Table 1. Characteristics of Participants in the Women’s Health Initiative According to Sugar-Sweetened Beverage and Artificially Sweetened Beverage Intake.
| Variables | Sugar-sweetened beverage intake (n = 98 786)a | Artificially sweetened beverage intake (n = 64 787)a | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Never to ≤3/mo | 1-6/wk | ≥1/d | Never to ≤3/mo | 1-6/wk | ≥1/d | |
| No. | 77 173 | 14 921 | 6692 | 41 332 | 14 949 | 8506 |
| Age, median (IQR), y | 63.0 (58.0-69.0) | 62.0 (56.0-68.0) | 60.0 (55.0-66.0) | 64.0 (58.0-70.0) | 63.0 (57.0-68.0) | 60.0 (55.0-66.0) |
| Race and ethnicityb | ||||||
| Hispanic | 2.8 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 5.1 | 16.0 | 22.1 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Non-Hispanic White | 88.0 | 72.7 | 66.4 | 85.4 | 87.1 | 87.8 |
| Other | 4.2 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| Education | ||||||
| <High school | 3.7 | 7.2 | 9.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| High school or some college | 52.0 | 58.5 | 59.4 | 50.9 | 53.4 | 54.2 |
| ≥4 y of college | 44.3 | 34.3 | 31.4 | 45.3 | 42.6 | 41.3 |
| Never use of alcohol | 9.5 | 14.0 | 15.9 | 10.6 | 9.4 | 11.2 |
| Alcohol intake, median (IQR), drinks/wk | 0.4 (0-3.2) | 0.2 (0-1.4) | 0 (0-0.8) | 0.4 (0-3.2) | 0.4 (0-3.2) | 0.4 (0-2.6) |
| Smoking status | ||||||
| Never | 50.2 | 57.1 | 52.9 | 52.9 | 50.3 | 46.3 |
| Past | 44.4 | 35.4 | 35.6 | 41.4 | 44.8 | 46.7 |
| Current | 5.5 | 7.5 | 11.5 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 7.0 |
| Medication use | ||||||
| Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug | 54.1 | 53.5 | 52.3 | 49.9 | 54.9 | 56.5 |
| Oral contraceptive | 41.6 | 42.3 | 45.6 | 39.6 | 44.6 | 48.5 |
| Menopausal hormone therapy | 61.6 | 58.6 | 54.1 | 61.0 | 64.6 | 63.9 |
| Family history of cancer | 64.2 | 61.9 | 60.7 | 63.8 | 64.3 | 64.3 |
| Self-reported diabetes | 5.5 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 9.2 |
| History of liver disease | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Body mass index, median (IQR)c | 26.2 (23.3-30.1) | 27.3 (24-31.4) | 28.6 (24.9-33.4) | 25.2 (22.6-28.7) | 26.8 (23.9-30.7) | 27.8 (24.6-32.2) |
| Waist-hip ratio, median (IQR)d | 0.80 (0.75-0.85) | 0.81 (0.76-0.86) | 0.82 (0.77-0.87) | 0.79 (0.75-0.84) | 0.80 (0.75-0.85) | 0.81 (0.76-0.86) |
| Recreational physical activity, median (IQR), metabolic equivalent h/wk | 10.5 (3.8-19.5) | 7.3 (1.7-15) | 5.0 (0.5-13) | 10.5 (3.8-21) | 10.5 (3.8-20) | 9.1 (2.5-18.8) |
| Total energy intake, median (IQR), kcal/d | 1451 (1131-1830) | 1583 (1217-2025) | 1849 (1426-2385) | 1409 (1094-1786) | 1442 (1119-1821) | 1472 (1136-1887) |
| Modified alternate healthy eating index, median (IQR)e | 48.9 (42.4-55.4) | 44.7 (39.1-51.1) | 42.2 (36.6-48.4) | 50.5 (43.6-57.7) | 48.9 (42.6-55.6) | 46.9 (40.4-53.6) |
Percent values are reported unless otherwise indicated.
Race and ethnicity data were collected because the association between beverage intake and liver outcomes could differ by participants’ race and ethnicity. The information was collected by asking the question: “How would you describe your racial or ethnic group?” Six response options were given: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic/Latino, White (not of Hispanic origin), or other.
Calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
In the sugar-sweetened beverage intake group, 356 had missing values for waist-hip ratio, and 243 in the artificially sweetened beverage intake group had missing values.
Values were calculated by excluding the sugar-sweetened beverage component from the alternate healthy eating index. The alternate healthy eating index grades diet quality based on 11 foods and nutrients that prevent chronic diseases (range, 0 to 110 [with higher scores indicating healthier diets]).