Sugar-sweetened beverages, low/no-calorie beverages, fruit juice and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease defined by fatty liver index: the SWEET project

Naomi, N. D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8141-4907, Ngo, J., Brouwer-Brolsma, E. M., Buso, M. E. C., Soedamah-Muthu, S. S., Pérez-Rodrigo, C. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4554-6184, Harrold, J. A., Halford, J. C. G., Raben, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5229-4491, Geleijnse, J. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7638-0589, Serra-Majem, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9658-9061 and Feskens, E. J. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5819-2488 (2023) Sugar-sweetened beverages, low/no-calorie beverages, fruit juice and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease defined by fatty liver index: the SWEET project. Nutrition & Diabetes, 13. 6. ISSN 2044-4052 doi: 10.1038/s41387-023-00237-3

Abstract/Summary

Background Sweetened beverage intake may play a role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) development, but scientific evidence on their role is limited. This study examined associations between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), low/no-calorie beverages (LNCB) and fruit juice (FJ) intakes and NAFLD in four European studies. Methods Data for 42,024 participants of Lifelines Cohort, NQPlus, PREDIMED-Plus and Alpha Omega Cohort were cross-sectionally analysed. NAFLD was assessed using Fatty Liver Index (FLI) (≥60). Restricted cubic spline analyses were used to visualize dose–response associations in Lifelines Cohort. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses with robust variance were performed for associations in individual cohorts; data were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Models were adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and other dietary factors. Results Each additional serving of SSB per day was associated with a 7% higher FLI-defined NAFLD prevalence (95%CI 1.03–1.11). For LNCB, restricted cubic spline analysis showed a nonlinear association with FLI-defined NAFLD, with the association getting stronger when consuming ≤1 serving/day and levelling off at higher intake levels. Pooled Cox analysis showed that intake of >2 LNCB servings/week was positively associated with FLI-defined NAFLD (PR 1.38, 95% CI 1.15–1.61; reference: non-consumers). An inverse association was observed for FJ intake of ≤2 servings/week (PR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.88–0.97; reference: non-consumers), but not at higher intake levels. Theoretical replacement of SSB with FJ showed no significant association with FLI-defined NAFLD prevalence (PR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95–1.00), whereas an adverse association was observed when SSB was replaced with LNCB (PR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03–1.21). Conclusions Pooling results of this study showed that SSB and LNCB were positively associated with FLI-defined NAFLD prevalence. Theoretical replacement of SSB with LNCB was associated with higher FLI-defined NAFLD prevalence. An inverse association was observed between moderate intake of FJ and FLI-defined NAFLD. Our results should be interpreted with caution as reverse causality cannot be ruled out.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/111820
Identification Number/DOI	10.1038/s41387-023-00237-3
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing
Uncontrolled Keywords	Humans, Energy Intake, Beverages, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Fruit and Vegetable Juices, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Publisher	Nature
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