Association between added sugars intake and Parkinson's disease status in U.S. adults: a cross-sectional study from...

Added sugars intake is common among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the link between added sugars intake and PD is not well understood. Our study aims to investigate the association between added sugars intake and PD.

This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from1990 to 2020. Added sugars intake was estimated based on a 24-hour dietary recall from participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to explore the relationship between added sugars intake and the prevalence of PD. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was used to explore the nonlinear association between added sugars intake and PD. To further observe whether the conclusions were consistent across different subgroups, we conducted subgroup analyses to investigate the association of added sugars intake with PD in different populations.

The study included 12,489 participants, of which 100 had PD. When weighted, the data represented 136,959,144 participants. The study revealed a positive association between added sugars intake and the prevalence of PD. In multivariable regression models adjusted for all confounding factors, compared with the lowest quartile of added sugars intake, the third quartile (OR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.43-6.26) and those consuming more than 25% of their calories from added sugars (OR = 3.34; 95% CI: 1.03-10.86) had the highest risk of PD. The RCS curve showed an L-shaped nonlinear association between added sugars intake and PD. Two-segment linear regression by sex revealed that PD prevalence in women was linearly related to sugar intake (nonlinear P = 0.465), while men exhibited an L-shaped nonlinear relationship (nonlinear P = 0.03). Additionally, subgroup analysis showed that alcohol consumption and diabetes significantly influenced the association between added sugars intake and the prevalence of PD.

These results highlight a positive association between added sugars intake and the prevalence of PD, particularly among women, heavy drinkers, and individuals with diabetes.