Trading Sugar for Sparkles in Adolescents: A Sensory Approach for Reducing Added Sugar From Sweetened Beverages

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate whether replacing sugary sodas with unsweetened, flavored sparkling waters can reduce added sugar intake and improve health among Black/African American and Latine adolescents with obesity who prefer sweet-tasting beverages. The study focuses on adolescents aged 12 to 18 who are "sweet-likers," meaning they prefer higher sugar concentrations in drinks. The main questions explore if changing beverage choices affects liking for sugary drinks and water, and whether this leads to better diet quality and cardiometabolic health. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups for a 4-week intervention: replacing sodas with flavored unsweetened sparkling water, replacing sodas with beverages that gradually reduce sugar concentration weekly until unsweetened sparkling water, or replacing sodas with plain still water as a control. Following the intervention, there is a 4-week follow-up period to track changes. All sugary sodas will be replaced with assigned study beverages during the intervention. Throughout the 8 weeks, participants will complete taste tests to measure their liking and perception of sweetness at baseline, week 2, week 4, and week 8. Researchers will collect dietary recalls, body measurements like height, weight, and waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood samples to measure glucose, insulin, and triglycerides at baseline, week 4, and week 8. The study aims to see if changes in sweetness preference relate to improvements in health markers and diet quality while monitoring participant compliance and any side effects.

A Sensory Strategy to Cut Sugary Beverages in African/American and Latine Adolescents