Gut microbiota composition in relation to intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages in the Malmö Offspring Study.
PURPOSE
It has been suggested that a high intake of sugar or sweeteners may result in an unfavorable microbiota composition; however, evidence is lacking. Hence, in this exploratory epidemiological study, we aim to examine if intake of added sugar, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) associate with the gut microbiota composition.


METHODS
Participants (18-70 years) in the Malmö Offspring Study have provided blood, urine, and fecal samples and completed both web-based 4 day food records and short food frequency questionnaires. The gut microbiota was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, processed in QIIME and matched to Greengenes (v.13.8), giving 64 included genera after filtering. Intake of added sugar (n = 1371) (also supported by the overnight urinary sugar biomarker in a subgroup n = 577), SSBs (n = 1086) and ASBs (n = 1085) were examined as exposures in negative binomial regressions.


RESULTS
Various genera nominally associated with intake of added sugar, SSBs, and ASBs. Only the negative association between SSB intake and Lachnobacterium remained significant after multiple testing correction. A positive association between SSB intake and the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio was also observed.


CONCLUSION
In this wide population, the cross-sectional associations between added sugar and sweet beverage intake and the gut microbiota are modest, but the results suggest that SSB intake is associated negatively with the genus Lachnobacterium and positively with the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio. Larger studies, preferably using metagenomic sequencing, are needed to further evaluate if a link exists between intake of sugars and sweeteners and the human gut microbiota.
['Ramne|Stina|S|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1291-4494', 'Brunkwall|Louise|L|', 'Ericson|Ulrika|U|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4629-4318', 'Gray|Nicola|N|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0094-5245', 'Kuhnle|Gunter G C|GGC|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8081-8931', 'Nilsson|Peter M|PM|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5652-8459', 'Orho-Melander|Marju|M|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3578-2503', 'Sonestedt|Emily|E|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0747-4562']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D000081229:Artificially Sweetened Beverages D001628:Beverages D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome D006801:Humans D008875:Middle Aged D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S D000080845:Sugar-Sweetened Beverages D000073893:Sugars D013549:Sweetening Agents D055815:Young Adult
Gut microbiota Added sugar Sugar-sweetened beverages Artificially sweetened beverages Urinary sugars biomarker