Artificially sweetened beverages consumed in pregnancy linked to increased infant BMI

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/tjnj-asb050516.php

Public Release: 9-May-2016
Artificially sweetened beverages consumed in pregnancy linked to increased infant BMI
The JAMA Network Journals

Daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages by women during pregnancy may be associated with increased infant body mass index (BMI) and may be associated with an increased risk of being overweight in early childhood, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics.

Obesity may be rooted in early life with more than 20 percent of preschool children classified as overweight or obese. Added sugar is associated with obesity and as a result sugar replacements or nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are popular. Literature suggests that chronic NNS consumption may paradoxically increase the risk of obesity and metabolic disease.

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Study results indicate that daily consumption of artificially sweetened beverages, compared with no consumption of such beverages, was associated with an increase in infant BMI z score and a two-fold increased risk of an infant being overweight at 1 year of age. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was not associated with infant BMI z scores.

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The study also cannot prove a causal association.

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