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Category: Project

Description: Intake of added sugars (AS) is challenging to assess compared with total dietary sugar because of lack of reliable assessment methods. The reliance on self-reported dietary data in observational studies is often cited as biased, with evidence on AS intake in relation to health outcomes rated as low to moderate quality. A major source of AS are sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Regular and high intake of SSBs has been associated with overall poor diet, weight gain, and cardiometabolic risks. Elevated intake of low calorie-sweetened beverages (LCSBs), often regarded as healthier alternatives to SSBs, is also increasingly associated with increased risk for metabolic dysfunction. Due to inconsistent findings in epidemiologic studies, these associations remain contentious and inconclusive. Thus, more objective assessment of SSBs and LCSBs intake by using nutritional biomarkers to complement existing dietary assessment instruments is emphasized. New studies investigating metabolomic profiles of urine, blood, and plasma in relation to SSBs and LCSBs intake continue to emerge. This systematic review collates latest evidence from studies applying metabolomics for the discovery of candidate biomarkers associated with intake of SSBs and LCSBs.