Increased Sweetened Beverage Intake Is Associated with Reduced Milk and Calcium Intake in 3- to 7-Year-Old Children at Multi-Item Laboratory Lunches

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009-03, Vol.109 (3), p.497-501
• Main Authors: Keller, Kathleen L., PhD, Kirzner, Jared, Pietrobelli, Angelo, MD, St-Onge, Marie-Pierre, PhD, Faith, Myles S., PhD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Distribution; Animals; Beverages; Body Height - physiology; Body Weight - physiology; Bone Density Conservation Agents - administration & dosage; Bone Density Conservation Agents - metabolism; Calcium; Calcium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Calcium, Dietary - metabolism; Child; child nutrition; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Child, Preschool; children; Children & youth; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet Surveys; dietary minerals; Dietary Sucrose - administration & dosage; Dietary Sucrose - adverse effects; eating habits; Energy Intake - physiology; Feeding Behavior - ethnology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Food Preferences - ethnology; Food Preferences - psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Internal Medicine; lunch; Male; Milk; Milk - chemistry; nutrient intake; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - etiology; Obesity - prevention & control; Parenteral nutrition; School lunches; sweetened beverages; sweeteners; test meals; Twins; United States; Waist Circumference - physiology
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 2212-2672; 1878-3570; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.11.030

Abstract Dietary survey data show that intake of sugar-sweetened beverages is negatively associated with intake of milk, but these findings have yet to be confirmed by laboratory feeding studies. The objectives of the present study were to analyze children's intake across two laboratory-based ad libitum lunches to (a) investigate the relationships between intake of sweetened beverages, milk, and calcium, and (b) explore relationships between beverage consumption and child age and weight status. Data were extracted from a cohort of 126 3- to 7-year-old twins from diverse ethnic backgrounds who participated in a cross-sectional study (conducted from November 1999 to September 2002) designed to determine the genetic and environmental contributions to eating and body weight. At two visits, children ate ad libitum from lunches that offered a variety of sugar-sweetened and calcium-rich beverages. Total beverage and nutrient intakes were computed from the test meals. Weight, height, and waist circumference were assessed on the final visit. Regression analyses tested the associations among intake of sweetened beverages, calcium, and milk (primary aim), and whether these variables were associated with child age and weight status (secondary aim). Sweetened beverage intake was negatively correlated with both milk ( P