Search

Background: Dietary sugars are often linked to the development of overweight and type 2 diabetes (T2D) but inconsistencies remain. Objective: We investigated associations of added, free, and total sugars, and glycaemic index (GI) with indices of glucose metabolism (IGM) and indices of body fatness (IBF) during a 3-year weight loss maintenance intervention. Design: The PREVIEW (PREVention of diabetes through lifestyle Intervention and population studies in Europe and around the World) study was a randomised controlled trial designed to test the effects of four diet and physical activity interventions, after an 8-week weight-loss period, on the incidence of T2D. This secondary observational analysis included pooled data assessed at baseline (8), 26, 52, 104 and 156 weeks from 514 participants with overweight/obesity (age 25–70 year; BMI ≥ 25 kg⋅m−2) and with/without prediabetes in centres that provided data on added sugars (Sydney and Helsinki) or free sugars (Nottingham). Linear mixed models with repeated measures were applied for IBF (total body fat, BMI, waist circumference) and for IGM (fasting insulin, HbA1c, fasting glucose, C-peptide). Model A was adjusted for age and intervention centre and Model B additionally adjusted for energy, protein, fibre, and saturated fat. Results: Total sugars were inversely associated with fasting insulin and C-peptide in all centres, and free sugars were inversely associated with fasting glucose and HbA1c (Model B: all p < 0.05). Positive associations were observed between GI and IGM (Model B: fasting insulin, HbA1c, and C-peptide: (all p < 0.01), but not for added sugars. Added sugar was positively associated with body fat percentage and BMI, and GI was associated with waist circumference (Model B: all p < 0.01), while free sugars showed no associations (Model B: p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that added sugars and GI were independently associated with 3-y weight regain, but only GI was associated with 3-y changes in glucose metabolism in individuals at high risk of T2D.

Summary Background & aims To date, the prevalence of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in China was 17.5%. Given the substantial relevance of GDM for medium- and long-term health of both mother and offspring and the paucity of existing data on the link between maternal diet and glucose homeostasis during pregnancy in Asian population, additional studies are needed. To examine the relevance of dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and fiber intake before and during pregnancy for the development of GDM and glucose homeostasis over the course of pregnancy. Methods Cox proportional hazards analysis and linear mixed effects regressions were performed on data from 9317 women for whom three food frequency questionnaires (pre-pregnancy, 1st and 2nd trimesters) and biochemical measures during pregnancy were available. Investigated outcome variables included GDM risk, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters. Results Women in the highest tertile of dietary GI (or GL) before pregnancy, in the 1st, or the 2nd trimester respectively had a 12% (15%), 25% (23%) or 29% (25%) higher risk of developing GDM than those in the lowest tertile (all p for trend ≤ 0.02). Women with the highest dietary fiber intake before pregnancy, in the 1st or 2nd trimester had a 11%, 17% or 18% lower GDM risk (all p for trend ≤ 0.03). Moreover, increases in GI or GL and decreases in fiber intake over the course of pregnancy (1st to 3rd trimesters) were independently associated with adverse concurrent developments in FPG, HbA1C and HOMA-IR (p ≤ 0.03). Conclusions Our study indicates that dietary GI, GL and fiber intake before and during pregnancy affects glucose homeostasis of pregnant Chinese women.

Purpose To examine the association between fructose intake in adolescence and fatty liver indices (hepatic steatosis index (HSI), fatty liver index (FLI)) in young adulthood. Methods Overall, 246 participants of the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study who had a fasting blood sample in adulthood (18–36 years), at least two 3-day weighed dietary records for calculating fructose intakes and other fructose-containing sugars (total (TS), free (FS), added sugar (AS)) as well as two complete 24-h urine samples for calculating sugar excretion (fructose excretion (FE), fructose + sucrose excretion (FE + SE)) in adolescence (males: 9.5–16.5 years; females: 8.5–15.5 years) were analysed using multivariable linear regression analyses. Results On the level of dietary intake, no prospective associations were observed between adolescent fructose intake and both adult fatty liver indices, whereas higher FS intakes were associated with lower levels of HSI (Ptrend = 0.02) and FLI (Ptrend = 0.03). On the urinary excretion level, however, a higher FE (Ptrend = 0.03) and FE + SE (Ptrend = 0.01) in adolescence were prospectively related to higher adult FLI values. No associations were observed between adolescent sugar excretion and adult HSI. Conclusion The present study does not provide unambiguous support for a detrimental impact of adolescent fructose intake on adult liver health. Nonetheless, further examinations estimating exposure by means of urinary excretion as well as dietary intake levels appear warranted.

The pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of entering into the digital age, yet still suffers from fundamental misconceptions and outdated IT systems that inhibit its progress. Four key criteria are identified that have enabled labs to reach the post-modern stage, which are insights generation through advanced analytics, automatic communication through machine to machine interfaces, removal of boundaries for an open lab, and novel means of ensuring trust through automatic submissions. Further progress in these four areas will enable the pharmaceutical laboratory to enter the digital age. Unfortunately, historical roadblocks in the form of an application-centric mindset have so far stifled progress. However, initiatives that supported other industries on their path into the digital age are introduced and evidences for the benefits of the digital age are provided. These span from advanced analytics, data-centric architecture, metadata supported communication, knowledge assisted submissions, to digital maturity models. It is concluded that executives and lab staff within Pharma needs a transition to a data-centric world view to reap all the benefits of the digital age for faster, better, and cheaper drug development.

Objective To provide a systematic overview of world dietary sugar and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake trends in children and adolescents. Data Sources Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library were searched through January 2019 to identify longitudinal follow-up studies with time-trend data and repeated cross-sectional studies. Data Extraction Data from studies reporting ≥ 2 measurements (sugars, SSB, or sweets/candy) over ≥ 2 years and included ≥ 20 healthy, normal- or overweight children or adolescents aged 1–19 years. Data Analysis Data from 43 articles (n = 4 prospective cohort studies; n = 39 repeated cross-sectional studies) from 15 countries (n = 8 European countries plus Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, and the United States) are presented narratively. According to the risk of bias in nonrandomized studies of interventions tool, 34 studies were judged to have a moderate risk of bias, and 5 to have a serious risk of bias. Conclusions Consumption among US children and adolescents increased substantially in the decades preceding 2000, followed by a faster and continued decline. As a whole, other international intake trends did not reveal drastic increases and decreases in SSB and dietary sugars; they tended to change only slightly across 3 decades.

The pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of entering into the digital age, yetstill suffers from fundamental misconceptions and outdated IT systems thatinhibit its progress. Four key criteria are identified that have enabled labs to reachthe post-modern stage, which are insights generation through advanced analytics,automatic communication through machine to machine interfaces, removal ofboundaries for an open lab, and novel means of ensuring trust through automaticsubmissions. Further progress in these four areas will enable the pharmaceuticallaboratory to enter the digital age. Unfortunately, historical roadblocks in theform of an application-centric mindset have so far stifled progress. However,initiatives that supported other industries on their path into the digital age areintroduced and evidences for the benefits of the digital age are provided. Thesespan from advanced analytics, data-centric architecture, metadata supportedcommunication, knowledge assisted submissions, to digital maturity models. Itis concluded that executives and lab staff within Pharma need to transition to adata-centric world view to reap all the benefits of the digital age for faster, better,and cheaper drug development.