Energy-containing beverages: reproductive hormones and ovarian function in the BioCycle Study.
BACKGROUND
Energy-containing beverages are widely consumed among premenopausal women, but their association with reproductive hormones is not well understood.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to assess the association of energy-containing beverages, added sugars, and total fructose intake with reproductive hormones among ovulatory cycles and sporadic anovulation in healthy premenopausal women.


METHODS
Women (n = 259) in the BioCycle Study were followed for up to 2 menstrual cycles; they provided fasting blood specimens during up to 8 visits/cycle and four 24-h dietary recalls/cycle.


RESULTS
Women who consumed ≥1 cup (1 cup = 237 mL) sweetened soda/d had 16.3% higher estradiol concentrations compared with women who consumed less sweetened soda (86.5 pg/mL compared with 74.4 pg/mL, P = 0.01) after adjustment for age, BMI, race, dietary factors, and physical activity. Similarly elevated estradiol concentrations were found for ≥1 cup cola/d and noncola soda intake. Neither artificially sweetened soda nor fruit juice intake ≥1 cup/d was significantly associated with reproductive hormones. Added sugar above the average US woman's intake (≥73.2 g/d) or above the 66th percentile in total fructose intake (≥41.5 g/d) was associated with significantly elevated estradiol but not consistently across all models. No associations were found between beverages, added sugars, or total fructose intake and anovulation after multivariate adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
Even at moderate consumption amounts, sweetened soda is associated with elevated follicular estradiol concentrations among premenopausal women but does not appear to affect ovulatory function. Further research into the mechanism driving the association between energy-containing beverages and reproductive hormones, and its potential implications for women's health, is warranted.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Karen C
KC
Schliep
Enrique F
EF
Schisterman
Sunni L
SL
Mumford
Anna Z
AZ
Pollack
Neil J
NJ
Perkins
Aijun
A
Ye
Cuilin J
CJ
Zhang
Joseph B
JB
Stanford
Christina A
CA
Porucznik
Ahmad O
AO
Hammoud
Jean
J
Wactawski-Wende
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000858:Anovulation / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D004032:Diet; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D017697:Premenopause; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D005632:Fructose; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol