Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Childhood Abnormal Adiposity in the Czech Republic – Narrative Literature Review

Abstract

Objectives: In Czech children, the burden related to the high body-mass index is rising. In the last three decades, Western eating patterns have influenced Czech children’s diet, including the high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. This narrative review aims to evaluate evidence of the trend of sugar-sweetened beverages consumption in Czech children and its impact on the prevalence of childhood abnormal adiposity. Methods: A comprehensive literature review in MEDLINE (PubMed) and a hand search using references in identified articles were performed. The inclusion criteria were population-based studies of randomly selected samples of children from 0 to 18 years old, data involving the Czech population, published from 1990 to 2021. The results were organized into three sections – childhood abnormal adiposity, SSBs consumption, and the association between SSBs consumption and abnormal adiposity. Results: The studies showed a significant increase in abnormal adiposity in both genders and all age categories. The highest prevalence of abnormal adiposity was observed in boys and younger children. On the contrary, sugar-sweetened beverages showed a significant decline in daily consumption among Czech children of both genders and all age categories. No results were found for consequences of abnormal adiposity concerning sugar-sweetened beverages consumption. Conclusion: Findings from this review could serve public health experts to detect the areas of a gap in research and establish potential interventions in vulnerable groups. Observation of potential obesogenic contributors – including sugar-sweetened beverages – should be an integral part of effective action against the obesity pandemic.