In a recent study published in PLoS ONE, researchers evaluate the association between total added sugar intake and prediabetes risk amongst adult United States residents.

Study: Total added sugar consumption just isn’t significantly related to risk for prediabetes amongst U.S. adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013-2018. Image Credit: Eviart / Shutterstock.com

Background

Prediabetes, a serious and asymptomatic medical condition characterised by intermittently elevated blood glucose levels and insulin resistance, is prevalent amongst adult U.S. residents. Previous studies have reported positive and dose-dependent associations between sweetened beverage consumption and sort 2 diabetes; nonetheless, it stays unclear whether the whole dietary consumption of added sugars similarly increases the chance of prediabetes.

Most of those studies used added sugar proxies, equivalent to high-fructose corn and fructose- and sugar-sweetened beverages, relatively than determining total added sugar intake from all dietary sources, including beverages and foods. As well as, ethnicity- and race-based differences in prediabetes risk haven’t been well-characterized.

Concerning the study

In the current cross-sectional study, researchers investigate whether total added sugar consumption was related to prediabetes risk amongst U.S. adults. The researchers also determined whether prediabetes risk estimates differed by ethnicity or race and the whole added sugar consumption, which was expressed as a percentage of total energy intake.

Publicly accessible and de-identified data were analyzed from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2013 and 2018. U.S. adults 20 years and older with one to 2 days of weight loss plan recall data were also included within the evaluation. Prediabetes was described as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels ranging between 5.7% and 6.4% or fasting blood glucose levels between 100-125 mg/dL.

Survey-weighted-type logistic regression modeling was used to calculate the percentages ratios (ORs) for prediabetes development based on the added sugar intake, based on the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Adjusted covariates included age, sex, ethnicity or race, body mass index (BMI), total calorie intake, physical exertion, smoking habits, educational attainment, poverty-to-income ratios (PIRs), and dietary variables, including saturated fat, total fat, total antioxidant capability, and dietary fiber.

The study participants included Hispanic Mexican Americans and other Latinos, non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites, and Asian Americans. Those that were excluded from the study included 115 pregnant and breastfeeding women, 963 individuals consuming insulin or antidiabetic medications, 167 diabetes type 2 patients with HbA1c levels exceeding 6.5% or fasting blood glucose levels greater than 126 mg/dL, and 415 adults as a consequence of an absence of a number of days of weight loss plan recall data comprising added sugar values from the evaluation.

Trained personnel performed dietary recalls using the U.S. Agricultural Department’s automated multiple-pass method (AMPM). The initial recall was administered face-to-face at the middle, whereas the second recall was performed over the phone after three to 10 days.

Added sugars included those present in concentrated fruit juices, syrups, and caloric sweeteners incorporated during food preparation, processing, and consumption, excluding natural sugars in fruit and dairy products. Added sugar estimates were derived from the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies’ Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED).

Study findings

The sample size comprised 5,306 adult individuals, 3,152 of whom had prediabetes, and a couple of,154 had normal blood glucose levels. The mean participant age was 47 years, 51% of whom were female.

Among the many participants, 66%, 15%, 11%, 5%, and 4% were non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic Mexican Americans and Latinos, non-Hispanic Blacks, Asian Americans, and individuals of other races, respectively.

Individuals with prediabetes were more more likely to be older, averaging 51 years. Prediabetics were also more more likely to be male (54%), chubby (35%), obese (44%), non-smokers (78%), have high school-level education (26%), have family PIRs above 1.85 (68%), belong to Hispanic ethnicity inclusive of Mexican Americans (16%), Asian Americans (5.0%), or of other races (4.0%).

The regular total calorie intake was 2,067 kcal day by day, whereas the regular total added sugar intake was 72 grams or 290 kcal/day. The overall calorie intake from added sugars within the sample population was 14%.

There have been no significant associations between the whole and percent added sugar intakes and an increased prediabetes risk. Likewise, the sensitivity evaluation didn’t discover any significant differences in prediabetes risk by ethnicity or race.

Conclusions

Amongst adults 20 years or older with normal blood sugar levels or prediabetes, the whole consumption of added sugars didn’t significantly increase their risk of prediabetes, with estimated risks not differing significantly by ethnicity or race.