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Low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) and LCS-containing beverages have been proposed as appropriate substitutes for caloric sugars in recent years. In this Perspective, we highlight the recent findings from observational and interventional studies, focusing on obesity, gut microbiome, and cardiometabolic health. We provide public health actors and health care professionals with an insightful overview of recent evidence to bridge the gap between research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Limited data are available on the prospective relationship between beverage consumption and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Two major sources of sugar in the US diet are sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) and 100% fruit juices. Low‐calorie sweetened beverages are common replacements. Methods and Results Fasting plasma lipoprotein concentrations were measured in the FOS (Framingham Offspring Study) (1991–2014; N=3146) and Generation Three (2002–2001; N=3584) cohorts. Beverage intakes were estimated from food frequency questionnaires and grouped into 5 intake categories. Mixed‐effect linear regression models were used to examine 4‐year changes in lipoprotein measures, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios for incident dyslipidemia, adjusting for potential confounding factors. We found that regular (>1 serving per day) versus low (

Intake of added sugars (AS) is challenging to assess compared with total dietary sugar because of the lack of reliable assessment methods. The reliance on self-reported dietary data in observational studies is often cited as biased, with evidence of AS intake in relation to health outcomes rated as low to moderate quality. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of AS. A regular and high intake of SSBs is associated with an overall poor diet, weight gain, and cardiometabolic risks. An elevated intake of low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSBs), often regarded as healthier alternatives to SSBs, is also increasingly associated with increased risk for metabolic dysfunction. In this review, we systematically collate evidence and provide perspectives on the use of metabolomics for the discovery of candidate biomarkers associated with the intake of SSBs and LCSBs. We searched the Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases until the end of December 2020. Seventeen articles fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We evaluated specificity and validity of the identified biomarkers following Guidelines for Biomarker of Food Intake Reviews (BFIRev). We report that the 13C:12C carbon isotope ratio (δ13C), particularly, the δ13C of alanine is the most robust, sensitive, and specific biomarker of SSBs intake. Acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, and steviol glucuronide showed moderate validity for predicting the short-term intake of LCSBs. More evidence is required to evaluate the validity of other panels of metabolites associated with the intake of SSBs.

Intake of added sugars (AS) is challenging to assess compared with total dietary sugar because of the lack of reliable assessment methods. The reliance on self-reported dietary data in observational studies is often cited as biased, with evidence of AS intake in relation to health outcomes rated as low to moderate quality. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a major source of AS. A regular and high intake of SSBs is associated with an overall poor diet, weight gain, and cardiometabolic risks. An elevated intake of low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSBs), often regarded as healthier alternatives to SSBs, is also increasingly associated with increased risk for metabolic dysfunction. In this review, we systematically collate evidence and provide perspectives on the use of metabolomics for the discovery of candidate biomarkers associated with the intake of SSBs and LCSBs. We searched the Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases until the end of December 2020. Seventeen articles fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We evaluated specificity and validity of the identified biomarkers following Guidelines for Biomarker of Food Intake Reviews (BFIRev). We report that the 13C:12C carbon isotope ratio (δ13C), particularly, the δ13C of alanine is the most robust, sensitive, and specific biomarker of SSBs intake. Acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, cyclamate, and steviol glucuronide showed moderate validity for predicting the short-term intake of LCSBs. More evidence is required to evaluate the validity of other panels of metabolites associated with the intake of SSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term associations between the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and low-calorie sweetened beverages (LCSBs) with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remains inconsistent. To synthesize the evidence, we conducted a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies published up to 1 December, 2019 on the associations between SSB and LCSB intake and the risk of CVD incidence and mortality. Out of 5301 articles retrieved from our literature search, 11 articles evaluating the consumption of SSBs (16,915 incident CVD cases, 18,042 CVD deaths) and 8 articles evaluating the consumption of LCSBs (18,077 incident CVD cases, 14,114 CVD deaths) were included in the meta-analysis. A 1 serving/d increment of SSBs was associated with an 8% (RR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.14, I2 = 43.0%) and 8% (RR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.13, I2 = 40.6%) higher risk of CVD incidence and CVD mortality, respectively. A 1 serving/d increment of LCSBs was associated with a 7% (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.10, I2 = 0.0%) higher risk of CVD incidence. The association between LCSBs and CVD mortality appeared to be nonlinear (P = 0.003 for nonlinearity) with significant associations observed at high intake levels (>2 servings/d). Under an assumption of causality, the consumption of SSBs may be linked to 9.3% (95% CI: 6.6%, 11.9%) of predicted CVD incidence in the USA from 2015 to 2025, among men and nonpregnant women, who were aged 40-79 y in 2015-2016. The habitual consumption of SSBs was associated with a higher risk of CVD morbidity and mortality in a dose-response manner. LCSBs were also associated with a higher risk of these outcomes, however, the interpretation of these findings may be complicated by reverse causation and residual confounding., (Copyright © The Author(s) on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition 2020.)

Background Limited data are available on the prospective relationship between beverage consumption and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. Two major sources of sugar in the US diet are sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and 100% fruit juices. Low-calorie sweetened beverages are common replacements. Methods and Results Fasting plasma lipoprotein concentrations were measured in the FOS (Framingham Offspring Study) (1991-2014; N=3146) and Generation Three (2002-2001; N=3584) cohorts. Beverage intakes were estimated from food frequency questionnaires and grouped into 5 intake categories. Mixed-effect linear regression models were used to examine 4-year changes in lipoprotein measures, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios for incident dyslipidemia, adjusting for potential confounding factors. We found that regular (>1 serving per day) versus low (<1 serving per month) SSB consumption was associated with a greater mean decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β±standard error -1.6±0.4 mg/dL; P trend =0.003) concentrations. Long-term regular SSB consumers also had a higher incidence of high triglyceride (hazard ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.03-2.25) compared with low consumers. Although recent regular low-calorie sweetened beverage consumers had a higher incidence of high non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.17-1.69) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.05-1.53) concentrations compared with low consumers, cumulative average intakes of low-calorie sweetened beverages were not associated with changes in non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, or incident dyslipidemias. Conclusions SSB intake was associated with adverse changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, along with a higher risk of incident dyslipidemia, suggesting that increased SSB consumption may contribute to the development of dyslipidemia.P trend =0.003) concentrations. Long-term regular SSB consumers also had a higher incidence of high triglyceride (hazard ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.03-2.25) compared with low consumers. Although recent regular low-calorie sweetened beverage consumers had a higher incidence of high non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (hazard ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.17-1.69) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.05-1.53) concentrations compared with low consumers, cumulative average intakes of low-calorie sweetened beverages were not associated with changes in non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, or incident dyslipidemias. Conclusions SSB intake was associated with adverse changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, along with a higher risk of incident dyslipidemia, suggesting that increased SSB consumption may contribute to the development of dyslipidemia.