In an article published in the Journal of Asthma, my colleagues and I find that soda consumption could be a point of intervention to reduce asthma severity, as we find a relationship between soda consumption and hospitalization for asthma related conditions.
Soda consumption and hospital admissions among Californian adults with asthma
ABSTRACT
Introduction Asthma prevalence has been increasing consistently since 1995 in California. Recent studies have found that consuming soda and sugar containing drinks may pose a risk for asthma. Research that examines the relationship between soda intake and asthma among adult asthmatics is limited.
Objective This study investigated the relationship between sugar-sweetened soda consumption and asthma hospitalization among adult asthmatics in California.
Methods This cross sectional study was based on the 2011–2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data and included 3,784 adults who were diagnosed with asthma by a doctor and who currently reported either that they still had asthma, or that they had suffered from an asthma attack in the last 12 months. The analysis was survey weighted. The exposure variable was soda intake measured as the number of times soda was consumed in the last week. The health outcome measure was overnight hospital admission due to asthma. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between soda consumption and overnight hospital admission after adjusting for age, education, sex, race/ethnicity, weight status, smoking status, and self-rated health.
Results Adults with asthma who drank soda three or more times per week reported higher odds of overnight hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.51– 5.10, p = 0.001).
Conclusions Our findings suggest that efforts designed to limit soda consumption would benefit asthma suffers by reducing hospital admissions. This however needs further research to confirm a direct causal association.