Associations of Intake of Free and Naturally Occurring Sugars from Solid Foods and Drinks with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in a Quebec Adult Population: The PREDISE (PRÉDicteurs Individuels, Sociaux et Environnementaux) Study.

BACKGROUND

Associations between sugar consumption and cardiometabolic health, taking into account the physical form of sugar-containing foods (liquid vs. solid) and the type of sugars consumed [free sugars (FSs) vs. naturally occurring sugars (NOSs)], remain to be thoroughly documented.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to examine whether FS and NOS intakes from drinks and solid foods are associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in a sample of French-speaking adults from the province of Quebec, Canada.

METHODS

Data were collected as part of the cross-sectional PREDISE (PRÉDicteurs Individuels, Sociaux et Environnementaux) study (n = 1019, 18-65 y old; 50% women). FS and NOS intakes were assessed by three 24-h dietary recalls using a self-administered, web-based application. Diet quality was assessed using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010. Participants underwent on-site clinical assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure, waist circumference, BMI, and fasting blood sampling (glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, blood lipids). Multivariable linear regression models were performed to examine the associations between sugar intake and cardiometabolic risk factors with sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle variables, and diet quality entered as covariates.

RESULTS

In fully adjusted models, FS intake from drinks was associated with fasting insulin (1.06%; 95% CI: 0.30%, 1.84%; P = 0.006) and with insulin resistance as estimated using the HOMA model (1.01%; 95% CI: 0.19%, 1.84%; P = 0.02). All metabolic variables that were significantly associated with NOS intake from solid foods in minimally adjusted models were no longer significant after entering sociodemographic and lifestyle variables (e.g., educational and income levels, smoking, physical activity, daily energy intake) and diet quality in the models.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data from an adult sample showed that unfavorable and favorable associations with cardiometabolic risk factors observed, respectively, for FS intake from drinks and NOS intake from foods are mostly explained by sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, as well as by diet quality.