Moderate amounts of fructose- or glucose-sweetened beverages do not differentially alter metabolic health in male and female adolescents

Abstract

Background: Adolescents consume more sugar-sweetened beverages than do individuals in any other age group, but it is unknown how the type of sugar-sweetened beverage affects metabolic health in this population.

Objective: The objective was to compare the metabolic health effects of short-term (2-wk) consumption of high-fructose (HF) and high-glucose (HG)-sweetened beverages in adolescents (15-20 y of age).

Design: In a counterbalanced, single-blind fashion, 40 male and female adolescents completed two 2-wk trials that included 1) an HF trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g fructose/d and 15 g glucose/d) for 2 wk and 2) an HG trial in which they consumed 710 mL of a sugar-sweetened beverage/d (equivalent to 50 g glucose/d and 15 g fructose/d) for 2 wk in addition to their normal ad libitum diet. In addition, the participants maintained similar physical activity levels during each trial. The day after each trial, insulin sensitivity and resistance [assessed via Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index] and fasting and postprandial glucose, lactate, lipid, cholesterol, insulin, C-peptide, insulin secretion, and clearance responses to HF or HG mixed meals were assessed.

Results: Body weight, QUICKI (whole-body insulin sensitivity), HOMA-IR (hepatic insulin resistance), and fasting lipids, cholesterol, glucose, lactate, and insulin secretion or clearance were not different between trials. Fasting HDL- and HDL₃-cholesterol concentrations were ∼10-31% greater (P < 0.05) in female adolescents than in male adolescents. Postprandial triacylglycerol, HDL-cholesterol, HDL₃-cholesterol, and glucose concentrations were not different between HF and HG trials. The lactate incremental area under the curve was ∼3.7-fold greater during the HF trial (P < 0.05), whereas insulin secretion was 19% greater during the HG trial (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Moderate amounts of HF- or HG-sweetened beverages for 2 wk did not have differential effects on fasting or postprandial cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, or hepatic insulin clearance in weight-stable, physically active adolescents.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02058914.

© 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Figures

FIGURE 1.

Time course of fasting and postprandial concentrations of triacylglycerol (A), glucose (B), and lactate (C) and lactate incremental AUC (D) during each trial. Values are means ± SEMs. Unless otherwise noted, the main effect of trial; the within-subject interaction terms trial × adiposity, trial × sex, or trial × adiposity × sex; and the between-subjects effect for adiposity, sex, or adiposity × sex interaction were not significant (P > 0.05). For lactate, there was a significant main effect of trial (P < 0.05). *The 12-h lactate incremental AUC was significantly lower (P < 0.05) during the HG trial than during the HF trial. BF%, body fat percentage; HF, high fructose; HG, high glucose; TAG, triacylglycerol.

FIGURE 2.

Time course of insulin (A) and C-peptide concentrations (B), insulin secretion (C), and insulin secretion iAUC (D) during each trial. All values are means ± SEMs. Unless otherwise noted, the main effect of trial; the within-subject interaction terms trial × adiposity, trial × sex, or trial × adiposity × sex; or the between-subjects effect for adiposity, sex, or adiposity × sex interaction were not significant (P > 0.05). For the 12-h insulin and C-peptide iAUC, there was a significant main effect of trial (P < 0.05), a significant within-subject trial × sex interaction effect (P < 0.05), and a significant between-subjects effect for sex and adiposity (P < 0.05). For the 12-h insulin secretion iAUC, there was a significant main effect of trial (P < 0.05) and a significant within-subject sex × trial interaction (P < 0.05). *The 12-h insulin, C-peptide, and insulin secretion iAUC were significantly greater (P < 0.05) during the HG trial than during the HF trial. BF%, body fat percentage; HF, high fructose; HG, high glucose; iAUC, incremental AUC; ISR, insulin secretion rate.