AUTHOR=Yan Xiaofang , Xu Yingxia , Huang Jitian , Li Yanmei , Li Qian , Zheng Juan , Chen Qingsong , Yang Wenhan 

TITLE=Association of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with cognitive function among the adolescents aged 12–16 years in US, NHANES III, 1988–1994

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.939820

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.939820

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=Objective: As a major source of added sugar, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) continues to increase worldwide. The adverse health effects associated with SSBs are also risk factors for cognitive development, but studies on the relationship between SSBs and adolescents' cognitive function are limited. We used data released by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III (1988-1994) to explore the association between the consumption of SSBs and cognitive function among children and adolescents aged 12-16 in the United States.
Methods: A nationally representative population sample included 1809 adolescents aged 12-16 years who participated in the United States NHANES from 1988 to 1994, and provided samples for the dietary intake frequency Questionnaire and measures of cognitive function. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the association between the frequency of SSBs consumption and scores of cognitive functions tests.
Results: The study of 1809 adolescents aged 12-16 comprised 963 girls (weighted proportion, 48.17%) and 846 boys (weighted, 51.83%), with a weighted mean (SE) age of 13.99 (0.05) years. Compared with adolescents who intake SSBs 0-1 times per week, those who drank 4-7 times per week had better scores in arithmetic, reading, and digit span tests, with ORs of 0.36 (95% CI = 0.16-0.82), 0.35 (95% CI = 0.18-0.70) and 0.19 (95% CI = 0.08-0.44), respectively. The ORs for abnormal block design scores increases with the frequency of SSBs intake after adjusted for potential confounders (P for trend 0.02). Stratified analyses showed that compared with normal or below BMI, among overweight or obese individuals, the frequency of SSBs intake had significant ORs for abnormal digit span scores (OR = 4.76, 95% CI = 1.19-18.96 vs 0.35, 95% CI = 0.10-1.25; P for interaction = 0.01).
Conclusion: The positive associations of SSBs at moderate level intake with better scores in arithmetic, reading, and digit span, but no dose-response relationship was identified at the overall level. And with increasing frequency of SSBs consumption, the risk of anomalous block design scores increased among U.S. adolescents. Further investigation is warranted to confirm the association and mechanism between the SSBs and cognitive function among adolescents.