Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Oct 1;11(10):2338.
doi: 10.3390/nu11102338.

The Association between Early Childhood and Later Childhood Sugar-Containing Beverage Intake: A Prospective Cohort Study

Andrea Ziesmann  1 , Ruhi Kiflen  2 , Vanessa De Rubeis  3 , Brendan T Smith  4   5 , Jonathon L Maguire On Behalf Of The TARGet Kids Collaboration  6   7   8   9 , Catherine S Birken  10   11   12 , Laura N Anderson  13   14
Affiliations

The Association between Early Childhood and Later Childhood Sugar-Containing Beverage Intake: A Prospective Cohort Study

Andrea Ziesmann et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Sugar-containing beverages (SCBs) are a major source of sugar intake in children. Early life intake of SCBs may be a strong predictor of SCB intake later in life. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate if SCB intake (defined as 100% fruit juice, soda, and sweetened drinks) in early childhood (≤2.5 years of age) was associated with SCB intake in later childhood (5-9 years of age). A prospective cohort study was conducted using data from the TARGet Kids! primary care practice network (n = 999). Typical daily SCB intake was measured by parent-completed questionnaires. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression. A total of 43% of children consumed ≥0.5 cups/day of SCBs at ≤2.5 years and this increased to 64% by 5-9 years. Daily SCB intake, compared to no daily intake, at ≤2.5 years was significantly associated with SCB intake at 5-9 years (adjusted OR: 4.03; 95% CI: 2.92-5.55) and this association was much stronger for soda/sweetened drinks (adjusted OR: 12.83; 95% CI: 4.98, 33.0) than 100% fruit juice (OR: 3.61; 95% CI: 2.63-4.95). Other early life risk factors for SCB intake at 5-9 years were presence of older siblings, low household income, and shorter breastfeeding duration. Daily intake of SCBs in early childhood was strongly associated with greater SCB intake in later childhood. Early life may be an important period to target for population prevention strategies.

Keywords: child; fruit juices; infant; life-course epidemiology; sugars.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

J.L.M. received an unrestricted research grant for a completed investigator-initiated study from the Dairy Farmers of Canada (2011–2012) and Ddrops provided non-financial support (vitamin D supplements) for an investigator-initiated study on vitamin D and respiratory tract infections (2011–2015). The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of sugar-containing beverage (SCB) intake among children in the TARGet Kids! Research Network among children who “ever consumed” SCBs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Frantsve-Hawley J., Bader J.D., Welsh J.A., Wright J.T. A systematic review of the association between consumption of sugar-containing beverages and excess weight gain among children under age 12. J. Public Health Dent. 2017;77(Suppl. S1):S43–S66. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12222. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hu F.B. Resolved: There is sufficient scientific evidence that decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption will reduce the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Obes. Rev. 2013;14:606–619. doi: 10.1111/obr.12040. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vos M.B., Kaar J.L., Welsh J.A., Van Horn L.V., Feig D.I., Anderson C.A.M., Patel M.J., Cruz Munos J., Krebs N.F., Xanthakos S.A., et al. Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2017;135:e1017–e1034. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000439. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fidler Mis N., Braegger C., Bronsky J., Campoy C., Domellöf M., Embleton N.D., Hojsak I., Hulst J., Indrio F., Lapillonne A., et al. Sugar in Infants, Children and Adolescents: A Position Paper of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 2017;65:681–696. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001733. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ambrosini G.L., Oddy W.H., Huang R.C., Mori T.A., Beilin L.J., Jebb S.A. Prospective associations between sugar-sweetened beverage intakes and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2013;98:327–334. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.051383. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding