A Sensory Strategy to Cut Sugary Beverages in African/American and Latine Adolescents
Trading Sugar for Sparkles in Adolescents, A Sensory Approach for Reducing Added Sugar From Sweetened Beverages
Nana Gletsu Miller
63 participants
Jul 25, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether replacing sugary sodas with unsweetened, flavored sparkling waters can reduce added sugar intake and improve health in Black/African American and Latine adolescents with obesity who prefer sweet-tasting beverages. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does replacing sugary sodas with water change liking for sugary drinks, and water? * Do shifts in liking for sweetness lead to improved diet quality and cardiometabolic health? Researchers will compare replacing sugary sodas with one of three alternative beverages: unsweetened sparkling water, plain water, and beverages with gradually reduced sugar to determine which strategy is most effective. Participants will: * Replace sugary sodas with study drinks for 4 weeks * Complete taste tests to measure their liking for and sensory experience of sweetness over 8-weeks * Provide dietary recalls, body measurements, and blood samples over 8-weeks
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria3
- Adolescents ages 12 to 18 who display a "sweet-liker" pattern, characterized by a preference for higher concentrations of sugar in beverages, specifically identifying 0.3M (10.3% sucrose) or above as their most liked sample.
- Have obesity (body mass index \[BMI\] > 95%). During screening, subjects' height and weight will be measured to calculate BMI, and BMI will be balanced across study arms using stratified randomization.
- Adolescents must also indicate a willingness to drink study beverages; not currently dieting/changing diet.
Exclusion Criteria7
- Adolescent participant is pregnant, since pregnancy affects taste perception
- Participant is allergic or intolerant to the items we are testing.
- Adolescent with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (self-declared or detected at screening visit through fasting glucose)
- Currently consume unsweetened, sparkling water two or more times per week.
- Adolescent participant is pregnant, since pregnancy affects taste perception
- Participant is allergic or intolerant to the items we are testing.
- Allergic or intolerant to the items that we are testing.
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Interventions
Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with flavored, unsweetened sparkling waters for 4 weeks.
Participants replace sugary sodas with beverages containing gradually decreasing sugar concentrations (weekly), ending with unsweetened sparkling water.
Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with plain, still water for 4 weeks. This serves as a comparator to evaluate sensory and metabolic changes.
Locations(3)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT07223151