title: Soda and cell aging: associations between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and leukocyte telomere length in healthy adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested whether leukocyte telomere length maintenance, which underlies healthy cellular aging, provides a link between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and the risk of cardiometabolic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined cross-sectional associations between the consumption of SSBs, diet soda, and fruit juice and telomere length in a nationally representative sample of healthy adults. The study population included 5309 US adults, aged 20 to 65 years, with no history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, from the 1999 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Leukocyte telomere length was assayed from DNA specimens. Diet was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls. Associations were examined using multivariate linear regression for the outcome of log-transformed telomere length.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, sugar-sweetened soda consumption was associated with shorter telomeres (b = -0.010; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.020, -0.001; P = .04). Consumption of 100% fruit juice was marginally associated with longer telomeres (b = 0.016; 95% CI = -0.000, 0.033; P = .05). No significant associations were observed between consumption of diet sodas or noncarbonated SSBs and telomere length.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence metabolic disease development through accelerated cell aging.
authors.affiliation: Cindy W. Leung is with the Center for Health and Community, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Barbara A. Laraia is with the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Belinda Needham is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. David H. Rehkopf is with the Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. Nancy E. Adler and Elissa S. Epel are with the Center for Health and Community and the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Jue Lin and Elizabeth H. Blackburn are with the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Cindy W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Laraia
authors.forename: Belinda L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Needham
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Rehkopf
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: Elissa S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Epel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001628:Beverages; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000187:drug effects*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose