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Calorie Intake, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption, and Obesity Among New York City Adults: Findings from a 2013 Population Study Using Dietary Recalls

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Abstract

Obesity and overweight-obesity have contributed to increases in early mortality and noncommunicable disease incidence. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is linked to obesity, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome. To further explore this relationship in a large urban environment, we assessed disparities in calorie intake between SSB and non-SSB consumers and determine the association between varying SSB consumption, obesity, and overweight-obesity using data from a 2013 representative dietary survey conducted in New York City. Results show that adult SSB drinkers consume 193 kcal/day from SSBs, approximately 10 % of daily caloric needs. Compared to non-SSB drinkers, those who consume SSBs have a 572 kcal greater daily intake. Total calorie differences are due to greater SSB calorie and food calorie consumption. Among SSB consumers, each 10-oz increase in SSB consumption is associated with a greater likelihood of obesity (OR 1.62, 95 % CI 1.05, 2.05) and overweight-obesity (OR 2.23, 95 % CI 1.31, 3.80). Additionally, each 10-kcal SSB increase is related to obesity (OR 1.04, 95 % CI 1.01, 1.08) and overweight-obesity (OR 1.07, 95 % CI 1.02, 1.11).

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Acknowledgments

We thank Christine Johnson, Maura Kennelly, Cathy Nonas, Tara Merry, Jesse Rudd, and Mikelyn Meyers for helpful discussions. This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 1U58DP003689-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 250 Park Avenue South, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Ryan Richard Ruff

  2. Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 42-09 28th Street, Queens, NY, USA

    Ryan Richard Ruff, Ali Akhund, Tamar Adjoian & Susan M. Kansagra

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  1. Ryan Richard Ruff
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Correspondence to Ryan Richard Ruff.

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Ruff, R.R., Akhund, A., Adjoian, T. et al. Calorie Intake, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption, and Obesity Among New York City Adults: Findings from a 2013 Population Study Using Dietary Recalls. J Community Health 39, 1117–1123 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-014-9865-3

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