Assessment of fluid intake as a determinant of lifestyle and its impact on health

Identifier:  TDX:2462

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2462

Authors:  Ferreira Pêgo, Cíntia Sofia

Abstract:
The scarcity and the inconsistency of the evidence available about beverages intake, led us to examine the consumption of different types of beverages and total daily fluid intake in Spanish adults and other 12 countries using data from the Liq.In7 study. We found that approximately 50% of the population did not complied with European Food Safety Agency adequate intake and 44.5% exceeded the World Health Organization energy intake provided by free sugar recommendations, solely by fluids. Furthermore, differences in total fluid intake between countries, gender and ages were found. The beverage pattern of Spanish adults was assessed categorized by the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) adherence and physical activity. For the first time, we show that individuals with high scores for MedDiet adherence and physical exercise presented a healthy beverage profile. We have also prospectively assessed the associations between the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), artificially sweetened beverages and bottled and natural fruit juices and incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in a Mediterranean population (n=1868 participants) at high cardiovascular risk, within the framework of PREDIMED study. The occasional consumption of SSBs and artificially sweetened beverages (1-5 servings/week) was not associated with the incidence of MetS in middle-aged and elderly individuals at high risk of CVD. The consumption of >5 servings/week of all of the types of beverages analyzed was associated with an increased risk of MetS and some of its components. Finally, in order to analyze the associations between fluid and beverage intake in the future, we designed and validated a Spanish fluid-specific questionnaire. This validation was conducted in the context of the PREDIMED-PLUS study, a multicenter randomized trial aiming at assess the beneficial effect of weight loss using a MedDiet and physical exercise promotion on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.