Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Sugar / 19.12.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_30649" align="alignleft" width="150"]Bradley C. Johnston, PhD Prevention Lab, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, 686 Bay Street, Room 11.9859 West, Toronto, Ontario Dr. Bradley Johnston[/caption] Bradley C. Johnston, PhD Prevention Lab, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning Toronto, Ontario MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: I am scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children and a professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Toronto and McMaster University in Canada. I have a particular interest in research methodology and preventive medicine. As a research methodologist I am interested in how researchers get to their conclusions. In particular I am interested in the “uncertainty” in estimated treatment or exposure effects. Many guidelines have methodological issues but it was suspected that the nutritional guidelines were especially problematic. Our study in Annals of Internal Medicine set out to document the issues systematically with respect to sugar intake recommendations from authoritative guidelines.
Author Interviews, Sugar / 18.11.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_29771" align="alignleft" width="160"]Healthline Sugar Survey Healthline Sugar Survey[/caption] Tracy Stickler, Editor in Chief Healthline Ms. Stickler discusses a Healthline survey of over 3000 Americans, regarding “their knowledge of sugar and how it affects the body to gauge their relationship about their own sugar consumption and the effects it has on them”. MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Our company surveyed over 3,000 Americans from across the country about their sugar consumption habits and awareness about added sugar in food. What we learned is that while many people are aware of the threat overconsumption of sugar is to their health, they aren’t doing much about it. Why not? They don’t know how and quite often they don’t know how much sugar is contained in certain foods they eat. We have an awareness issue. Two out of 3 respondents answered incorrectly to our questions related to which food item contained more sugar.
Artificial Sweeteners, Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar / 10.06.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Margaret A. Brennan Department of Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences Lincoln University Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There has been immense consumer attention recently in terms of the reduction of sugar levels in food products. Most of this attention has stemmed from a nutritional understanding that foods high in sugar and easily digested carbohydrates can increase blood glucose levels and hence potentially lead to weight gain, obesity issues, metabolic diseases (diabetes related illnesses) and even Alzheimer’s disease due to up regulation of genes responsible for amyloid like complexation. Our research over the last 10-15 years has tried to investigate the relationship between food composition – food structure / processing – human nutrition. We have developed a deep understanding of how we can regulate the potential glycaemic index of foods by selective use of non-starch polysaccharides, natural sweeteners and texturizing agents to manipulate the rate of starch and carbohydrate digestion. This study clearly illustrates the great potential of the use of certain natural sweeteners in producing reduced sugar consumer products which have the benefit of reducing glycaemic response in individuals. The utilisation of plant based ingredients to manipulate such a a response offers not only the industry but consumers a powerful opportunity to regulate glycaemia and hence associated metabolic orders. The study also illustrates that sugar is important in modern foods in providing the structure and hence textural characteristics we have grown accustomed to as consumers. Again careful selection of ingredients can minimise any potential negative effects on food structure and texture that sugar reduction may have.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 10.03.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Euridice Martinez Steele  University of São Paulo, São Paulo MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Several leading health bodies, including the World Health Organization, the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee have concluded that excess added sugar intake increases the risk not only of weight gain, but also of obesity and diabetes, which are associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay. All reports recommended limiting intake of added sugars. In the US, the USDGAC recommended limiting added sugars to no more than 10% of total calories. To design and implement effective measures to reduce added sugars, their dietary sources must be clearly identified. Added sugars can be consumed either as ingredients of dishes or drinks prepared from scratch by consumers or cook, or as ingredients of food products manufactured by the food industry. According to market disappearance data from 2014, more than three quarters of the sugar and high fructose corn syrup available for human consumption in the US were used by the food industry. This suggests food products manufactured by the industry could have an important role in the excess added sugars consumption in the US. However, to assess this role, it is essential to consider the contribution of manufactured food products to both total energy intake and the energy intake from added sugars, and, more relevantly, to quantify the relationship between their consumption and the total dietary content of added sugars. To address these questions, we performed an investigation utilizing 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar / 08.03.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Minakshi Trivedi, PhD Professor of Marketing Co-Director CRM University at Buffalo Jacobs Management Center Buffalo, NY 14260 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Trivedi: Consumer health concerns have been on the rise as has the flow of nutritional information and advice from retailers, manufacturers, government agencies and the medical community regarding what and how much consumers should consume. Nevertheless, whether such concerns are reflected in their purchasing and consumption behavior is not quite as certain. With diabetes and obesity showing steady increases of incidence in the population, understanding this apparent disconnect between stated health concerns and actual food consumption becomes a critical objective for policy makers wishing to impact and improve public consumption choice behavior. Drawing from the theory of compensatory or balancing behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen 1975), we posit that consumers also exhibit such balancing behavior across a set of products when limiting the consumption of negatively perceived attributes – that is, attributes which when present, generally contribute negatively to the valuation of a product. We study this balancing behavior in consumer consumption when limiting salt, sugar and fat content across product categories. Depending on the consumer's individual health orientation, then, a healthy choice in some categories may compensate for a less healthy choice in another category.
AACR, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Lung Cancer, MD Anderson, Nutrition, Sugar / 05.03.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_22379" align="alignleft" width="98"]Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D Professor of Epidemiology Dr. Xifeng Wu[/caption] Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D Professor of Epidemiology and [caption id="attachment_22380" align="alignleft" width="150"]Dr. Stephanie Claire Melkonian PhD Epidemiologist, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Melkonian[/caption] Dr. Stephanie Claire Melkonian  PhD Epidemiologist, Postdoctoral Research Fellow The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Glycemic index (GI) assigns foods an indexed value to show how quickly and how much carbohydrates in the food cause blood glucose levels to rise after eating and is a measure of overall carbohydrate quality. Glycemic load (GL) is a related measure that is calculated by multiplying Glycemic index by the amount of carbohydrates in grams in that specific food and by the amount consume, then dividing by 100. Previous studies have investigated the association of GI and GL with certain types of cancer, including colorectal, stomach, and pancreatic cancer, but there has been limited research into the association with lung cancer. We conducted a study using patients and control subjects from an ongoing case-control study of lung cancer conducted at MD Anderson. The patients were newly diagnosed and had not received treatment other than surgery. The healthy control subjects were selected from patient lists at Kelsey-Seybold Clinics, a large physician group in the Houston area. The study results encompass 1,905 cases and 2,413 controls. Using data collected from in-person interviews regarding health histories and dietary behaviors, we were able to categorize the study subjects according to their dietary Glycemic index and GL. What we found was that individuals in the highest category of GI were at an almost 50% increased risk for developing lung cancer as compared to those in the lowest group. This association was different based on different subtypes of cancer. Most interestingly, however, among those individuals that never smoked, high Glycemic index was associated with an almost 2 fold increased risk of lung cancer. In other words, we found a more profound association between GI and lung cancer in never smokers in this study.
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, CDC, Sugar / 26.02.2016

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_22125" align="alignleft" width="180"]Sohyun Park, PhD Epidemiologist Epidemiology and Surveillance Team Obesity Prevention and Control Branch Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia Dr. Sohyun Park[/caption] Sohyun Park, PhD Epidemiologist Epidemiology and Surveillance Team Obesity Prevention and Control Branch Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, Georgia  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Park: The 2013 BRFSS provides the most recent state data for this behavior using a short screener which showed that about 1 in 3 adults consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) at least once per day, and SSB intake differed by state and by certain subgroups. The main findings of the study showed the following among the 23 states and DC surveyed the prevalence of adults who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least once daily was:
  • Aged 18-24 years (43.3%)
  • Men (34.1%)
  • Non-Hispanic Blacks (39.9%)
  • Unemployed (34.4%)
  • Had less than a high school education (42.4%)
  • Adult sugar-sweetened beverages intake was highest in Mississippi (47.5%), followed by Louisiana (45.5%) and West Virginia (45.2%).
  • The prevalence of  sugar-sweetened beverages intake one or more times per day among younger adults (18–24 years) was 2.3 times the prevalence among the older adults (aged 55 years and older)—43.3% versus 19.1%, respectively.
AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Brigham & Women's - Harvard, NIH, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 12.01.2016

[caption id="attachment_20483" align="alignleft" width="70"]Dr. Caroline Fox, MD MPH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Dr. Fox[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Caroline Fox, MD MPH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Fox: There is evidence linking sugar sweetened beverages with obesity and type 2 diabetes. There is also evidence suggesting that specific adipose tissue depots may play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. We found that higher levels of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) intake was associated with more visceral fat (fat in the stomach cavity) over 6 years.
Author Interviews, Lancet, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 08.01.2016

[caption id="attachment_20446" align="alignleft" width="144"]Kawther Hashem MSc RNutr (Public Health) Nutritionist and Researcher Action on Sugar Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London London UK Kawther Hashem[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kawther Hashem MSc RNutr (Public Health) Nutritionist and Researcher Action on Sugar Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London London UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: The calculations showed that a 40% reduction in free sugars added to Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) over five years would lead to an average reduction in energy intake of 38 kcal per day by the end of the fifth year. This would lead to an average reduction in body weight of 1.20kg in adults,  resulting in a reduction in overweight and obese adults by approximately half a million and 1 million respectively. This would in turn prevent between 274,000-309,000 obesity-related type 2 diabetes over the next two decades. Policies such as this will reduce cases of overweight and obesity and type 2 diabetes, this will have a major clinical impact and reduce healthcare costs.
Author Interviews, Sugar, Weight Research / 12.11.2015

[caption id="attachment_19336" align="alignleft" width="166"]Prof. Peter J. Rogers PhD School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Prof. Rogers[/caption] MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Peter J. Rogers PhD School of Experimental Psychology University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Prof. Rogers: In recent years low-calorie sweeteners have been in the headlines because of concern that they may undermine rather than help with healthy weight management. That concern is based on selective reporting of studies and outright speculation. Our aim was to review the totality of evidence on this subject, which included results from human and animal (mouse and rat) studies. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Prof. Rogers: We found that randomised, controlled intervention trials in humans showed consistently that low-calorie sweeteners versus sugar consumption reduced energy intake and body weight, with no effect or even reduced body weight compared with consumption of water. These types of studies provide the strongest form of evidence – superior to animal and observational studies. In the animal studies, exposure to low-calorie sweeteners was mostly not representative of how people consume low-calorie sweeteners.
Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Mayo Clinic, Sugar / 30.09.2015

Wisit Cheungpasitporn, MD Nephrology Fellow Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MNMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Wisit Cheungpasitporn, MD Nephrology Fellow Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Program director: Suzanne Norby, MD Co-authors: Charat Thongprayoon, MD, Oisin A O'Corragain, MD, Peter J Edmonds, BS, Wonngarm Kittanamongkolchai, MD, Stephen B Erickson, MD Project mentor: Stephen B. Erickson, MD Departments of Nephrology and Hypertension Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Medical Research: What is the background for this study? Dr. Cheungpasitporn: High-fructose corn syrup consumption in the form of sugar-sweetened soda has dramatically increased worldwide and associated with risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) including diabetes mellitus (DM) and metabolic syndrome. Recently, artificial sweeteners have become commonly used in soda marketed as ‘diet’ alternatives. Recent studies have demonstrated that diet soda consumption may also be associated with weight gain, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. The risks of CKD in individuals with sugar-sweetened or diet soda consumption, however, were conflicting. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to assess the associations between CKD and the consumption of sugar sweetened and diet soda. The findings of our study were recently published in Nephrology (Carlton). 2014; 19(12):791-7. Medical Research: What are the main findings? Dr. Cheungpasitporn: Five studies (2 prospective cohort studies, 2 cross-sectional studies and a case-control study) were included in our analysis of the association between consumption of sugar-sweetened soda (≥1-2 drinks of sugary soda/day) and CKD. We found an overall 1.58-fold increase CKD risk in individuals who regularly consumed sugar-sweetened soda with the pooled risk ratio (RR) of 1.58 (95% CI 1.00–2.49). Four studies (2 prospective cohort studies, a cross-sectional studies and a case-control study) were included to assess the association between CKD and diet soda consumption (≥1-2 drinks of diet soda/day). Despite a trend of chronic kidney disease risk in individuals with diet soda consumption with the pooled RR of 1.33 (95% CI 0.82–2.15), this association was not statistically significant.
Author Interviews, Lifestyle & Health, Sugar / 18.09.2015

Louise Brunkwall Nutritionist, MPH and Phd-student Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Genetic Epidemiology Lund University, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Sweden MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Louise Brunkwall Nutritionist, MPH and Phd-student Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Genetic Epidemiology Lund University, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Sweden  Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: There has been a huge interest for sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) the last years and SSB has been associated with various diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity, while juice for example which have approximately the same amount of energy have not. We find this very interesting and wanted to know more about who the people were that consumed a lot of these different beverages. We started of by looking at diet and found that the different beverages were associated with different dietary patterns. Sugar sweetened beverages were associated with a more unhealthy diet while juice was associated with a more healthy diet. We see the same for tea which is a beverage previously associated with a lower risk of several diseases, that it is associated with an overall very healthy diet. Therefore we draw the conclusions that beverages are a part of the overall diet which might contribute to the previous findings of associations with different diseases. This also tells us that it is of great importance to know more about the overall diet than just consumption of a single product when investigating beverages-dieases association studies.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 08.05.2015

Dr. Dragos Petrescu Department of Public Health and Primary Care CambridgeMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Dragos Petrescu Department of Public Health and Primary Care Cambridge Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a major contributor to obesity, particularly in children. Recent systematic reviews provide good evidence that reducing portion size reduces consumption. Similarly, evidence suggests that container shapes and product placement in supermarkets can influence consumption. The public acceptability of "nudging" -- altering properties such as the size, the shape, and location of sugar-sweetened beverages -- to improve public health is unknown. Here we compared the acceptability in UK and USA samples of government interventions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages: three nudge interventions (limiting portion size, changing container shape, and changing shelf location) and two traditional interventions (increased taxation and an education campaign). We found that for the majority of UK and USA samples, the education campaign and the three nudge interventions were acceptable, with education attracting most support.  By contrast, only a minority of participants supported taxation.
Artificial Sweeteners, Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Nutrition, Sugar / 02.05.2015

Dr Nita Forouhi, MRCP, PhD, FFPHM MRC Programme Leader and Consultant Public Health Physician MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge UKMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Nita Forouhi, MRCP, PhD, FFPHM MRC Programme Leader and Consultant Public Health Physician MRC Epidemiology Unit University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine Cambridge Biomedical Campus Cambridge UK Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. Forouhi: Consumption of soft drinks is known to cause obesity and may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. We had previously published findings from the EPIC-InterAct study in 8 European countries that habitual consumption of sugar sweetened beverages increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and we now wanted to probe deeper to understand more about this relationship between sweet beverages and diabetes. We conducted research in the large EPIC-Norfolk study which included more than 25,000 men and women aged 40–79 years living in Norfolk, UK. Study participants recorded everything that they ate and drank for 7 consecutive days covering weekdays and weekend days, with particular attention to type, amount and frequency of consumption, and whether sugar was added by the participants. During approximately 11 years of follow-up, 847 study participants were diagnosed with new-onset type 2 diabetes. By using this detailed information on diet, we were able to study several different types of sugary beverages, including sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sweetened tea or coffee and sweetened milk drinks as well as artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) - such as diet soft drinks - and fruit juice, and to examine what would happen if plain water, unsweetened tea or coffee or artificially sweetened beverages were substituted for sugary drinks. Our study provided three main findings: First, there was an approximately 22% increased relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes per extra serving per day habitually of each of soft drinks, sweetened milk beverages and ASB consumed, even after accounting for a range of important factors including other lifestyle and social factors and for total energy intake. However, after further accounting for body mass index and waist girth as markers of obesity, there remained a higher risk of diabetes associated with consumption of both soft drinks and sweetened milk drinks, but the link with ASB consumption no longer remained, possibly because artificially sweetened beverages was likely to be consumed by those who were already overweight or obese. Second, when we estimated the likely effects of replacing a habitual serving of soft drinks with a serving of water or unsweetened tea or coffee, we found that the risk of diabetes could have been cut by 14%; and by replacing a habitual serving of sweetened milk beverage with water or unsweetened tea or coffee, that reduction could have been 20%–25%.  However, consuming ASB instead of any sugar-sweetened drink was not likely to reduce the risk of diabetes, when accounting for baseline obesity and total energy intake. Third, we found that each 5% of higher intake of energy (as a proportion of total daily energy intake) from total sweet beverages (soft drinks, sweetened tea or coffee, sweetened milk beverages, fruit juice) was associated with a 18% higher risk of diabetes. We estimated that if study participants had reduced the energy they obtained from sweet beverages to below 10%, 5% or 2% of total daily energy, 3%, 7% or 15% respectively of new-onset type 2 diabetes cases could have been potentially avoided.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Nutrition, OBGYNE, Sugar / 20.02.2015

Ekaterina Maslova PhD Doctor of Science in Nutrition and Epidemiology Center for Fetal Programming Copenhagen, DenmarkMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ekaterina Maslova PhD Doctor of Science in Nutrition and Epidemiology Center for Fetal Programming Copenhagen, Denmark Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: From prior studies we know that excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in pregnancy is associated with complications for both the mother and the child, including gestational diabetes, hypertension, and high birth weight. Understanding the factors that determine gestational weight gain would allow for interventions early on to improve pregnancy outcomes. Dietary intake has been found to influence gestational weight gain in other studies, but evidence is conflicting and still quite limited. In non-pregnant populations a high-protein diet was shown to decrease weight and improve weight maintenance. We therefore hypothesized that a similar relation may exist for gestational weight gain in pregnant women. In this study we had data on dietary intake of more than 45,000 Danish women who were pregnant between 1996 and 2002. We examined the relation between their intake of protein and carbohydrates and the rate of gestational weight gain (in grams per week). We found that women who consumed a high protein-to-carbohydrate (PC) ratio gained less gestational weight gain compared to women with a lower PC ratio in their diet. The results was stronger in women who started their pregnancy already overweight compared to normal weight women. Since a high PC ratio may result from either a high protein intake or low carbohydrate intake, we decided to focus on a component of carbohydrates that may increase gestational weight gain: added sugar. We found that pregnant women with higher intake of sugar gained more weight in pregnancy compared to those who consumed less added sugar. This averaged out to about 1.4 kg (or 7%) higher weight gain across the entire pregnancy.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Sugar / 30.01.2015

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD Associate Editor BMJ Open Heart Cardiovascular Research Scientist Saint Luke's Mid America Heart InstituteJames J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD Associate Editor BMJ Open Heart Cardiovascular Research Scientist Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. DiNicolantonio: We performed a comprehensive literature review comparing the isocaloric exchange of added sugars (sucrose, also known as table sugar, or high fructose corn syrup) versus other types of carbohydrates (such as lactose found in milk, glucose, starch, or dextrose).  Our main findings were that "a calorie isn't a calorie," i.e., that added sugars are more harmful than other carbohydrates even when matched for calories for promoting pre-diabetes and diabetes and the related morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases
Author Interviews, Imperial College, Sugar, Weight Research / 13.12.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr James Gardiner Reader in Molecular Physiology Imperial College Hammersmith Campus London 0NN Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: It is well known that glucose is a preferred food and is consumed in preference to other nutrients. Food intake is controlled by the brain in part this it is regulated by part of the brain called the hypothalamus.   Glucokinase is an important component of glucose sensing and is expressed in the hypothalamus and specifically in the arcuate nucleus. A hypothalamic mechanism regulating glucose intake has not previously been identified. Using a rodent model we demonstrated that increasing glucokinase activity in the arcuate nucleus increased food intake and body weight. If glucose was available as separately then glucose intake is increased but not weight. Decreasing glucokinase activity in the arcuate nucleus had the opposite effect, reducing glucose intake when it was available.   Our results suggest that glucokinase controls glucose appetite and hence the amount of glucose consumed. This is the first time a mechanism controlling the intake of a specific nutrient has been described.
Author Interviews, BMJ, Heart Disease, Nutrition, Sugar, Weight Research / 13.12.2014

Dr James J DiNicolantonio PharmD Ithaca, New YorkMedicalResearch.com Interview with: James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD Associate Editor BMJ Open Heart Cardiovascular Research Scientist Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Dr. DiNicolantonio: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature mortality in the developed world, and hypertension is its most important risk factor. Controlling hypertension is a major focus of public health initiatives, and dietary approaches have historically focused on sodium. A reduction in the intake of added sugars, particularly fructose, and specifically in the quantities and context of industrially-manufactured consumables, would help not only curb hypertension rates, but would also help address broader problems related to cardiometabolic disease.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar / 16.11.2014

Jill Kanaley, PhD Professor and associate chair Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology University of MissouriMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jill Kanaley, PhD Professor and Associate Ahair Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology University of Missouri Abstract: Background: Adolescents consume more sugar-sweetened beverages than do individuals in any other age group, but it is unknown how the type of sugar-sweetened beverage affects metabolic health in this population. Objective: The objective was to compare the metabolic health effects of short-term (2-wk) consumption of high-fructose (HF) and high-glucose (HG)–sweetened beverages in adolescents (15–20 y of age). Design: In a counterbalanced, single-blind fashion, 40 male and female adolescents completed two 2-wk trials that included 1) an HF trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g fructose/d and 15 g glucose/d) for 2 wk and 2) an HG trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g glucose/d and 15 g fructose/ d) for 2 wk in addition to their normal ad libitum diet. In addition, the participants maintained similar physical activity levels during each trial. The day after each trial, insulin sensitivity and resistance [assessed via Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index] and fasting and postprandial glucose, lactate, lipid, cholesterol, insulin, C-peptide, insulin secretion, and clearance responses to HF or HG mixed meals were assessed. Results: Body weight, QUICKI (whole-body insulin sensitivity), HOMA-IR (hepatic insulin resistance), and fasting lipids, cholesterol, glucose, lactate, and insulin secretion or clearance were not different between trials. Fasting HDL- and HDL3-cholesterol concentrations were w10–31% greater (P , 0.05) in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Postprandial triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol, HDL3-cholesterol, and glucose concentrations were not different between HF and HG trials. The lactate incremental area under the curve was w3.7-fold greater during the HF trial (P , 0.05), whereas insulin secretion was 19% greater during the HG trial (P , 0.05). Conclusions: Moderate amounts of HF- or HG-sweetened beverages for 2 wk did not have differential effects on fasting or postprandial cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, or hepatic insulin clearance in weight-stable, physically active adolescents.
Author Interviews, Johns Hopkins, Nutrition, Sugar / 18.10.2014

Sara N. Bleich, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Health Policy and Management Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, MD 21205 MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sara N. Bleich, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Health Policy and Management Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, MD 21205 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Bleich: Providing easily understandable calorie information — particularly in the form of miles of walking — makes adolescents more likely to buy a beverage with fewer calories, a healthier beverage or a smaller size beverage. Adolescents were also more likely to not buy any drink at all after seeing the signs with calorie information.
Author Interviews, Dental Research, Sugar / 17.09.2014

Professor Aubrey Sheiham Emeritus Professor of Dental Public Health Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London, WC1E 6BT. UK.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Aubrey Sheiham Emeritus Professor of Dental Public Health Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London, WC1E 6BT. UK. Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Prof Sheiham: There is a robust log-linear relationship of caries to sugar intakes from zero to 10% of sugars as a proportion of total energy intake. Furthermore our analyses showed that sugar intakes of 10%E sugars intake that is currently recommended as an upper limit for free sugars by the WHO and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition in England would induce a very costly burden of caries in most populations. Second, we found that free sugars* in the diet should make up no more than 3% of total energy intake. Above that level they cause a significant level of tooth decay across the lifecourse of most people in the developed world. Third, we were able to show that despite widescale fluoride use from both toothpastes and drinking water the mean numbers of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed and filled surfaces (DFS) for adults increased with sugar use despite the presence of fluoride. *Free sugars are defined by the World Health Organisation Nutrition Guidance Adivisory Group as follows: “Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit concentrates.”
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Mediterranean Diet, Nutrition, PLoS, Sugar / 01.08.2014

Effie Viguiliouk M.Sc. Candidate, Department of Nutritional Sciences University of TorontoMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Effie Viguiliouk M.Sc. Candidate, Department of Nutritional Sciences University of Toronto Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Effie Viguiliouk: This systematic review and meta-analysis of the totality of evidence from 12 randomized clinical trials in 450 participants with type 2 diabetes found that eating about 1/2 a cup of tree nuts per day (equivalent to about 60 g or 2 servings) significantly lowered the two key markers of blood sugar, HbA1c and fasting glucose, in comparison to calorically matched control diets without tree nuts.
Author Interviews, Circadian Rhythm, Gastrointestinal Disease, Sugar / 23.05.2014

Dr. Robin Voigt PhD Department of Internal Medicine Division of Gastroenterology Rush University Medical Center Chicago, IllinoisMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Robin Voigt PhD Department of Internal Medicine Division of Gastroenterology Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Illinois MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study?  Dr. Voigt: We found that chronic circadian rhythm disruption has no effect on the intestinal microbiota when mice are fed a standard chow diet but when combined with a high-fat, high-sugar diet circadian rhythm disruption results in intestinal dysbiosis and an increase in pro-inflammatory bacteria.
Author Interviews, Diabetes, Diabetologia, Exercise - Fitness, Sugar / 14.05.2014

MedicalResearch Interview with: Monique Francois Teaching Fellow & Research Assistant at the University of Otago School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand MedicalResearch: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We found that small 'snacks' of interval exercise before the three main meals lowered postprandial blood glucose and contributed to a lower blood glucose across the day. Whereas 30 minutes of continuous moderate exercise before dinner did not lower postprandial blood glucose nor mean glucose levels the exercise day or the following day, compared to exercise snacking. Six one minute intervals as walking or a combination of walking and resistance 3x per day (before the three main meals) improved glycaemic control in individuals with insulin resistance.
Author Interviews, Nutrition, Sugar / 28.03.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: JeffJeff Niederdeppe Assistant Professor Department of Communication Cornell University. Niederdeppe Assistant Professor Department of Communication Cornell University.   MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: We conducted an Internet-based survey (N = 1319) with a nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults aged 18–64 during the fall of 2012. Americans voiced the highest levels of support for calorie labeling (65%) and removing drinks from schools (62%), and the lowest support for taxes (22%) or portion size restrictions (26%). Americans were evenly split on whether or not they support restricting sugary drink to children (50%) and requiring TV stations to air ads promoting healthy eating and exercise equal to the time used to advertise for sugary drinks (51%). Democrats and those with negative views of soda companies are more likely to support each of these policies.
Author Interviews, NIH, Nutrition, Sugar / 27.03.2014

Laureen Smith, PhD Associate Professor College of Nursing, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Laureen Smith, PhD Associate Professor College of Nursing, The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Smith: Daily sugar-sweetened beverage decreased significantly by about 1 serving per day. Also weekly consumption decreased from an average of over 4 days per week to about 2 ½ days per week. Generally, the teens were drinking the beverages fewer days per week and less servings on the days they did consume them. These changes were maintained on their own for a month after the intervention ended. Water consumption increased nearly 20 percent immediately post intervention and continued to increase at 30 days post-intervention.
Author Interviews, Heart Disease, JAMA, Nutrition, Sugar / 03.02.2014

MedicalReseach.com Interview with: Quanhe Yang, PhD Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341 MedicalReseach.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Yang: The majority of US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. On average, Americans consume about 15% of daily calories from added sugar.  About 70% of adults consume more than 10%of calories from added sugar and another 10% consume more than 25% of calories from added sugar. When you compare those who consume 7.5% (lowest quintile) of calories from added sugar with participants who consume between 17%-21% (quintile 4) of calories from added sugar, the latter group has a 38% higher risk of CVD mortality. But the risk of CVD death more than doubles  for those who consume  ≥21% (highest quintile) of calories from added sugar.
Author Interviews, Education, Nutrition, Sugar / 02.01.2014

Sohyun Park, PhD, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA 30341MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sohyun Park, PhD, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA 30341 MedicalResearch.com:  What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Park: Nearly 1 out of 3 U.S. adults (30.5%) consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least 1 time per day; 20% consumed sugar-sweetened beverages at least 2 times per day. About 8 out of 10 adults agreed that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can contribute to weight gain. However, 8 of 10 adults also did not know the actual calorie content of a 24-oz fountain soda. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, adults who were neutral (neither agreed nor disagreed) that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can contribute to weight gain were more than 1-and-a-half times more likely to consume sugar-sweetened beverages at least 2 times per day. Conversely, knowledge about the calorie content of a 24-oz fountain soda was not associated with sugar-sweetened beverage intake.
Author Interviews, Mayo Clinic, Menopause, Sugar / 06.12.2013

Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, MS, RD Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH Rockville, MD 20850MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, MS, RD Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH Rockville, MD 20850 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: In our study, postmenopausal women who reported higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages were more likely to develop estrogen-dependent type I endometrial cancer, the most common type of this cancer.