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Using a Microsimulation of Energy Balance to Explore the Influence of Prenatal Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake on

Matt Kasman1, Benjamin Heuberger1, William Mack-Crane1

  • 1Center on Social Dynamics and Policy, Economics Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, USA.

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|February 23, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Maternal consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) during the second trimester of pregnancy was linked to increased caloric intake in children up to age 11. This suggests a potential influence on early childhood development and obesity risk.

Area of Science:

  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Nutritional Epidemiology
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Animal studies indicate a link between high sugar intake during pregnancy and offspring obesity.
  • Human studies investigating this prenatal-childhood obesity association are limited.
  • This research addresses the gap by examining sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption during pregnancy and its effect on child caloric intake.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) during pregnancy and children's caloric intake.
  • To determine if this association varies by trimester of pregnancy.
  • To explore the relationship between prenatal SSB intake and inferred childhood caloric intake through age 11.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cohort data including child weight, height, and physical activity.
  • Employed a lab-validated microsimulation model of energy balance to infer child caloric intake up to age 11.
  • Applied random effects models to analyze the relationship between prenatal maternal SSB consumption and childhood caloric intake, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

  • An additional daily serving of SSBs during the second trimester of pregnancy correlated with a 13 kcal/day increase in child caloric intake.
  • The association was most pronounced in children aged 2.5 to 5.5 years.
  • No consistent positive relationship was observed between SSB consumption during the first trimester and child caloric intake.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal SSB consumption during the second trimester is associated with increased child energy intake.
  • These findings suggest potential biological pathways influencing early childhood anthropometry.
  • The results highlight the interplay of biological, social, and environmental factors in child development and obesity risk.
Abstract

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