Metabolomic Links Between Sweetened Beverage Intake and Obesity (OR31-05-19)

OBJECTIVES: Sweetened beverage (SB) consumption is highly associated with obesity, but the mechanism underlying this correlation is not understood. Our objective was to examine metabolomic links between SB intake and obesity to understand metabolic mechanisms. METHODS: We examined the association of plasma metabolomic profiles with SB intake and obesity risk in 782 participants, aged 45–75y, in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) using linear regression models, controlling for potential confounding factors. Based on identified metabolites, we conducted pathway enrichment analysis to identify potential metabolic pathways that link SB intake and obesity risk. Genetic variants in identified metabolic pathways were examined for their interaction with SB intake on metabolites of interest and obesity. Interactions between SB and genotypes on obesity were evaluated for replication in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). RESULTS: In BPRHS, SB intake was highly correlated with BMI (β = 0.455, P