and to compare these regulations to national recommendations

States Lack Physical Activity Policies in Child Care That Are Consistent with National Recommendations

Background: Child care facilities' policies can importantly impact health behaviors of toddlers and preschoolers. Our aim was to assess state regulations promoting physical activity (PA) in child care and compare regulations to national recommendations

Sources of excessive saturated fat, trans fat and sugar consumption in Brazil: an analysis of the first Brazilian nationwide individual dietary survey

To examine the patterns of consumption of foods high in Solid Fats and Added Sugars (SoFAS) in Brazil