Soft drink intake is associated with diet quality even among young Japanese women with low soft drink intake.
BACKGROUND
Unsweetened traditional Japanese tea has long been the main beverage consumed in Japan, with soft drinks only recently forming a part of people's diets. Evidence suggests an association between soft drink intake and poor diet quality among youth in the United States. The association is not yet fully examined in the population with relatively low intake level of soft drinks such as the current Japanese population.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of soft drink intake with dietary intake among young Japanese women.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey assessed dietary intake using a validated, self-administered, diet history questionnaire.


METHODS
Female dietetics students aged 18 to 20 years (n=3,931) in April 2005 in Japan.


METHODS
Multivariate linear regression analyses examined the relationship of soft drink intake with that of foods, beverages, energy, and nutrients.


RESULTS
Mean+/-standard deviation soft drink intake was 70.6+/-93.0 g/1,000 kcal. Soft drink intake was significantly associated positively with intake of confection, fat and oil, noodles, 100% vegetable and fruit juices, diet soft drinks, energy, and carbohydrates and negatively with intake of vegetables, fruits, pulses, fish and shellfish, rice, eggs, potatoes, milk, coffee and black tea, traditional Japanese tea, protein, dietary fiber, cholesterol, and most of the micronutrients examined.


CONCLUSIONS
Not only among Western populations, but also among non-Western populations, soft drink intake may be an important factor to consider in evaluating overall dietary intake and diet quality.
Yamada
Mai
M
Department of International Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Murakami
Kentaro
K
Sasaki
Satoshi
S
Takahashi
Yoshiko
Y
Okubo
Hitomi
H
D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004326:Drinking; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult