Chronic Intake of Energy Drinks and Their Sugar Free Substitution Similarly Promotes Metabolic Syndrome.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the effects of chronic consumption of standard and sugar-free energy drinks on metabolic syndrome, particularly insulin resistance, in comparison to other dietary interventions.
Results Summary
Both standard and sugar-free energy drinks induced metabolic syndrome markers, including hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, and insulin resistance, similar to a soft drink. The sugar-free version unexpectedly showed comparable adverse effects to the standard version, while a Western-styled diet increased weight and cholesterol but not blood glucose or triglycerides.
Population
Wild-type C57BL/6J mice (a model for metabolic studies).
Effective Dosage
Not explicitly stated, but chronic ingestion over 13 weeks.
Duration
13 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED) | increase | blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | were hyperglycaemic and hypertriglyceridaemic | #1 |
standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED) | increase | triglyceride glucose index | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | indicating higher | #2 |
standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED) | increase | adiposity | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | had greater | #3 |
standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED) | increase | white adipose tissue | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | due to the increase in | #4 |
standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED) | no change | body weight | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | body weight was comparable to | #5 |
sugar-free formulation (sfED) | increase | insulin resistance, blood glucose, triglyceride concentrations | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | showed signs of insulin resistance with hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia | #6 |
sugar-free formulation (sfED) | increase | triglyceride glucose index | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | greater | #7 |
soft drink, Coca-Cola (SD) | increase | blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | were hyperglycaemic and hypertriglyceridaemic | #8 |
Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) | increase | weight gain | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | exhibited significantly greater | #9 |
Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) | increase | body fat | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | exhibited significantly greater | #10 |
Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) | increase | cholesterol | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | exhibited significantly greater | #11 |
Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) | increase | insulin | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | exhibited significantly greater | #12 |
Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) | no change | blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | remained comparable to | #13 |
standard and sugar-free forms of energy drinks | increase | metabolic syndrome, particularly insulin resistance | wild-type C57BL/6J mice | - | induces | #14 |
Energy drinks containing significant quantities of caffeine, taurine and sugar are increasingly consumed, particularly by adolescents and young adults. The putative effects of chronic ingestion of either standard energy drink, MotherTM (ED), or its sugar-free formulation (sfED) on metabolic syndrome were determined in wild-type C57BL/6J mice, in comparison to a soft drink, Coca-Cola (SD), a Western-styled diet enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA), and a combination of SFA + ED. Following 13 weeks of intervention, mice treated with ED were hyperglycaemic and hypertriglyceridaemic, indicating higher triglyceride glucose index, which was similar to the mice maintained on SD. Surprisingly, the mice maintained on sfED also showed signs of insulin resistance with hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, and greater triglyceride glucose index, comparable to the ED group mice. In addition, the ED mice had greater adiposity primarily due to the increase in white adipose tissue, although the body weight was comparable to the control mice receiving only water. The mice maintained on SFA diet exhibited significantly greater weight gain, body fat, cholesterol and insulin, whilst blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations remained comparable to the control mice. Collectively, these data suggest that the consumption of both standard and sugar-free forms of energy drinks induces metabolic syndrome, particularly insulin resistance.