Liquid versus solid energy intake in relation to body composition among Australian children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Obesity Research
• Dietary Assessment

Background:

• The comparative obesogenic potential of liquid versus solid energy intake is debated.
• Childhood adiposity is a growing public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of liquid versus solid energy intake on childhood adiposity.
• To assess the role of different beverage types, particularly sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), in childhood adiposity.
• To examine the effects of substituting beverages on adiposity markers.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 158 Australian 8-year-olds from the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study.
• Dietary intake assessed via three 24-hour recalls at age 9.
• Multivariate linear regression and substitution models used to analyze changes in BMI Z-score and body fat percentage from age 8 to 11.5 years.

Main Results:

• Liquid energy intake showed a stronger association with increased BMI Z-score and body fat percentage compared to solid energy intake.
• Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption was directly associated with increased adiposity markers.
• Substituting SSB with water or diet drinks was inversely associated with adiposity markers.

Conclusions:

• Liquid energy consumption is more obesogenic than solid energy consumption in children.
• SSB are significant predictors of childhood adiposity.
• Replacing SSB with water offers long-term benefits for managing childhood adiposity.