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Sugary beverage and food consumption and leukocyte telomere length maintenance in pregnant women: a pilot study
Author(s) -
Leung Cindy W,
Laraia Barbara A,
ColemanPhox Kimberly,
Bush Nicole R,
Lin Jue,
Blackburn Elizabeth H,
Adler Nancy E,
Epel Elissa S
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.904.23
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , added sugar , overweight , environmental health , gestation , food science , obesity , biology , genetics
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) has been inversely associated with sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in cross‐sectional studies, but its relation to other sources of added sugars is unknown. Furthermore, no studies have examined whether dietary intake influences LTL over time. This study examined longitudinal associations between sugary foods and beverages and LTL. Participants were 65 overweight and obese pregnant women, aged 18–45, in an 8‐week mindfulness intervention study conducted in early pregnancy (≤16 weeks gestation) with follow up through 9 months postpartum. During the pregnancy and postpartum periods, dietary intake was measured with two 24‐hour diet recalls and LTL was assessed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. From baseline to 9 months postpartum, increased consumption of SSBs was associated with greater concurrent LTL shortening (β= −0.094, 95% CI −0.171, −0.016), adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics. No associations were observed between the intakes of sugary foods, including dairy desserts, sweetened yogurt, baked goods, candy, and syrups and sweet sauces, and changes in LTL. The association between SSB consumption and LTL shortening warrants investigation in large prospective cohort studies. Support or Funding Information This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants (U01 HL097973 and K99 HD084758 to C.W. Leung).