Sugar sweetened beverages consumption is associated with metabolic alterations in an independent manner of body mass index and body fat in young population.

Abstract Background Sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption are widely associated with metabolic and anthropometric dysfunctions. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between SSBs consumption and its attributable caloric intake with metabolic and anthropometric variables. We hypothesize that SSBs consumption is positively associated with metabolic dysfunction independently of the body composition. Methods A cross-sectional analysis was carried out in healthy university students, information was collected on metabolic and anthropometric measurements using standardized procedures as well as SSBs consumption patterns through validated questionnaire to describe associations and interactions. Results A total of 504 students, 208 men (41.3%) and 296 women (58.7%), with an average age of 19.0 years (SD = 1.5), were evaluated. The 35.4% of men and 32.6% of women presented body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg / m2. The average SSBs consumption was 20.3 servings / week (SD = 14.0). A positive association was found between SSBs consumption and the concentrations of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL- C) and total cholesterol (TC) in men, while women presented a positive association with visceral fat and LDL. Men consume more calories than women with an average of 2174.9 kcal / week (SD = 1380.0) from SSBs and 1526.9 kcal / week (SD = 1070.3) respectively (p <0.01). The general linear model do not show interactions between the body fat or the obesity diagnosis and the SSBs consumption for the variables TC, TG and LDL-C in men and very low density lipoprotein in women. Conclusion This study shows that the concentrations of the metabolic variables seem to be associated with the SSBs consumption independently of obesity or body fat.