Do sugar-sweetened beverages cause adverse health outcomes in children? A systematic review protocol Sugars and risk of mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Sugars in diet and risk of cancer in the NIH‐AARP Diet and Health Study Effects of sugar on aggressive and inattentive behavior in children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and normal children. Added sugar intake and cardiovascular diseases mortality among US adults. Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Incident Coronary Heart Disease, and Biomarkers of Risk in Men A prospective study of sugar intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Chronic Consumption of Artificial Sweetener in Packets or Tablets and Type 2 Diabetes Risk: Evidence from the E3N-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Health Warnings and Purchases: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Consumption of sucrose-sweetened soft drinks increases plasma levels of uric acid in overweight and obese subjects: a 6-month randomised controlled trial Consumption of artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages and incident type 2 diabetes in the Etude Epidemiologique aupres des femmes de la Mutuelle Generale de l'Education Nationale-European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. The Effect of Normally Consumed Amounts of Sucrose or High Fructose Corn Syrup on Lipid Profiles, Body Composition and Related Parameters in Overweight/Obese Subjects Consumption of artificial sweetener- and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men and women. No Effect of Added Sugar Consumed at Median American Intake Level on Glucose Tolerance or Insulin Resistance Dietary glycemic load, carbohydrate, sugar, and colorectal cancer risk in men and women. High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the Women's Health Initiative. Reduction in risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus in response to a low-sugar, high-fiber dietary intervention in overweight Latino adolescents.
Background Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are examples of chronic diseases that impose significant morbidity and mortality in the general population worldwide . Most chronic diseases are associated with underlying preventable risk factors , such as elevated blood pressure , high blood glucose or glucose intolerance , high lipid levels , physical inactivity , excessive sedentary behaviours , and overweight/obesity . The occurrence of intermediate outcomes during childhood increases the risk of disease in adulthood . Sugar-sweetened beverages are known to be significant sources of additional caloric intake , and given recent attention to their contribution in the development of chronic diseases , a systematic review is warranted . We will assess whether the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in children is associated with adverse health outcomes and what the potential moderating factors are . Methods / Design Of interest are studies addressing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption , taking a broad perspective . Both direct consumption studies as well as those evaluating interventions that influence consumption ( e.g. school policy , educational ) will be relevant . Non-specific or multi-faceted behavioural , educational , or policy interventions may also be included subject to the level of evidence that exists for the other interventions /exposures . Comparisons of interest and endpoints of interest are pre-specified . We will include r and omized controlled trials , controlled clinical trials , interrupted time series studies , controlled before-after studies , prospect i ve and retrospective comparative cohort studies , case – control studies , and nested case – control design s. The MEDLINE ® , Embase , The Cochrane Library , CINAHL , ERIC , and PsycINFO ® data bases and grey literature sources will be search ed . The processes for selecting studies , abstract ing data , and resolving conflicts are described . We will assess risk of bias using design -specific tools . To determine sets of confounding variables that should be adjusted for , we have developed causal directed acyclic graphs and will use those to inform our risk of bias assessment s. Meta- analysis will be conducted where appropriate ; parameters for exploring statistical heterogeneity and effect modifiers are pre-specified . The Grading of Recommendations Assessment , Development and Evaluation ( GRADE ) approach will be used to determine the quality of evidence for outcomes . Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42014009641 BACKGROUND Although previous studies have linked intake of sugars with incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases , its association with mortality remains unknown . OBJECTIVE We investigated the association of total sugars , added sugars , total fructose , added fructose , sucrose , and added sucrose with the risk of all-cause , cardiovascular disease , cancer , and other-cause mortality  in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study . DESIGN The participants ( n = 353,751 ) , aged 50 - 71 y , were followed for up to 13 y. Intake of individual sugars over the previous 12 mo was assessed at baseline by using a 124-item NIH Diet History Question naire . RESULTS In fully adjusted models ( fifth quartile compared with first quartile ) , all-cause mortality was positively associated with the intake of total sugars [ HR ( 95 % CI ) : 1.13 ( 1.06 , 1.20 ) ; P-trend < 0.0001 ] , total fructose [ 1.10 ( 1.04 , 1.17 ) ; P-trend < 0.0001 ] , and added fructose [ 1.07 ( 1.01 , 1.13 ) ; P-trend = 0.005 ) in women and total fructose [ 1.06 ( 1.01 , 1.10 ) ; P-trend = 0.002 ] in men . In men , a weak inverse association was found between other-cause mortality and dietary added sugars  ( P-trend = 0.04 ) , sucrose ( P-trend = 0.03 ) , and added sucrose ( P-trend = 0.006 ) . Investigation of consumption of sugars by source showed that the positive association with mortality risk was confined only to sugars from beverages , whereas the inverse association was confined to sugars from solid foods . CONCLUSIONS In this large prospect i ve study , total fructose intake was weakly positively associated with  all-cause mortality in both women and men , whereas added sugar , sucrose , and added sucrose intakes were inversely associated with other-cause mortality in men . In our analyses , intake of added sugars was not associated with an increased risk of mortality . The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study was registered at clinical trials.gov as NCT00340015 Prospect i ve epidemiologic data on the effects of different types of dietary sugars on cancer incidence have been limited . In this report , we investigated the association of total sugars , sucrose , fructose , added sugars , added sucrose and added fructose in the diet with risk of 24 malignancies . Participants ( n = 435,674 ) aged 50–71 years from the NIH‐AARP Diet and Health Study were followed for 7.2 years . The intake of individual sugars was assessed using a 124‐item food frequency question naire ( FFQ ) . Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios ( HR ) and 95 % confidence intervals ( CI ) in multivariable models adjusted for confounding factors pertinent to individual cancers . We identified 29,099 cancer cases in men and 13,355 cases in women . In gender‐combined analyses , added sugars were positively associated with risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma ( HRQ5 vs. Q1 : 1.62 , 95 % CI : 1.07–2.45 ; ptrend = 0.01 ) , added fructose was associated with risk of small intestine cancer ( HRQ5 vs. Q1 : 2.20 , 95 % CI : 1.16–4.16 ; ptrend = 0.009 ) and all investigated sugars were associated with increased risk of pleural cancer . In women , all investigated sugars were inversely associated with ovarian cancer . We found no association between dietary sugars and risk of colorectal or any other major cancer . Measurement error in FFQ‐reported dietary sugars may have limited our ability to obtain more conclusive findings . Statistically significant associations observed for the rare cancers are of interest and warrant further investigation Foods high in refined sugar are cl aim ed to exacerbate hyperactivity and increase aggressive behavior . Controlled studies have failed to confirm any effect on hyperactivity and effects on inattention have been equivocal . Possible effect on aggressive behavior has received little study . This study assessed cognitive attention and aggressive behavior immediately following an acute ingestion of sugar compared with saccharin and aspartame-sweetened placebos in 17 subjects with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity compared with 9 age-matched control subjects . The sugar and placebo challenges were given with a breakfast high in carbohydrate . Although the children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity were significantly more aggressive than the control subjects , there were no significant effects of sugar or either placebo on the aggressive behavior of either group . However , inattention , as measured by a continuous performance task , increased only in the attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity group following sugar , but not saccharin or aspartame . This result is of question able clinical significance inasmuch as aggressive behavior was unchanged . The finding may be due to the combination of the sugar challenge with a high-carbohydrate breakfast . These findings should be replicated and any possible clinical significance should be documented before any dietary recommendations can be made IMPORTANCE Epidemiologic studies have suggested that higher intake of added sugar is associated with cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factors . Few prospect i ve studies have examined the association of added sugar intake with CVD mortality . OBJECTIVE To examine time trends of added sugar consumption as percentage of daily calories in the United States and investigate the association of this consumption with CVD mortality . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey ( NHANES , 1988 - 1994 [ III ] , 1999 - 2004 , and 2005 - 2010 [ n = 31,147 ] ) for the time trend analysis and NHANES III Linked Mortality cohort ( 1988 - 2006 [ n = 11 733 ] ) , a prospect i ve cohort of a nationally representative sample of US adults for the association study . MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cardiovascular disease mortality . RESULTS Among US adults , the adjusted mean percentage of daily calories from added sugar  increased from 15.7 % ( 95 % CI , 15.0%-16.4 % ) in 1988 - 1994 to 16.8 % ( 16.0%-17.7 % ; P = .02 ) in 1999 - 2004 and decreased to 14.9 % ( 14.2%-15.5 % ; P < .001 ) in 2005 - 2010 . Most adults consumed 10 % or more of calories from added sugar ( 71.4 % ) and approximately 10 % consumed 25 % or more in 2005 - 2010 . During a median follow-up period of 14.6 years , we documented 831 CVD deaths during 163,039 person-years . Age- , sex- , and race/ethnicity-adjusted hazard ratios ( HRs ) of CVD mortality across quintiles of the percentage of daily calories consumed from added sugar were 1.00 ( reference ) , 1.09 ( 95 % CI , 1.05 - 1.13 ) , 1.23 ( 1.12 - 1.34 ) , 1.49 ( 1.24 - 1.78 ) , and 2.43 ( 1.63 - 3.62 ; P < .001 ) , respectively . After additional adjustment for sociodemographic , behavioral , and clinical characteristics , HRs were 1.00 ( reference ) , 1.07 ( 1.02 - 1.12 ) , 1.18 ( 1.06 - 1.31 ) , 1.38 ( 1.11 - 1.70 ) , and 2.03 ( 1.26 - 3.27 ; P = .004 ) , respectively . Adjusted HRs were 1.30 ( 95 % CI , 1.09 - 1.55 ) and 2.75 ( 1.40 - 5.42 ; P = .004 ) , respectively , comparing participants who consumed 10.0 % to 24.9 % or 25.0 % or more calories from added sugar with those who consumed less than 10.0 % of calories from added sugar . These findings were largely consistent across age group , sex , race/ethnicity ( except among non-Hispanic blacks ) , educational attainment , physical activity , health eating index , and body mass index . CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Most US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet . We observed a significant relationship between added sugar consumption and increased risk for CVD mortality Background — Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is associated with weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus .  Few studies have tested for a relationship with coronary heart disease ( CHD ) or intermediate biomarkers . The role of artificially sweetened beverages is also unclear . Methods and Results — We performed an analysis of the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study , a prospect i ve cohort study including 42 883 men . Associations of cumulatively averaged sugar-sweetened ( eg , sodas ) and artificially sweetened ( eg , diet sodas ) beverage intake with incident fatal and nonfatal CHD ( myocardial infa rct ion ) were examined with proportional hazard models . There were 3683 CHD cases over 22 years of follow-up . Participants in the top quartile of sugar-sweetened beverage intake had a 20 % higher relative risk of CHD than those in the bottom quartile ( relative risk=1.20 ; 95 % confidence interval , 1.09–1.33 ; P for trend < 0.01 ) after adjustment for age , smoking , physical activity , alcohol , multivitamins , family history , diet quality , energy intake , body mass index , pre-enrollment weight change , and dieting . Artificially sweetened beverage consumption was not significantly associated with CHD ( multivariate relative risk=1.02 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.93–1.12 ; P for trend=0.28 ) . Adjustment for self-reported high cholesterol , high triglycerides , high blood pressure , and diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus slightly attenuated these associations . Intake of sugar-sweetened but not artificially sweetened beverages was significantly associated with increased plasma triglycerides , C-reactive protein , interleukin-6 , and tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2 and decreased high-density lipoprotein , lipoprotein(a ) , and leptin ( P<0.02 ) . Conclusions — Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with increased risk of CHD and some adverse changes in lipids , inflammatory factors , and leptin . Artificially sweetened beverage intake was not associated with CHD risk or biomarkers OBJECTIVE To investigate prospect ively whether intake of total or type of sugar is associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes . The contribution of sugar intake to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes has not been settled in the context of primary prevention because of limited prospect i ve data . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Women 's Health Study is a r and omized controlled trial of aspirin and vitamin E in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer . A vali date d semiquantitative food frequency question naire was completed by 39,345 women aged 45 years and older . The main outcome was the incidence of type 2 diabetes . The predictor was sugar intake , including sucrose , glucose , fructose , and lactose . Using Cox proportional hazard models , multivariate RRs of type 2 diabetes for increasing quintiles of sugar intake compared with the lowest quintile were estimated . RESULTS Compared with the lowest quintile of sugar intake , the RRs and 95 % CIs for the highest quintiles were 0.84 ( 0.67 - 1.04 ) for sucrose , 0.96 ( 0.78 - 1.19 ) for fructose , 1.04 ( 0.85 - 1.28 ) for glucose , and 0.99 ( 0.80 - 1.22 ) for lactose , after adjustment for known risk factors for type 2 diabetes . Similar findings of no association were obtained in subgroup analyses stratified by BMI . CONCLUSIONS Intake of sugars does not appear to play a deleterious role in primary prevention of type 2 diabetes . These prospect i ve data support the recent American Diabetes Association 's guideline that a moderate amount of sugar can be incorporated in a healthy diet Background : The influence of artificial sweeteners on metabolic diseases is controversial . Artificially sweetened beverages have been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes ( T2D ) but biases and reverse causation have been suspected to have influenced the observed association . In addition , it has been suggested that investigation into the relationship between the frequency and duration of the consumption of packet or tablet artificial sweeteners and T2D risk is necessary . Methods : We used data from 61,440 women in the prospect i ve E3N-European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study , conducted between 1993 and 2011 . We estimated hazards ratios ( HRs ) and 95 % CIs of T2D risk associated with both the frequency and the duration of use of artificial sweeteners consumed in packets or tablets . Results : Compared to “ never or rare ” consumers of artificial sweeteners , those using them “ always or almost always ” had an increased risk of T2D ( HR = 1.83 [ 95 % CI 1.66 - 2.02 ] in the multivariate model [ MM ] , HR = 1.33 [ 95 % CI 1.20 - 1.47 ] when further adjusted for body mass index , BMI ) . Women consuming artificial sweeteners in packets or tablets for more than 10 years also had an increased risk of T2D compared to never or rare users ( HR = 2.10 [ 95 % CI 1.83 - 2.40 ] in the MM and HR = 1.15 [ 95 % CI 1.00 - 1.33 ] when adjusted for BMI , respectively ) . Conclusions : Our data suggest that both a higher frequency and a longer consumption of artificial sweeteners in packets or tablets was associated with T2D risk , independently of major T2D risk factors , but partially mediated by adiposity . A pre caution ary principle should be applied to the promotion of these products that are still largely recommended as healthy sugar substitutes INTRODUCTION Five U.S. states have proposed policies to require health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages , but warnings ' effects on actual purchase behavior remain uncertain . This study evaluated the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage health warnings on sugar-sweetened beverage purchases . STUDY DESIGN Participants completed one study visit to a life-sized replica of a convenience store in North Carolina . Participants chose six items ( two beverages , two foods , and two household products ) . One item was r and omly selected for them to purchase and take home . Participants also completed a question naire . Research ers collected data in 2018 and conducted analyses in 2019 . SETTING / PARTICIPANTS Participants were a demographically diverse convenience sample of 400 adult sugar-sweetened beverage consumers ( usual consumption ≥12 ounces/week ) . INTERVENTION Research staff r and omly assigned participants to a health warning arm ( sugar-sweetened beverages in the store displayed a front-of-package health warning ) or a control arm ( sugar-sweetened beverages displayed a control label ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary trial outcome was sugar-sweetened beverage calories purchased . Secondary outcomes included reactions to trial labels ( e.g. , negative emotions ) and sugar-sweetened beverage perceptions and attitudes ( e.g. , healthfulness ) . RESULTS All 400 participants completed the trial and were included in analyses . Health warning arm participants were less likely to be Hispanic and to have overweight/obesity than control arm participants . In intent-to-treat analyses adjusting for Hispanic ethnicity and overweight/obesity , health warnings led to lower sugar-sweetened beverage purchases ( adjusted difference , -31.4 calories ; 95 % CI= -57.9 , -5.0 ) . Unadjusted analyses yielded similar results ( difference , -32.9 calories ; 95 % CI= -58.9 , -7.0 ) . Compared with the control label , sugar-sweetened beverage health warnings also led to higher intentions to limit sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and elicited more attention , negative emotions , thinking about the harms of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption , and anticipated social interactions . Trial arms did not differ on perceptions of sugar-sweetened beverages ' added sugar content , healthfulness , appeal/coolness , or disease risk . CONCLUSIONS Brief exposure to health warnings reduced sugar-sweetened beverage purchases in this naturalistic RCT . Sugar-sweetened beverage health warning policies could discourage sugar-sweetened beverage consumption . TRIAL REGISTRATION This study is registered at www . clinical trials.gov NCT03511937 Background / Objectives : Sucrose-sweetened soft drinks ( SSSDs ) are associated with the development of metabolic disorders . Fructose is a major component of SSSDs and is demonstrated to induce uric acid ( UA ) production and stimulate fat accumulation independent of excess caloric intake . UA induce insulin resistance and low- grade inflammation , suggesting that UA may have a causal role in the development of metabolic complications . The objective of this study is to investigate the long-term effects of consuming SSSDs on circulating levels of UA in overweight and obese subjects . Subjects/ Methods : Using a previously published study , circulating UA levels were assessed at baseline and after 6 months using chromogenic enzymatic absorptiometry . The study included 47 overweight and obese subjects without diabetes , r and omised to consume 1 l daily of either SSSD ( regular cola ) , isocaloric semi-skimmed milk , diet cola or water for 6 months . Results : Circulating UA levels increased ~15 % ( P=0.02 ) after the 6-month intervention in the SSSD group with no change in the other groups . In the SSSD  group , circulating UA levels increased significantly after the intervention in both absolute ( P=0.005 ) and relative values ( P=0.004 ) . The change in UA after the intervention correlated with changes in liver fat ( P=0.005 ) , triglycerides ( P=0.02 ) and insulin ( P=0.002 ) . Conclusions : In this secondary analysis daily intake of 1 l SSSD for 6 months was found to increase circulating UA levels compared with isocaloric milk , diet cola and water . Thus , a high daily intake of SSSDs in overweight and obese subjects without overt diabetes may increase the risk of developing metabolic complications through the elevation of UA . This trial is registered at Clinical Trials.gov as NCT00777647 BACKGROUND It has been extensively shown , mainly in US population s , that sugar-sweetened beverages ( SSBs ) are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes ( T2D ) , but less is known about the effects of artificially sweetened beverages ( ASBs ) . OBJECTIVE We evaluated the association between self-reported SSB , ASB , and 100 % fruit juice consumption and T2D risk over 14 y of follow-up in the French prospect i ve Etude Epidémiologique auprès des femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale-European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort . DESIGN A total of 66,118 women were followed from 1993 , and 1369 incident cases of T2D were diagnosed during the follow-up . Cox regression models were used to estimate HRs and 95 % CIs for T2D risk . RESULTS The average consumption of sweetened beverages in consumers was 328 and 568 mL/wk for SSBs and ASBs , respectively . Compared with nonconsumers , women in the highest quartiles of SSB and ASB consumers were at increased risk of T2D with HRs ( 95 % CIs ) of 1.34 ( 1.05 , 1.71 ) and 2.21 ( 1.56 , 3.14 ) for women who consumed > 359 and > 603 mL/wk of SSBs and ASBs , respectively . Strong positive trends in T2D risk were also observed across quartiles of consumption for both types of beverage ( P = 0.0088 and P < 0.0001 , respectively ) . In sensitivity analyses , associations were partly mediated by BMI , although there was still a strong significant independent effect . No association was observed for 100 % fruit juice consumption . CONCLUSIONS Both SSB consumption and ASB consumption were associated with increased T2D risk . We can not rule out that factors other than ASB consumption that we did not control for are responsible for the association with diabetes , and r and omized trials are required to prove a causal link between ASB consumption and T2D The American Heart Association ( AHA ) has advocated that women and men not consume more than 100 and 150 kcal/day , respectively , from added sugars . These levels are currently exceeded by over 90 % of the adult population in the United States . Few data exist on longer-term metabolic effects when sucrose and High Fructose Corn Syrup ( HFCS ) , the principal sources of added dietary sugars , are consumed at levels typical of the general population . Sixty five overweight and obese individuals were placed on a eucaloric ( weight stable ) diet for 10-weeks , which incorporated sucrose- or HFCS-sweetened , low-fat milk at 10 % or 20 % of calories in a r and omized , double-blinded study . All groups responded similarly ( interaction p > 0.05 ) . There was no change in body weight in any of the groups over the 10-week study , or in systolic or diastolic blood pressure . Likewise , there were no changes in total cholesterol , triglycerides , low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) , or apolipoprotein B ( Apo B ) . We conclude that ( 1 ) when consumed as part of a eucaloric diet fructose — when given with glucose ( as normally consumed ) does not promote weight gain or an atherogenic lipid profile even when consumed at two to four times the level recently recommended by the AHA . ( 2 ) There were no differences between HFCS and sucrose on these parameters BACKGROUND Despite safety reports of the artificial sweetener aspartame , health-related concerns remain . OBJECTIVE We prospect ively evaluated whether the consumption of aspartame- and sugar-containing soda is associated with  risk of hematopoetic cancers .  DESIGN We repeatedly assessed diet in the Nurses ' Health Study ( NHS ) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study ( HPFS ) . Over 22 y , we identified 1324 non-Hodgkin lymphomas ( NHLs ) , 285 multiple myelomas , and 339 leukemias . We calculated incidence RRs and 95 % CIs by using Cox proportional hazards models . RESULTS When the 2 cohorts were combined , there was no significant association between soda intake and risks of NHL and multiple myeloma . However , in men , ≥1 daily serving of diet soda  increased risks of NHL ( RR : 1.31 ; 95 % CI : 1.01 , 1.72 ) and multiple myeloma ( RR : 2.02 ; 95 % CI : 1.20 , 3.40 ) in comparison with men who did not consume diet soda . We observed no increased risks of NHL and multiple myeloma in women . We also observed an unexpected elevated risk of NHL ( RR : 1.66 ; 95 % CI : 1.10 , 2.51 ) with a higher consumption of regular , sugar-sweetened soda in men but not in women . In contrast , when sexes were analyzed separately with limited power , neither regular nor diet soda  increased risk of leukemia but were associated with increased leukemia risk when data for men and women were combined ( RR for consumption of ≥1 serving of diet soda/d when the 2 cohorts were pooled : 1.42 ; 95 % CI : 1.00 , 2.02 ) . CONCLUSION Although our findings preserve the possibility of a detrimental effect of a constituent of diet soda , such as aspartame , on select cancers , the inconsistent sex effects and occurrence of an apparent cancer risk in individuals who consume regular soda do not permit the ruling out of chance as an explanation Excess sugar consumption may promote adverse changes in  hepatic and total body insulin resistance .  Debate continues over the effects of sugars at more typically consumed levels and whether the identity of the sugar consumed is important . In the present study participants ( 20–60 years old ) were r and omly assigned to one of five groups , three that consumed low fat milk with added fructose containing sugars in amounts equivalent to the 50th percentile of fructose consumption ( US ) , one which consumed low-fat milk sweetened with glucose , and one unsweetened low-fat milk control group . The intervention lasted ten weeks . In the entire study population there was less than 1 kg increase in weight ( 73.6 ± 13.0 vs. 74.5 ± 13.3 kg , p < 0.001 ) , but the change in weight was comparable among groups ( p > 0.05 ) . There were no changes in fasting glucose ( 49 ± 0.4 vs. 5.0 ± 0.5 mmol/L ) , insulin ( 56.9 ± 38.9 vs. 61.8 ± 50.0 pmol/L ) , or insulin resistance , as measured by the Homeostasis Model Assessment method ( 1.8 ± 1.3 vs. 2.0 ± 1.5 , all p > 0.05 ) . These data suggest that added sugar consumed at the median American intake level does not produce changes in measures of insulin sensitivity or glucose tolerance and that no sugar has more deleterious effects than others Hyperinsulinemia may explain excess colorectal cancer among individuals who are overweight or inactive . Recent studies have observed elevated colorectal cancer risk among individuals with elevated insulin levels 2 hours after oral glucose challenge or with elevated plasma C-peptide levels . The effect of consuming a high glycemic diet on colorectal risk , however , remains uncertain . Two prospect i ve cohort studies , the Nurses ' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study , contributed up to 20 years of follow-up . After exclusions , 1,809 incident colorectal cancers were available for analyses .  Dietary glycemic load ( GL ) was calculated as a function of glycemic index ( postpr and ial blood glucose response as compared with a reference food ) , carbohydrate content , and frequency of intake of individual foods reported on food frequency question naires . Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to adjust for potential confounders . Intakes of dietary carbohydrate , GL , overall glycemic index , sucrose , and fructose were not associated with  colorectal cancer risk in women . A small increase in risk was observed in men with high dietary GL ( multivariate relative risk , 1.32 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.98 - 1.79 ; highest versus lowest quintile ) , sucrose or fructose ( multivariate relative risk , 1.37 ; 95 % confidence interval , 1.05 - 1.78 ; highest versus lowest quintile of fructose , P = 0.008 ) . Associations were slightly stronger among men with elevated body mass index ( > or = 25 kg/m(2 ) ) . Results among women were similar after stratifying by body mass index or physical activity . High intakes of GL , fructose , and sucrose were related to an elevated  colorectal cancer risk among men . For women , however , these factors did not seem to increase the risk of colorectal cancer BACKGROUND The consumption of sweetened beverages , refined foods , and pastries has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of  depression  in longitudinal studies . However , any influence that refined carbohydrates has on mood could be commensurate with their proportion in the overall diet ; studies are therefore needed that measure overall intakes of carbohydrate and sugar , glycemic index ( GI ) , and glycemic load . OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that higher dietary GI and glycemic load would be associated with greater odds of the prevalence and incidence of depression . DESIGN This was a prospect i ve cohort study to investigate the relations between dietary GI , glycemic load , and other carbohydrate measures ( added sugars , total sugars , glucose , sucrose , lactose , fructose , starch , carbohydrate ) and depression in postmenopausal women who participated in the Women 's Health Initiative Observational Study at baseline between 1994 and 1998 ( n = 87,618 ) and at the 3-y follow-up ( n = 69,954 ) . RESULTS We found a progressively higher dietary GI to be associated with increasing odds of incident depression in fully adjusted models ( OR for the fifth compared with first quintile : 1.22 ; 95 % CI : 1.09 , 1.37 ) , with the trend being statistically significant ( P = 0.0032 ) . Progressively higher consumption of dietary added sugars was also associated with increasing odds of incident depression ( OR for the fifth compared with first quintile : 1.23 ; 95 % CI : 1.07 , 1.41 ; P-trend = 0.0029 ) . Higher consumption of lactose , fiber , nonjuice fruit , and vegetables was significantly associated with lower odds of incident depression , and nonwhole/refined grain consumption was associated with increased odds of depression . CONCLUSIONS The results from this study suggest that high-GI diets could be a risk factor for depression in postmenopausal women . R and omized trials should be undertaken to examine the question of whether diets rich in low-GI foods could serve as treatments and primary preventive measures for depression in postmenopausal women OBJECTIVE To examine if reductions in added sugar intake or increases in fiber intake in response to a 16-week intervention were related to improvements in metabolic outcomes related to type 2 diabetes mellitus risk . DESIGN Secondary analysis of a r and omized control trial . SETTING Intervention classes at a lifestyle laboratory and metabolic measures at the General Clinical Research Center . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-four overweight Latino adolescents ( mean [ SD ] age , 15.5 [ 1 ] years ) . Intervention Sixteen-week study with 3 groups : control , nutrition , or nutrition plus strength training . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry ; visceral adipose tissue by magnetic resonance imaging ; glucose and insulin incremental area under the curve by oral glucose tolerance test ; insulin sensitivity , acute insulin response , and disposition index by intravenous glucose tolerance test ; and dietary intake by 3-day records . RESULTS Fifty-five percent of all participants decreased added sugar intake ( mean decrease , 47 g/d ) and 59 % increased fiber intake ( mean increase , 5 g/d ) , and percentages were similar in all intervention groups , including controls . Those who decreased added sugar intake had an improvement in glucose incremental area under the curve ( -15 % vs + 3 % ; P = .049 ) and insulin incremental area under the curve ( -33 % vs -9 % ; P = .02 ) . Those who increased fiber intake had an improvement in body mass index ( -2 % vs + 2 % ; P = .01 ) and visceral adipose tissue ( -10 % vs no change ; P = .03 ) . CONCLUSIONS Individuals who reduced added sugar intake by the equivalent of 1 can of soda per day or increased fiber intake by the equivalent of a cup of beans showed improvements in key risk factors for type 2 diabetes , specifically in insulin secretion and visceral fat . Improvements occurred independent of group assignment and were equally likely to occur in control group participants
We conclude based on high quality evidence from r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) , systematic review s and meta-analyses of cohort studies that singling out added sugars as unique culprits for metabolically based diseases such as obesity , diabetes and cardiovascular disease appears inconsistent with modern , high quality evidence and is very unlikely to yield health benefits .
While it is prudent to consume added sugars in moderation , the reduction of these components of the diet without other reductions of caloric sources seems unlikely to achieve any meaningful benefit
Added sugars are a controversial and hotly debated topic .
Consumption of added sugars has been implicated in increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases including obesity , cardiovascular disease , diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD ) as well as cognitive decline and even some cancers .
Support for these putative associations has been challenged , however , on a variety of fronts .
The purpose of the current review is to summarize high impact evidence including systematic review s , meta-analyses , and r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) , in an attempt to provide an overview of current evidence related to added sugars and health considerations .
This paper is an extension of a symposium held at the Experimental Biology 2015 conference entitled " Sweeteners and Health : Current Underst and ings , Controversies , Recent Research Findings and Directions for Future Research " .