The Association between the Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Metabolic Syndrome Components in Young Rural Adults in South Africa

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the key risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. However, lifestyle habits including high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contribute to its onset. The current study was aimed at investigating the association between SSBs consumption and MetS components among young adults aged 22 to 30 years. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study where a total of 596 young adults (307 females and 287 males) participated. Blood pressure, biochemical assessment, and anthropometric measurements were taken following protocols. A validated 24 h recall questionnaire and food manuals were used to collect SSBs data. Binary logistic regression was applied to determine the association between SSBs consumption and MetS components. Results: In males, high SSBs consumption increased the risk of high fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p < 0.05). In females, high and low SSBs consumption decreased the risk of reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), whereas only high SSBs consumption was associated with decreased risk of high triglycerides (TG) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, high TG, reduced HDL-C and high FBG was significantly associated with high consumption of SSBs. Longitudinal studies are recommended to further investigate the extent to which SSBs influences components of MetS.